Unknown Ethiopian artist

Entry to Jerusalem, from the Kebran Gospels, c.1375–1400, Manuscript illumination, Kebran Gabriel Church, Lake Tana, Ethiopia; MS Tanasee 1, Photo: © Michael Gervers, 2006

Image and Liturgy

Commentary by Jacopo Gnisci

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Read by Chloë Reddaway

Hosanna to the Son of David!

Miniatures of the Entry into Jerusalem are attested in many medieval Ethiopic Gospel books where the episode often takes up a two-page spread to stress the triumphal character of the occasion.

In the Kebran Gospels, Jesus is surrounded by his disciples and rides towards a crowd that welcomes him by spreading garments on the road and waving palm branches (Matthew 21:8; Mark 11:8; Luke 19:36; John 12:13). Jesus is met by a group of children even though the canonical narratives do not mention them at this point in the story. Their presence foreshadows the account of the Cleansing of the Temple in Matthew (21:12–17) during which Jesus is praised by the children who cry out ‘Hosanna’. Their acclamations anger the high priests and scribes, but Jesus explains and justifies their actions by reciting the first half of Psalm 8:2, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise’, to prove that by accepting him as the Messiah the children are fulfilling this prophecy.

Looking more closely at the Kebran miniature, we can see a small figure perched upon the tree above the welcoming crowd and identified by a caption as Zacchaeus—a tax collector who climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus in Jericho. His story is peculiar to Luke’s Gospel (19:1–10) who uses it to show that through Jesus salvation becomes possible even for sinners such as Zacchaeus and to introduce the parable of the Ten Pounds/minas (19:11–27; a parallel of the parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14–30).

In Ethiopia this pericope is read on Palm Sunday so the decision to include Zacchaeus was probably inspired by the liturgical practices of the Ethiopian church. However, the presence of Zacchaeus, in view of the connection with the parable of the Ten Pounds, also gives an eschatological dimension to the whole scene. In Matthew 25, this story is part of a group of parables about the kingdom of heaven. The eschatological connotations of this image are also brought into play by the sun and moon on the left page which evoke the prophecy of the destruction of the Temple (Matthew 24:29).

 

References

Gnisci, Jacopo. 2015. ‘The Liturgical Character of Ethiopian Gospel Illumination of the Early Solomonic Period: A Brief Note on the Iconography of the Washing of the Feet,’ in Aethiopia fortitudo ejus: Studi in onore di Monsignor Osvaldo Raineri in occasione del suo 80° compleanno, ed. by Rafał Zarzeczny (Rome: Pontificio Istituto Orientale), pp. 253–75

See full exhibition for Matthew 21:1–11; Mark 11:1–10; Luke 19:29–40; John 12:12–19

Matthew 21:1–11; Mark 11:1–10; Luke 19:29–40; John 12:12–19

Revised Standard Version

Matthew 21

21 And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethʹphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3If any one says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and he will send them immediately.” 4This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5“Tell the daughter of Zion,

Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on an ass,

and on a colt, the foal of an ass.”

6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7they brought the ass and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon. 8Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Mark 11

11 And when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethʹphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 2and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat; untie it and bring it. 3If any one says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’ ” 4And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door out in the open street; and they untied it. 5And those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6And they told them what Jesus had said; and they let them go. 7And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and he sat upon it. 8And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. 9And those who went before and those who followed cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!”

Luke 19

29When he drew near to Bethʹphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village opposite, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat; untie it and bring it here. 31If any one asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this, ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32So those who were sent went away and found it as he had told them. 33And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their garments on the colt they set Jesus upon it. 36And as he rode along, they spread their garments on the road. 37As he was now drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

John 12

12 The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it; as it is written,

15“Fear not, daughter of Zion;

behold, your king is coming,

sitting on an ass’s colt!”

16His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. 17The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazʹarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. 18The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see that you can do nothing; look, the world has gone after him.”

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