The Wounded Lamb

This Eucharistic Window, inspired by the Lamb from the Revelation 5, symbolizes the crucified and risen Christ as the Paschal Mystery celebrated in the Eucharist. Christ, depicted as the Apocalyptic Lamb, is the vulnerable God who suffers with humanity, but also epitomizes the hope and joy of resurrection.

Richard King, drawing on Revelation 5:6–10, states that:

The central theme of this design is the Apocalyptic Lamb shown standing on the Book of the Seven Seals with the ‘seven horns’ of light on his head. The Lamb was slain—wound in breast—but for us the blood is not wasted, but is caught up in the chalice for our salvation. The lamb rose again and so bears the banner of the Resurrection. The seven flames represent the lamps seen in the beatific vision and are symbolic of our means of Grace. Below are the Chalice and Host and the wheat and grapes. (Sheehy 2020: 333)

The style of this window, blending symbolic, expressive colours with contrasts of light and darkness, is conveyed by cubist-abstract forms. The large red cross behind the white Apocalyptic Lamb, recalls the Passion as the condition of the resurrection hope that King so profoundly affirms. This is further indicated by the blood flowing from the wound in the breast of the Lamb into the chalice, signifying the Eucharist. The blue background with some white, showing the Alpha and Omega, indicates Christ as the beginning and the end, while the eyes—signifying angelic hosts—evoke heaven and transcendence.

The iconography of this stained-glass window reflects Revelation 5:12–13:

Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!

All these aspects are revealed by the colour, sacramental symbolism, and cosmic vision of this window.

References

King, Richard. N.d. ‘Unpublished explanatory notes concerning the sanctuary windows in the chapel, Sisters of Saint Joseph CentreWest Region’, Archives South Australia: Series 32

Sheehy, Ruth. 2020. The Life and Work of Richard King: Religion, Nationalism and Modernism, Reimagining Ireland Series (Oxford: Peter Lang)

The Paschal Lamb, depicted in this rose window, is also the Apocalyptic Lamb. In both aspects, the Lamb, for Christians, signifies Christ.

Christ’s sacrificial death at the time of Passover underscores his association with the Passover Lamb of the Old Testament. The Lamb in this window is therefore, in one respect, ‘Paschal’ with blood pouring from his breast. However, this same Lamb is also alive and risen from the dead, so we find additional resonances here with the Lamb of Revelation 5:6–7 which states:

Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

In Richard King’s window, we see ‘the seven horns of light’ around the Lamb’s head (Sheehy 2020: 341) and the white Cross of Resurrection.

These two dimensions of the Lamb, Paschal and Apocalyptic, are both evident in the Book of Revelation, as Richard Bauckham argues: ‘Doubtless, the Lamb is intended to suggest primarily the Passover lamb, for throughout the Apocalypse [including in 5:10] John represents the victory of the Lamb as a New Exodus’ (Bauckham 1993: 64). The Lamb of the Apocalypse is the Lamb whose blood was shed at Passover.

Christ, who is both crucified and risen, is the Paschal Mystery celebrated in the Eucharist. Through Christ, God’s very self is offered and received in the eucharistic action, and this Triune God is revealed by the ‘three triangles in the primary colours’ and ‘the large ruby triangle’ (Sheehy 2020: 341) symbolizing the Trinity behind the Lamb. This ‘large ruby triangle’ signifies ‘the Unity of God which gives the key colour note to the whole’, as ruby is ‘the symbolic colour of love’ (ibid 342). Eucharistic emblems of ‘bread’, ‘wine’, and ‘Water’ (sic) (ibid 341), in expressive colour, are in the six cusps of the window. A blue ‘Tau cross’ behind the Lamb connects him with the eucharistic emblems and the triangles of the Trinity.

Ichthus (IXΘΥΣ), the Greek word for fish, incorporates the language of Early Christianity. These initial letters of the words ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour,’ functioning as an acrostic, are in blue glass beneath the Lamb. He is Saviour, for the blood that pours from his breast into a chalice is shed to redeem his people.

References

Bauckham, Richard. 1993. New Testament Theology: The Theology of the Book of Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)

Fletcher, Michelle. 2022. ‘Reading Exodus in Revelation’, in Exodus in the New Testament, ed. by Seth Ehorn (London: Bloomsbury), pp. 182–201

Hoffmann Matthias Reinhard. 2005. The Destroyer and the Lamb: The Relationship Between Angelomorphic and Lamb Christology in the Book of Revelation (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck)

King, Richard. 1967. ‘Unpublished written description of the windows in Dominican Convent Chapel, Wicklow, June 1967’, Dominican Archives, Wicklow, now in Dominican Archives, Cabra, Dublin

Sheehy, Ruth. 2020. The Life and Work of Richard King: Religion, Nationalism and Modernism, Reimagining Ireland Series (Oxford: Peter Lang)

This window of The Resurrection (symbolized by the Apocalyptic Lamb of Revelation 5), is the companion to a window in the same chapel of The Crucifixion (symbolized by the Passover, or ‘Paschal’ Lamb).

Here, the Apocalyptic Lamb, with head held up and eyes open, has been transfigured by the process of Passion and Resurrection. The red cross in the Lamb’s halo, which intersects with the Lamb’s large white Cross of Resurrection, reveals that Christ’s suffering and death are now glorified. The wound in the breast of the Lamb is still visible, but healed. The Passion is recalled by the reds that are interspersed with the oranges and yellows of the sheaf of wheat below the Lamb, which evoke the bread of the Eucharist. The dark trunk at the bottom evokes the ‘tree’ of the Cross—the Cross of the Passion. But this same tree is now the Tree of Life (Revelation 22:1–3), and the Cross of the Passion is now glorified in the white Cross above.

The whiteness of the Lamb, surrounded by yellow, suggests the joy, light, and radiance of resurrection. The colour white also signifies the innocence and goodness of the Lamb. The blue background indicates that this risen, divine Apocalyptic Lamb is in heaven. The use of colour symbolism to communicate religious meaning shows Richard King’s profound knowledge of Christian iconography.

This window, with its curved forms, cubist-abstract shapes, contrasts of light and darkness, and restricted range of symbolic colour, reflects the influence on King of the austerity of modern German stained glass (Sheehy 2020: 356). The geometric and linear design of the work conveys its subject matter in a manner that combines stylistic severity with restrained emotional expressiveness. The window is a powerful interpretation of the glorified, risen Christ. In its arresting and inspiring evocation of the joy of resurrection, this work suggests the spirit of Revelation 5:13–14:

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might for ever and ever!’ And the four living creatures said ‘Amen!’ And the elders fell down and worshipped.

References

King, Richard. n.d. ‘Unpublished written description of the stained-glass windows in the chapel of Nazareth House, Malahide Road, Dublin’

Sheehy, Ruth. 2020. The Life and Work of Richard King: Religion, Nationalism and Modernism, Reimagining Ireland Series (Oxford: Peter Lang)