The Burial of Jesus

This is a tale about one of the oldest and most depicted subjects in art history. Throughout the centuries artists have depicted Christ being placed in the tomb after His crucifixion and almost always the works have been called "The Entombment of Christ." I gave my work the title of "The Burial of Jesus." I wanted to show Jesus as a personal figure with a name. My effort was to produce a Biblically and historically accurate rendering. According to Biblical Hebrew tradition the dead were buried in the ground unless someone who was wealthy could afford to hire workers to chisel out a cave or tomb into a rock face. When a family member died the procedure was fairly consistent in burial in a tomb. Large clay jars would be placed in the tomb, one filled with water and one filled with myrch. Myrrh is an aromatic resin made from tree oil and sap which helped slow down the decaying along with having a pleasant smell. So the body was washed with water and then myrrh was applied. Next, a perfume called nard or spikenard was applied or sprinkled over the body. Nard is made from flowers. This process helped mask the odor of death. A white cloth called a sudarium was placed on the face of the dead person. The hands and feet were bound with strips of cloth. The body was wrapped in a white cloth, usually linen. There was a mourning or lamenting time. Then in the end a large stone was placed on the entrance to the tomb. It was usually painted white to show and warn others that a dead body was inside. Eventually, the family would remove the stone and place the decayed body in an ossuary box and leave it in the tomb. Other family members then could be buried in the same manner. As prophesied many centuries before, the Messiah would be placed in a borrowed tomb after He would be beaten and pierced in the side. All of this was fulfilled. After He died He was placed in the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea who was a member of the Sanhedrin Council. The Bible says the tomb was near a grove of olive trees. Outside the tomb, I have drawn an olive tree. Starting at the far right side of the drawing and by the feet of Jesus there is a clay jar filled with water or myrrh. Next to the jar is Nicodemus who was a member of the Sanhedrin. He also was a secret follower of Jesus and he was the one Jesus had a conversation with in the Garden of Gethsemane. This park or garden was just outside Jerusalem and still exists today. In the drawing, Nicodemus holds a bowl of myrrh. By Nicodemus there is Joseph of Arimathea. He is holding a bottle of nard perfume, strips of cloth, and a sudarium. By Joseph is Salome. And finally, shown at the head of Jesus is Mary Magdalene. She is crying and tenderly and sorrowfully looking at Jesus' face before covering it with the linen shroud. At the entrance to the tomb are the crown of thorns and the spikes that were driven into the hands and feet of Jesus. The drawing is for the glorification of the true God and Jesus, His Son, and a tribute to Jesus, Savior of the world, who suffered a horrible beating and crucifixion in order to shed His blood and sacrifice Himself for the sins of humanity.