My week in PRague for the Leadership Conference also gave way to a great opportunity to interact with some beautiful pieces of religious artwork. This piece is in the Charles Bridge, the oldest standing bridge in Europe. This statue, along with many others were taken off the Bridge and buried during invasions in WW2. After the wars were over they were once again unearthed and placed alongside the Charles Bridge. Each statue represents a saint, as the place was full of Cathedrals as well. This one is obviously the crucifixion. The inscription in Hebrew across the Crucifix is "Saint, saint, saint is the God of the crowds." This was one of the statues on the right side of the bridge placed in the 14th century.van der Leeuw would love this piece, because rumor has it that this sane phrase was at the expense of a Jew who sneered at Christ's crucifixion. Though it is only a rumor, there is a closeness between the artwork and the event, giving way to a closeness to the Divine, or the "other" that van der Leeuw is seeking in his writing.
The statue would fall under image and would very closely relate to redemption, because this scene is of Christ taking on all the sins of the world. Overall, I thought it was a beautiful description and display on the Charles Bridge and an outstanding piece in PRague.
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