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subtle-design β Sacrifice
Published: 2007-08-16 15:07:45 +0000 UTC; Views: 4111; Favourites: 134; Downloads: 45
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Description
Watercolor, Ink, Graphite19.5"x8"
The Angel, Abraham, Issac, and the Ram
Genesis 22:1-19
"Abraham, worth a righteous one
Take up on the wood
Put it on your son
Lake or lamb
There is none to harm
When the angel came
You had raised your arm
Abraham, put off on your son
Take instead the ram
Until Jesus comes" -Sufjan Stevens
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Comments: 56
All the pain. That's what this is about. If you wish to worship god, then you must do things you may not want to do. And when God stopped him, at that point in the Bible... I actually cried. I didn't read another book until all the pages had been touched.
The all-maker works in mysterious ways...
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The composition/design is very striking here, wonderfully done.
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True, sad, beautiful and happy because you know the end.
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What a wonderful illustration, in more ways than one.
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Intersting pic!
Hmm, but Isaac peace be upon him willingly let his father Abraham prepare him for sacrifice, in this picture you make it seem as though he was restrained. The other thing is that the way you slaughter is putting the knife on the left side of the neck and slitting to the right, it is not a stab. It is supposed to be gentle, the same way animals are slaughtered by Muslims and Jews still to this day.
In our history we are told that Isaac said to his father to turn his face away so that compassion and his tears wouldnt distract him from doing as God commanded him to do. Abraham and his son peace be upon them, were both willingly following the will of God as righteous men and prophets.
In the Quran this story is mentioned, that Abraham peace be upon him says to his son, " I am seeing a vision where I am slaughtering you, what is your opinion?" and his son says " Do as God commands you, you will find me patient God willing".
We celebrate this event after the Hajj. Our pilgrimage to Mecca is in response to Abraham's call to people to come to the house of God that he and his son built. When you see the Kaaba, that black cube Muslims circumambulate, under that covering is the original building that Abraham and his son built peace and blessing be upon them. At the end of Hajj, we also sacrifice an animal and give to the poor to emmulate that sacrifice that Abraham did, for he was presented with a ram which he sacrificed instead of his son.
I am glad people still are religious and may God bless and guide you and your effort!
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The Islamic view is more concentrate on the act of obeying God rather than what or who was to be sacrificed. In those days, idol worshippers would sacrifice their own children, or the a virgin girl etc for their fake gods , beit a man, or a jinn, or a statue etc. God says in the Quran, that ' they love their replacements for Allah as they should love Him, or even more!' So this is to demonstrate that all of the Prophets had that love for God to obey Him in every single thing, even to sacrifice your own son.
But God says that it is not the blood or the meat of your scarifice that reaches Him , it is your peity in obeying Him. God doesnt take joy out of people being sacrificed for Him, nor does He need it. So I would say when we look to this story, we see that a physical real actual Ram was provided, there really isnt room for symbolism. This was an event that took place and the matter was settled with that ram being sacrificed rather than his beloved son.
Abraham and his son peace and blessings be upon him were being tested for their piety and they stand as an example of what love of God means and serving Him devotely. There is also no mention of either one of them being punished for sins which resulted in this test. God tests the mettle of the person who is said to be good and pious, and everyone is tested according to their own merit, so obviously for prophets they are tested on an incredible scale! i doubt many peole would be prepared to do that same thing with their own son or daughter if they were commanded. But God knows that, so He says that He doesnt lay a burden on us we cant handle.
May God bestow continuous blessings on Abraham and his son ( i say son because there is difference of opionion whether it was Issac or Ishmael who was to be sacrificed ) and all of the Prophets that came throughout time.
Thank you for the reply! I hope I answered properly and sufficiently!
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Absolutely well said! I was about to point those things out as well, according to the Islamic perspective, but you seemed to have explained it much better than I ever could!
True, this work shows the immense love Abraham (pbuh) had for God, but also shows the courage and devotion Isaac (pbuh) had for his faith that allowed him to give himself up to the will of God.
Amazing piece! Faith and watercolor mix well, no? LOL
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Thanks for the comment Omar. I always find other points of view intriguing, and in this case enlightening. The Christian tradition is divided in its view on this story. One point of view says Isaac went willingly and the other that that he had to be restrained by Abraham. The reason for the two differing points of view is a lack of information. The story told in Genesis gives the bare essentials and doesnβt reveal Isaacβs point of view. The only thing we know is that Isaac seemingly didnβt know why there was no animal to be sacrificed and that Abraham did in fact bind him. The Quran gives additional information as to Isaacβs attitude.
The thing that all Christianβs agree on is the symbolism present within the story. That even as Godβs children we are all bound for death because of our Sin in light of the Justice of the Father. Christ became our substitution; He is the ram that was slaughtered in our place.
I would be interested to see if Islam finds any symbolism within the story.
Thanks for the correction on the method of sacrifice. I understand for I have slaughtered a few animals myself. I was trying to convey that the angel was lifting his hand away from the throat.
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This is really powerful and beautifully made. We know this story, but when we try to fully realize Abraham's sacrifice, it is in fact horrifying, just try to imagine you should kill your most beloved one because God wished so... Many people around Abraham would have thought he had gone mad. God sometimes wishes us to do things other people consider foolish.
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I wanted to ask you, how did you scan this into your computer to make a print? I have some very large pieces that I want to scan in, but they are too large for my scanner. Any help would be great!!
again, a marvelous piece of work.
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Thanks!
I use a large scanner at school but it is still not big enough most of the time, so I scan it in pieces, bring it into photoshop and piece them together.
Its not too difficult to do it manually in photoshop (there are probably tutorials on DA to show you how to do it) but if you want the really easy way to do it: use the photo-merge application(if you have a relatively new version).
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Hmm I guess I could just do it the hard way...
Thanks so much!
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Great work! Excellent portrayal of Abraham's obedience to the Lord.
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Wow! What a powerful piece! I love how long it is and how Abraham's arm is being stopped. And then the ram at the bottom. Fantastic piece!
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The tears truly make it beautiful and touching...
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Well done I love the fact that its done in water color. you've told the story a major part of the story in one image and that is some what hard to do. It looks awesome
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this is an awsome watercolor. I have been learning about how God is my provider.
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Imagine the overload of emotion! You captured it well. The joy/thankfulness Abraham must have had for that grace must have been overwhelming. A great sacrifice indeed. One with the hart.
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Very cool design. I like very muhc how this is portrayed.
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An absolutely incredible depiction of Abraham's dilemma!
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That is a powerful piece, well water-coloured. Brilliant.
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This truly is a wonderful work of art; rarely have I seen this skill with watercolor. Thanks for sharing!
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incredible
God has done a good work through this
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This is a stunning piece!
My one thought is how God is holding Abraham's hand. God didn't force him to do any of that; that was the test of faith for Abraham.
But again magnificent painting
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VERY nice!
Strong emotion behind it, and a great example of Abraham's will to serve God.
Definitely gets a fav from me.
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Cool! Abraham and Isaac! Great take on that famous story!
You even included the ram with its horns stuck in the thicket! Great job on this!
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