J o u r n a l o f A d v a n c e s i n S o c i a l S c i e n c e a n d H u m a n i t i e s JASSH 5 (7), 927–938 (2019) ISSN (O) 2395-6542 Stairs To Heaven Stanisław Barszczak DOI: 10.15520/jassh57444 Father Stanisław Barszczak, In search guided by his outstretched hands towards of the divine formula... God, whom he is looking for somewhere in the upper right corner, and yet this God What is the real purpose of the human surprises him from behind, emerging journey to God. The famous Italian surrounded by angels from the upper left painter, representative of the Venetian corner. And this God, looking at Saint school, painted a Saint John the Evangelist John, heads the right lower corner. So on the island of Patmos, where the latter something completely unexpected had his apocalyptic visions, in a state of happened here - Saint John is forced to spiritual ecstasy, during which heaven with turn his head back. This arrangement of God and angels opened above him. the directing of one energy to the other at According to tradition, St. John the right angles is called a squaring in Apostle is identified with Saint John the astrology, which is considered the most Evangelist and Saint John of Patmos, the unharmonious interaction. Also, the whole author of the Apocalypse. And that's scenery has a dramatic character. The sky exactly what Titian did in his painting was shrouded in dark storm clouds - the "Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos", sky was "angry" - and beyond them where the eagle sits close to the prophet (in emerges, with an angry hand raised over the foreground, in an ecstatic position) - the prophet, God on the background of the symbol of John the Evangelist, taken eternal light. What is going on? Why does from the Apocalypse. It is from her (and God admonish his prophet? indirectly from Ezekiel) that the tradition is derived that the evangelist Matthew The explanation is that the God of the Old symbolizes man, the evangelist Mark lion, Testament admonishes Saint John, the the evangelist Luke ox, and the evangelist author of the Gospel, which in turn turns John the eagle. So, during the time of the into John of Patmos, the author of the Emperor Domitian "the whole world is in Apocalypse. And there is no meaning in evil." Saint John is on Patmos in this era, this case that in reality they were probably and this picture presented by Titian is very two different people, the authors thereof, dramatic. It can be seen that the painter as is also evidenced by the philological paints the figure of Saint John along the analysis of both texts. In any case, in the diagonal, leading from the lower left to the lower left corner we see a book, which right upper corner, as if the prophet was according to all logic should be the Gospel Journal of Advances in Social Science and Humanities, Vol 5 Iss 7, 927–938 Stairs To Heaven 928 according to Saint John. In that case, the and esoterically. In the relation between spiritual direction from the lower left to man and God, the movement is going in the right upper corner would have its basis two directions. On the one hand, man rises in the canon of religious imagery to God, trying to break away from the contained in the Gospel. If God emerging sphere of finitude. In the picture, it would from beyond the cloud was God revealing be rising towards the upper right corner - to St. John, then, according to the text of the corner, which is empty, which makes the Apocalypse, it should be Christ, even if all this effort seem futile ... This attempt, his descriptions from this book did not as I pointed out above, would have its adhere to the iconographic tradition of the basis in the Gospel, apparently in the lower church (Sevenfords and Seven-eyed Lamb, left corner so it would be an act of sword coming out of the mouth, etc.) Christian piety. This ascent to the sky can Although they may be different from this symbolize an eagle ... On the other hand, tradition, precisely because the Old the movement towards finitude and Testament God told Saint John to modify humanity is God's own movement, the in the Old Testament the Christian vision most visible expression of which is in of Christ. In any case, the main intention Christianity the Incarnation, the birth of of the Apocalypse is to place the figure of God in human form as the Son of God and Jesus Christ firmly in the Old Testament at the same time the Son of Man. With this context, in order to acquire the new idea of interpretation, it is logical that Titian educated Jews who know their holy book placed just on the left of his picture placed and shape it mentally. Therefore, it would God the Father (and not the Son of God, be exactly the opposite of that in the case Jesus Christ), heading for the earth and for of Gnostics such as Marcion, who just the person in the person of Saint John. wanted to cut off Christianity from its Because it is God the Father who creates Judaic roots. The presentation of God in man. And such an interpretation would the surroundings of the Cupids on the one explain the red color of the prophet's hand - from today's stand - somewhat robes. It is the color of blood and fire, the infantilizes the subject, but on the other color of real life in the body as the basis hand, if there were seven of them (because for spiritual life and the condition for the only six can be counted in the picture), it possibility of God's own experience. These would correspond to the sky description of two aspirations - one man and the other the Apocalypse, in which one speaks of the God - he presented the artist not as facing seven spirits of God (seven burning each other, but as intersecting with each torches) before the throne of the Most other. Thus, he asserts his objection to the High. But it is known that the closer to the religious approach to this question, which baroque, the more and more these cupids, should be somehow corrected (one could derived largely from the ancient add, by replacing it with a deeply esoteric mythological tradition, became an element view). of the canon in painting, not only religious. Saint John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee The whole scene painted by Titian can the fisherman, was born in Bethsaida, the also be interpreted differently, more land of Galilee. He was the brother of generally, deeper, more philosophically Saint Jacob the elder and engaged in Journal of Advances in Social Science and Humanities, Vol 5 Iss 7, 927–938 Stairs To Heaven 929 fisheries until the age of twenty-five. He of his holy Mysteries. He was with Peter often threw the nets in the fish lake of and Jacob witness to His transfiguration on Tiberias, on whose modest waves he was Mount Tabor, he saw the death of his returning home by a large half-boat. chills on the Mount of Olives. Among the Raised god-fearing, he longed with all last supper rested his head on the breast of pious Jews for the appearance of the Jesus, his Lord made him aware of Judas' Messiah. Suddenly, he heard the news that betrayal, and he, standing under the cross, holy man calling to repentance, whom the took part in the Passion and death of the people consider to be the promised Savior. Then the Lord Jesus made the Messiah, he appeared over Jordan. favorite disciple the heir of love, which Wishing to see this bearer of merry news, was taken over by his divine heart to his he ran to this place and saw Saint. John the beloved Mother, because he appointed him Baptist, predecessor of the Savior; and he as the protector and protector. Could he stay with him for a long time. give the Savior a proof of greater love? He was the firstborn son among the children One day he was repairing his net together of the Blessed Mother, and we are these with his brother Jakub in his boat, then children. For if the Lord Jesus called us Jesus alone comes and called them both to His brothers, then he himself join him. John obeyed the Savior's call and recommended us to His Mother. In spite of became His disciple and Apostle. Christ deep distress, Saint John with Mary and loved him most because of the angelic Magdalena at the foot of the cross. John purity and affectionate attachment that he saw his dying, he saw his spear pierced, he showed to his Master. In his Gospel, saw blood and water spurting from the therefore, he rightly calls himself Jesus' wound. He removed the holy body from favorite disciple and repeats this name not the cross and placed it in the bosom of the with pride, but with gratitude and love for Sorrowful Mother. He was conscious his divine Lord. "His rare purity - Saint when he was put to the grave, and his heart Augustine writes - made him worthy of was buried in the grave of the Savior, to this love; he chose to be married and whom he clung with all the strength of remained in it for the rest of his life." All love.