Bread from Heaven

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Image taken from the Wiedmann Bible. For more information about the images and ways to adopt them, see here . For other images of Willy Wiedmann paintings in TIPs, see here.

Following is an artwork by Sister Marie Claire , SMMI (1937–2018) from Bengaluru, India:

For more information about images by Sister Marie Claire and ways to purchase them as lithographs, see here . For other images of Sister Marie Claire paintings in TIPs, see here.

The following is a stained glass window from the Three choir windows in the Marienkirche, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, of the 14th century, depicting the feeding with manna:

Source: Der gläserne Schatz: Die Bilderbibel der St. Marienkirche in Frankfurt (Oder), Neuer Berlin Verlag, 2005, copyright for this image: Brandenburgisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologisches Landesmuseum

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

See also other stained glass windows from the Marienkirche in Frankfurt.

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 1:20

When you were thirsty, did I not cleave the rock so that waters flowed in abundance?: See Exo 17.6 and Num 20.11. The answer to this rhetorical question is an implied “Yes.” It may be translated as a statement (so Good News Bible), for example, “When you were thirsty, I split open a rock so that plenty of water came gushing out.” However, in languages that have rhetorical questions, a question would certainly be effective.

Because of the heat I covered you with the leaves of trees: Because of the heat may be rendered “When you were suffering from the heat” or even “In order to protect you from the heat.” I covered you with the leaves of trees refers to the shade that leaves provide. The shade trees in Exo 15.27 may be in view here (compare also Bar 5.8).

Here is a possible model for this verse:

• When you were thirsty, I split open a rock so that plenty of water came gushing out. When you were suffering from the heat, I provided you with shade trees.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.