Moses on Mount Sinai
Jacques de Letin, also known as Jacques de Lestin, was a French painter during the seventeenth century. When Letin’s painting “Moses on Mount Sinai” was being worked on, France was is in a small state of limbo between the upbringing of King Louis XIV and the death of his father King LouisXII, who had died in 1643. In 1655 when the painting was complete King Louis XVI was only seventeen years old, and just beginning his reign as King in Europe. For the majority of his reign, he held a strict belief that the Catholic Church was to be under his control and that all persons must follow his ideas. During the early 1600’s France was in the midst of its war on religion, in which France’s monarchy was nearly torn apart by citizens rebelling against them (Trueman 2015). During Louis XIV reign he ordered for the persecution of all Jansenists. The Jansenist religion believed in predestination that went against what the Catholic Church and the King believed. Also, the Jansenists were openly opposed to the Jesuits, who were a persuasive population to Louis XIV (Trueman 2015).
The Ten Commandments were relevant to seventeenth century France because they remind Christians of what God expects out of his followers. In an era where the Monarchy dominated civilian thoughts, the biblical story of the Ten Commandments highlights a society that follows laws set before them by God. During the seventeenth century, there were many different sects of Christianity. Once Louis XIV came into power, his support of the Catholic Church became the dominant sect of Christianity in Europe. He believed that all people should be in the Catholic Church, and if people opposed him, they were persecuted.
In the background of the painting “Moses on Mount Sinai” by Jacques de Letin, is St. Catherine’s Monastery. This monastery is the oldest Christian monastery in the world and is located at the base of Mount Sinai, also known in biblical texts as Mount Horeb (Sinai Monastery). St. Catherine’s Monastery is also thought to be located near the area where God had first revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush at the base of Mount Sinai (Exodus 3:1-3). Because of the biblical history of God revealing himself to Moses on Mount Sinai, St. Catherine’s Monastery is highly honored by Christians, Muslims, and Jews (Sacred Destinations).
Letin painted Moses on Mount Sinai during a period when religion could often determine life or death for a person. Although there is no concrete reasoning as to why Letin chose to highlight the biblical story of Moses and the Ten Commandments it can be assumed that it was to bring to attention the foundation of all Christianity. For Letin to highlight Gods Laws was his way to remind the people that the only part of their religious affiliation that mattered was that of their total faith in God.
References:
"Artist: Jacques De Létin." Jacques De Létin Biography. Accessed December 6, 2015. http://www.artbible.info/art/biography/jacques-de-letin.
"Sacred Destinations." St. Catherine's Monastery. Accessed December 6, 2015. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/sinai-monastery.
"The Holy Monastery of the God-trodden Mount Sinai, Saint Catherine’s Monastery." The Holy Monastery of the God-trodden Mount Sinai, Saint Catherine’s Monastery. Accessed December 6, 2015. http://www.sinaimonastery.com/en/?lid=1.
Trueman, CN. "Louis XIV - History Learning Site." History Learning Site. March 17, 2015. Accessed December 6, 2015. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/france-in-the-seventeenth-century/louis-xiv/.
