The Symbolism of the Tree of Jesse Isaiah xi, 1 says of the Messiah "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow from his roots." The image is drawn from the then secret mystical tradition of Kabbalah which permeats the Older books. See the project at www.sirius-beta.com that employs this as part of a metaphoric conceptual environment for computerized visualization of complex spaces. The artist used the Tree metaphor to show the geneology of Jesus (a family tree), which also shows the cosmology of creation that could create a Messiah (the Kabbalistic Tree of Life). Included are references to the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the rod of Aaron (the stick which Moses threw down and turned into a serpent). The root of the Tree image is in the burning bush which is the revelation of law, and the "ladder" of Jacob. The artist used more of a vine, following most representations which after all are more concerned with New Testament. Jesus said "I am the Vine, ye are the branches." By the time of designing the window, there was already a strong set of images that defined the Tree of Jesse. This developed only in the few decades before however. The Tree was known as the virga, linguistically related to the Virgin, the creative force of whom it represents. Many examples of Jesse windows exist, but this is one of the earliest. Jesse is at the bottom, reclining on a couch. From him a huge phallis rises and turns into a tree. Going up one encounters four Kings, then the Virgin, the Christ and above him the trinity. This melds into the background which includes a stylized geometric vine which frames the window. Throughout are the flowers of the Tree and amidst the flowers are the prophets on either side, each with banners depicting the scripture. Jesse is at the bottom and is asleep. He is on his right side, head on a cushion. His chin rests on a curved right hand. The couch is under an arch from which a lighted lamp and a curtain hang. This matches a nearby window where Joseph is in a similar attitude, also with lamp and curtain. These appear in essentially every Tree of Jesse window. The lamp is presumed to be ceremonial, lit eternally. Some ceremonial lamps at this time were crowns, and it appears that a tree-like candelabra of the time was called a Jesse. Previous geneological trees had the later generations at the bottom. This view uses the Tree as Jacob's ladder, so ascends as Jesse's dream. On the curtain are pseudo-Arabic characters which form geometric designs. It is not possible to read them. But it likely that the artist had in mind the Arabic word for geneology which has the same root at "tree" and which formed the iconic ancester of this diagram. The curtain and lampsignify that some things are hidden and some illuminated. Over the arch is a city. This is taken from representations of the birth of Buddah which has him springing from a lotus tree. Those representation have an rainbow over Buddah with a city over and beyond. Also, some of the Tree's flowers resemble lotuses. But the Norse tree of existence, Yggdrasil, is more probably the main template. Each of the figures above Jesse hold branches of the Tree in their left and right hands. Christ's hands are lower than those of the Kings, and from them come seven doves, representing the seven gifts of the spirit: sapientia, intellectus, consilium, fortitudo, scientia, pietas and timor (from Isaiah xi, 2-3). The Kings are static, abstract figures divorced from humanity, though the first and second are nominally David and Solomon. The stance is stylistic and greatly predates the window. The prophets on the left are (from the bottom) Nahum, Samuel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Moses, Isaiah and Habakkuk.On the right (from the top) are Zephaniah (also known as Sophonias), Daniel, Balaam (who has probably the only original face in the window), Joel, Micah, Amos and Hosea. Each holds a scroll which says "Propheta" except Moses, whose scroll says "Moyses: resusitasti Dues uobis (from Deuteronomy xviii, 15). Their attitude differs from that of the central figures, they are animated, engaged in discussion, even argument. Discussion among the prophets is a key image, carried forward in many windows and forms the basis of mystery plays which evolved from the windows. Therefore, this action is part of the dramatic tradition, both represention the act of discovery, and (by their positions on the Tree) the wisdom that they are discovering. Moses represents the old order. It is a stretch to consider him a prophet, in fact his own virga has an iconic tradition. That he plays a minor part here is important, representing that the prophetic vision of the Hebrews is older than that ofthe Egyptians. Balaam's prophecies are linked to the dramatic tradition independently of the Jesse windows, predating by perhaps hundreds of years. He opposes Moses on the Tree. See the Sirius-Beta page (GeoKabbalitter) for a development of this drama as a framework for indexing ideas in a multidimension, virtual space. This specific Jesse window prompted the periodic acting out of certain Bible scenes in the cathedral. In the same way that modern comics have spawned movies, the important windows served as the main communication for a people kept illiterate. The tradition of stained glass iconography is the same as that of tarot cards which appeared at the same time and which can be thought of as printed windows. This an important link for us. The dramatic actions continued to the New College Chapel at Oxford which also had a fine Tree of Jesse window. These little dramas evolved into the stage of Shakespeare and are one primary source of Alice in Wonderland.
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