In this issue of The Sower we contemplate two ‘Mercy Seat’ images. This particular engraving is from 1914 by Eric Gill.
At the Last Supper, Philip said to Jesus, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘He who has seen me has seen the Father.’ (John 14:8-9) The Sower has recently had an issue on Christ-centred Catechesis, and this engraving made in 1914 by Eric Gill, is an extremely profound exploration of this theme, examining as it does the linked Mysteries of the Father, the Trinity, the Eucharist and our Redemption. The engraving is loosely based on the traditional representation of the Mercy Seat Trinity, in which the Father, shown as the Ancient of Days, supports the crucified Son, with the Holy Spirit hovering between them, but it contains a number of original departures of considerable theological interest.
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