On my way to Bradford cathedral, at the foot of Church Bank and to the rear of Pennine House, I spotted this attractive arch filled by a piece of street art. It shows Samson at the end of his life.
Samson is a Biblical figure who appears in the Book of Judges, chapters 13-16. He was an Israelite who followed the rules of the Nazirite life, which included not drinking nor trimming his locks. He was given immense strength to aid him against his enemies and allow him to perform superhuman feats, including slaying a lion with his bare hands and massacring an entire army of Philistines using only the jawbone of a donkey.
Samson was betrayed by his lover Delilah, who ordered a servant to cut his hair while he was sleeping thus removing his great strength. She then turned him over to his Philistine enemies, who gouged out his eyes and forced him to grind grain in a mill at Gaza. Whilst there his hair began to regrow. When the Philistines took Samson into their temple of Dagon, Samson asked to rest against one of the support pillars; after being granted permission, he prayed to God and miraculously recovered his strength, allowing him to grasp hold of the columns and tear them down, killing himself and all the Philistines with him.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciiated!
What amazes me is that I have walked past this several times without noticing it - it turns out that Katharine spotted it and photographed it around three years ago. There are times when I must walk round with my eyes shut!
I agree with you - I did think this was a rather special piece of street art. It is one of a series of works around the area known as Little Germany, so I think another trip to Bradford is needed to get photos of the rest.
Ian
February 19th, 2020
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Wonder what Samson would do today?
fav
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciiated!
What amazes me is that I have walked past this several times without noticing it - it turns out that Katharine spotted it and photographed it around three years ago. There are times when I must walk round with my eyes shut!
Ian
I agree with you - I did think this was a rather special piece of street art. It is one of a series of works around the area known as Little Germany, so I think another trip to Bradford is needed to get photos of the rest.
Ian