I took this picture from the Mosta Set of statues of Good Friday. The picture represents Christ falling under the weight of the cross. Tradition has it that Jesus fell 3 times under the cross by the time be got to the top of Calvary were he was crucified – this ‘fact’ is not found in any of the narratives on Christ’s passion in the Gospels.
This statue which in Malta is referred to as ‘Redentur’ (the Redemeer) has a lot of devotees in Malta. The most popular of the statues of Christ in this representation is at Isla (the Maltese name now more known among foreigners as Senglea, a name given to it by Grand Master Claude de la Sengle). During the Good Friday procession, in some towns in Malta, you will find men walking behind this statue or behind the statue of the Crucifixion wearing hoods with eye-slits, dressed in white robes, and walking barefoot, sometimes with chains fastened to their ankles and carrying heavy wooden crosses. These are devotees who would be carrying out a vow they have made.
Also, a local band (could be around 80 musicians dressed in solemn attire) walks immediately before this statue and also before the statue of the crucifixion playing sacred music.
Many thanks for looking and for your lovely comments on yesterday’s picture.
great to see this - Simon Cyrene taking the Cross is in the Gospels - it's an interesting one because the Orthodox Church believes that much of their traditions are oral and passed down accurately through the years, and only written down later. I find that one a bit challenging when you do find where they are written down and they're in some of the things like the Gospel of James
Each of these pictures are bringing to mind certain hymns and songs of the Passion and I'm also reading through the Gospel of John right now so everything is tying together. Beautiful shot and commentary well done. It's very true how sometimes tradition has overshadowed what is actually in the Gospels. I don't people deliberately set out to contradict them but through the years we haven't read it for ourselves and that's where the problem lies. It's always best to go to the source and see for ourselves. Well said Dione!
