Works of mercy
In Christianity one differentiates between different works of mercy . They are an exemplary list of actions in which charity and mercy are expressed. Your exemplary list goes back to the Bible .
Biblical basics
The biblical enumeration originally included the following works of mercy:
- feed the hungry
- to give drink to the thirsty
- clothe the naked
- take in the strangers
- visit the sick
- visit the prisoners
- Bury the dead
The order of these works follows the so-called end - time speech of Jesus in Matthew ( Mt 25,34-46 EU ). The seventh work, burial of the dead, was added by the church father Lactantius with reference to the book of Tobit ( Tob 1,17-20 EU ) and has established itself in the catechetical tradition of the church as part of the seven works of mercy . However, Lactantius did not just add this work to Epitome divinarum institutionum , but named a total of nine works:
- share with those in need of food
- Dress up naked
- Liberate the oppressed from overwhelming power
- take in the strangers and the homeless
- Defending orphans
- Protect widows
- Ransom prisoners from the enemy
- Visiting the sick and the poor
- Do not leave the destitute and newcomers unburied
The list includes various Old and New Testament commandments without being assigned to a single Bible passage.
meaning
The importance of works of mercy lies in the fact that doing mercy is not based on the thought of reward for good works, but on identification with those in need (misericordia) . In the New Testament this is told in the parable of the good Samaritan ( Lk 10.25–37 EU ). In the 16th century, late medieval forms of piety such as pilgrimages, rosary prayers and foundations were considered particularly good works, but the reformers polemicized against it. Martin Luther wrote a sermon on good works ( 1520 ) in which he described faith as the one good work, out of which all other good works are done spontaneously and joyfully, whereby the difference between everyday actions and special, difficult deeds is also canceled as between profane and religious activities; Justification before God grows solely from faith ( sola fide ) and not from good works. The Tridentinum , on the other hand, stated that a believing person can increase his grace through good works ( augmentum gratiae ). In the second half of the 16th century, the "majorist dispute" was waged between supporters of Luther and Melanchthon over the question of good works .
These theological differences between Catholics and Lutherans in the question of work justice continue to exist, even if the ecumenical discussion has increased understanding of the respective other terminology ( Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification , 38–39). In the Lutheran tradition, a list of works of mercy as special good works is not customary. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2447) continues to name works of mercy in the pre-Reformation catechetical tradition and distinguishes between seven spiritual and seven physical works:
- Spiritual works of mercy:
- teach the ignorant
- advise the doubting
- comfort the mourners
- rebuke the sinners
- like to forgive the offenders
- patiently endure the troublesome
- pray for the living and the dead
- Bodily works of mercy:
- Food for hungry people
- Shelter the homeless
- Dress up naked
- Visiting the sick
- Visiting prisoners
- Bury the dead
- Give alms
The giving of alms in relation to Tobit ( Tob 4,5–11 EU ), Jesus Sirach ( Sir 17,22 EU ) and Matthew ( Mt 6,2–4 EU ) is particularly emphasized.
Like visiting the sick, medicine is also one of the works of mercy and accordingly (for example in a 16th century medical ordinance issued by the prince-bishop of Würzburg ) it was taken for granted that no doctor should refuse to treat a patient, even if there was no prospect of it Healing existed.
The "works of mercy" in art and literature
The seven works of mercy are a popular theme in Christian iconography. In some representations of the Middle Ages, the seven deadly sins (avarice, anger, envy, indolence, unchastity, intemperance, pride) were allegorically contrasted with the seven works .
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The pictorial representation of the works of mercy began in the 12th century. At the beginning of the visualization of the topic was the so-called Vatican World Judgment Table, which, according to the donor's description, was created between 1061 and 1071 for the convent of the Sisters of S. Maria in Campo Marzio and is now in the Vatican Museum.
A good hundred years later, the six works, as described by Matthäus, were staged three-dimensionally at the Gallus Gate of Basel Minster and on an urban monument.
In 1504 the Dutch master of Alkmaar , also known as the “Master of the Seven Works of Mercy”, created the polyptych with seven panels , each of which depicts one of the seven Works of Mercy. The multi-part painting was created for the St. Laurenzius Church (Grote Kerk) in Alkmaar .
A major work in the iconography of the topos is the altarpiece (1606/07) by Caravaggio in Naples , which was commissioned by the Confraternità del Pio Monte della Misericordia for their church. In this painting, the artist's strong light-dark contrasts also have semantic significance, as Ralf van Bühren showed. The bright light in the Chiaroscuro Caravaggios can be interpreted as a metaphor of mercy , which helps the audience in their own life to discover forgiveness and mercy as divine grace and at the same time to perform as virtue itself.
The novel Misericordia - The Seven Works of Mercy by B. Movie (* 1996), published in 2019, takes up motifs of the topic in current life contexts.
literature
- Ralf van Bühren : The works of mercy in art from the 12th to 18th centuries Century. On the change of a picture motif against the background of modern rhetoric reception. (Studies on Art History, Vol. 115) Verlag Georg Olms, Hildesheim, Zurich, New York 1998, ISBN 3-487-10319-2 (standard work).
- Rainer Sommer: Master of Alkmaar. The works of mercy. In: Fritz Mybes (ed.): The works of mercy. (Dienst am Wort, Vol. 81), Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1998, ISBN 3-525-59345-7 , pp. 13-19.
- Albert Dietl: From Words to Images of the Works of Mercy. A sketch of the prehistory and early history of a new subject. In: Hans-Rudolf Meier , Dorothea Schwinn Schürmann (ed.): Threshold to paradise. The Gallus Gate of Basel Minster. Schwabe, Basel 2003, pp. 74–90.
- Oliver Freiberger, Catherine Hezser, Eckart Reinmuth (among others): works, good. In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie Vol. 35 (2003), pp. 623–648 (overview).
- Ralf van Bühren : Caravaggio's 'Seven Works of Mercy' in Naples. The relevance of art history to cultural journalism. In: Church, Communication and Culture 2 (2017), pp. 63–87. [3]
Web links
- The Seven Works of Mercy in Roman Catholic Interpretation
- The seven works of mercy in evangelical interpretation
- Moritz von Schwind: The seven works of mercy of Saint Elisabeth
- Multimedia report on the physical works of mercy
- Multimedia report on the spiritual works of mercy
Individual evidence
- ^ Peter Kolb: The hospital and health system. In: Ulrich Wagner (Hrsg.): History of the city of Würzburg. 4 volumes, Volume I-III / 2 (I: From the beginnings to the outbreak of the Peasant War. 2001, ISBN 3-8062-1465-4 ; II: From the Peasant War 1525 to the transition to the Kingdom of Bavaria 1814. 2004, ISBN 3 -8062-1477-8 ; III / 1–2: From the transition to Bavaria to the 21st century. 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-1478-9 ), Theiss, Stuttgart 2001–2007, Volume 1, 2001, p 386-409 and 647-653, here: p. 405.
- ^ Albert Dietl: From the word to the image of the works of mercy. In: Hans-Rudolf Meier, Dorothea Schwinn Schürmann (ed.): Threshold to paradise. Basel 2003, pp. 74-90.
- ↑ Rainer Sommer: Master of Alkmaar. The works of mercy. In: Fritz Mybes (ed.): The works of mercy. Göttingen 1998, pp. 13-19.
- ^ Ralf van Bühren: Caravaggio's 'Seven Works of Mercy' in Naples. In: Church, Communication and Culture 2 (2017), pp. 63–87, here pp. 79–80. [1]
- ↑ B. Movie: Misericordia - The Seven Works of Mercy. acabus-Verlag, Hamburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-86282-586-8 . [2]