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Jesse Tree

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Jesse Tree

The Jesse tree gets its name from a prediction made by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah describing the rise of a great, new Jewish leader as "a branch" growing "from the stock of Jesse" (Isaiah 11:1). In reference to this prophecy, medieval artists frequently painted portraits of Jesus and his ancestors on the limbs of a tree, with Jesus at its crown and Jesse at its root. This image was called a "Jesse tree." The identity of Jesus'ancestors played an important role in establishing his identity as the Messiah. In recognition of this fact, both Gospel Nativity stories included an account of Jesus' genealogy. Chapter one of the Gospel according to Matthew, which directly precedes Matthew's account of Christ's birth, begins by listing Jesus' ancestors. The Gospel according to Luke (3:23-38) offers a slightly different account of Jesus'ancestry (see also Gospel Accounts of Christmas).

The Jesse tree has long served as a symbol of Jesus' ancestry in Christian art. In recent times, however, people have begun to use the image of the Jesse tree to adapt the modern Christmas tree to specifically Christian ends. Ornaments representing events in the lives of Jesus'ancestors are hung on an evergreen tree or tree branch. Some people add symbols for other biblical figures and events as well. For example, Moses may be represented by stone tablets, David by a six-pointed star, Jonah by a whale, and Judith by a sword. Decorated this way, the evergreen becomes a living Jesse tree.

Further Reading

Augustine, Peg, comp. Come to Christmas. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1993. Metcalfe, Edna. The Trees of Christmas. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1969.
Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year's Celebrations, 2nd ed. © Omnigraphics, Inc. 2003
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References in periodicals archive
THE Jesse Tree of Abergavenny: The 15th-century Tree of Jesse is a reclining figure made from a single piece of oak which somehow made its way through the Protestant Reformation.
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Chapters 5 and 6 examine the Relacion's depictions of genealogy through the Tree of Jesse (chapter 5) and customary funeral practices (chapter 6).
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Modeled on prior artistic devices, such as the Tree of Jesse and the Tree of Life, which also mapped out families or dynasties on trees, this mid-18th century "Genealogical Tree of the Mercedarian Order" by an unknown painter depicts some of the friars--no doubt a who's who of Mercedarian VIPs --with attributes that would have made them recognizable at the time.
Missionaries taught theology in imagery: new exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago highlights works used by religious orders in the Spanish Andes from the 1600s to the 1800s
Saloniuss own chapter brings the Tree of Jesse and the Tree of Life together and narrows the focus to two churches in Orvieto, both of which were associated with the Franciscan order.
Salonius, Pippa and Andrea Worm, eds, The Tree: Symbol, Allegory, and Mnemonic Device in Medieval Art and Thought
It is a Tree of Jesse in vivid colour, a visual representation of Christ's family tree back to the father of King David.
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The tree used to provide clear examples of these metrics is the MPACT family tree of Jesse H.
MPACT family trees: quantifying academic genealogy in library and information science
The window, designed by Linda Walton of Black Rod Designs, West Lancashire, also features Christ at the top of the tree of Jesse, father of King David, and shields for each of the 13 apostles, and the authors of the four gospels.
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Peters was praised for a precise, virtuosic style evocative of the "Rankenwerk" of Douvermann's masterpiece, a tree of Jesse in St.
Christoph Peters. Kommen und gehen, manchmal bleiben: 14 Geschichten
Among the Marian motifs, images of the Coronation of the Virgin, the Tree of Jesse, and St Anne with the Virgin and Christ Child often include an angel playing a string instrument on either side of the group, symbolizing celestial music.
Musikmotiv i svensk kyrkokonst: Uppland fram till 1625/Musical Motifs in Swedish Church Art: the Region of Uppland up to 1625
Among the other treasures contained in the church is a wooden sculpture known as the Tree of Jesse.
Uncovering secret history of the 'Westminster Abbey of Wales' Its unique sculptures and ornate monuments have captured the attention of historians and archaeologists from around the world. Huw Silk reports on a new book which sheds light on the 1,000-year-old 'Westminster Abbey of Wales'
And if that was not enough, as luck would have it, in 1788 Old St Chad's fell down, allowing Rowland to rescue the magnificent Tree of Jesse window from the chancel and install it in St Mary's instead.
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