Apostles Paul and Barnabas in Lystra
by JORDAENS, Jacob, Oil on canvas, 172 x 242 cm
The pagan inhabitants of Lystra in Asia Minor, witnessing the miraculous cure of a cripple by Paul and Barnabas, believed that they were Mercury and Jupiter come to earth in human form. When the priest of the temple of Jupiter brought oxen and garlands to make a sacrifice the apostles rent their clothes in dismay. By their exhortations they prevented the sacrifice taking place.
Taking this episode from the Act of Apostles, Jordaens’s painting shows the influence of both Veronese and Raphael.