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Promise and Fulfilment
The New Testament shows how the life, The children in the foreground are
death and resurrection of Jesus have to innocent and free, playing with the
be understood in the light of the Old animals around – lion, tiger, leopard, bear,
Testament - the promise of the Old wolf, cow and lamb. There is no sign of
fulfilled in the New. We read of the ‘nature red in tooth and claw’ here for
Suffering Servant in Isaiah and look to all is peace and tranquillity. The bear and
the life-giving sacrifice of Jesus. Earlier in cow nudge each other in the bottom
that prophet we read of a wondrous corner with no fear and no assertion of
Child granted the spirit of the Lord to strength. That vision of peace is being
bring Paradise once more to the world: realised in the distant scene, where
‘The wolf shall live William Penn and
with the lamb, the his fellow
leopard shall lie Quakers work on
down with the kid, a treaty of co-
the calf and the existence with the
lion and the fatling Indians. The
together, and a little animals in the
child shall lead foreground
them…..They will symbolise the
not hurt or destroy human traits at
on all my holy work in the
mountain: for the background:
earth shall be full leadership and
of the knowledge of strength,
the Lord as the ‘The Peaceable Kingdom’ by Edward Hicks sensitivity and
waters cover the http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ gentleness.
sea.’ (Isaiah 11:6,9) File:Edward_Hicks_-_Peaceable_Kingdom.jpg There is a
That vision of freshness and a
peace and harmony inspired this painting, promise of paradise restored. That
‘The Peaceable Kingdom’ by Edward harmony can be realised in human affairs
Hicks. Born in Pennsylvania in 1780 also, the artist is saying. ‘Follow the
Hicks became a Quaker after a Inner Light’ and Isaiah’s prophecy can be
rebellious adolescence, living as a fulfilled in our world. It needs both the
preacher and minister before taking up innocence and strength we see here; it
his brushes. Despite the unease of needs action and waiting, it needs
fellow Quakers about such a worldly wisdom and gentleness as we take
profession Hicks continued to paint, counsel one with another. Follow those
creating almost 100 versions of the qualities to be channels of God’s peace
Peaceable Kingdom, of which over 60 to make this world the Peaceable
still exist. This one is from 1834. Kingdom.
Revd Michael Burgess
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