Beatus of Liebana – Art & Theology

LOOK: Genealogy of Christ and the Adoration of the Magi, from a Beatus manuscript

Genealogy with Adoration of the Magi — Bifolium with part of the Genealogy of Christ and the Adoration of the Magi, from a Beatus manuscript, Spain, ca. 1180. Tempera, gold, and ink on parchment, each folio 17 1/2 × 11 13/16 in. (44.4 × 30 cm). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

LISTEN: “Christ” by Poor Bishop Hooper, on Firstborn (2018)

Abraham fathered Isaac
Isaac fathered Jacob
Then Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers
Judah, he fathered Perez
Who fathered Hezron, who fathered Aram
Aram fathered Amminadab
Who fathered Nahshon, who fathered Salmon

Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab
Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth
And Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse was the father of King David
Then David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s own wife

Solomon, he was the father of Rehoboam, who fathered Abijah
Who fathered Asa and then Jehoshaphat
Jehoram fathered Uzziah
Who fathered Jotham
Jotham, he fathered Ahaz, who was the father of Hezekiah

Manasseh, he fathered Amon (who fathered Josiah)
And Jeconiah (and his brothers) amidst the exile
Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel (who fathered Abihud)
Who fathered Eliakim (who fathered Azor), who fathered Zadok
Zadok fathered Achim (who fathered Eliud), who fathered Eleazar
(Who fathered Matthan) Who fathered Jacob

And Jacob was the father of Joseph
And Joseph took a virgin for his wife
And Mary was the one who gave birth to the Son of God
(Mary was the one who gave birth to the Son of God)
Mary was the one who gave birth to the Son of God
(Mary was the one who gave birth)

And his name is Jesus
And his name is Jesus
And his name is Jesus
And his name is Jesus
Who is called the Christ (Jesus)
Wonderful Counselor (And his name is Jesus)
Almighty God, the everlasting Father (And his name is Jesus)
Prince of Peace, Almighty God (And his name is Jesus)
Who is called the Christ

Who knew a sung genealogy could be so captivating? Jesse and Leah Roberts are a married couple from Missouri who write, sing, and record songs together as Poor Bishop Hooper. The lyrics of “Christ”—a list of Jesus’s ancestors—come straight from Matthew 1. This recording from their home studio premiered at the virtual Songs for Hope: A TGC Advent Concert on December 6, 2020.

LOOK: Adoration of the Lamb from the Escorial Beatus

Adoration of the Lamb (Escorial Beatus) — *Adoration of the Lamb*, from the Escorial Beatus, Spain, 10th century

This folio is from an illustrated copy of Beatus of Liébana’s (d. ca. 800) hugely influential Commentary on the Apocalypse. The Beatus manuscripts (take a look on Pinterest for some real wacky, Revelation-based imagery) are one of the most significant book genres of the Middle Ages in northern Spain, and the Escorial Beatus (named after its current location) is a preeminent example. It probably originated in the famous scriptorium of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. Today it is kept in the Real Biblioteca del Monasterio de El Escorial, part of a royal complex situated at the foot of Mount Abantos in the Sierra de Guadarrama.

LISTEN: “Glory Hallelujah to the Risen Lamb” by Victor C. Johnson, 2009 | Performed by De Angelis Capella, 2019

Glory, glory, glory hallelujah to the risen Lamb! (×4)

Jesus hung on the cruel tree
(Glory hallelujah to the risen Lamb!)
He gave his life for the likes of me
(Glory hallelujah to the risen Lamb!)
Women came at the break of day
(Glory hallelujah to the risen Lamb!)
The angel rolled the stone away
(Glory hallelujah to the risen Lamb!)

Glory, glory, glory hallelujah to the risen Lamb! (×4)

Glory, glory hallelujah
Glory to the risen Lamb
Glory, glory hallelujah
Glory to the risen Lamb
Glory, glory hallelujah
Glory to the risen Lamb
Glory, glory hallelujah
Glory to the risen Lamb
Glory, glory hallelujah
Glory to the risen Lamb

Glory, glory, glory hallelujah to the risen Lamb! (×4)

Victor C. Johnson is a composer, arranger, conductor, and music educator from Dallas, as well as the minister of worship and arts at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. The Cameroonian Catholic choir De Angelis Capella performed this Easter spiritual of his at Mvolyé Spiritual Centre in Yaoundé in October 2019; watch the full concert here. You can also purchase a score and can follow along with that score in this recording by the Lorenz Corporation.

For another similar Easter spiritual by Johnson, see “Shout Hallelujah to the Risen Lamb.”