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The Council of Salvation

Christmas Story, Image 206

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Audio transcription

What a peculiar painting! It displays two motions: We see two godly children in the right part of the painting. They hover as tiny babies in front of their mothers’ wombs. One of them falls on his knees before the Christ child. This is the yet unborn John the Baptist. He recognises in the other baby Jesus the Saviour. On the left of the painting, you can see Christ’s divine designation to redeem humans from sin: Godfather in his magnificent red mantle points to the pages of an empty book, while his son humbly accepts his father’s council to become human and sacrifice himself like a lamb.

The lyrics of the five-part motet „Over the mountains Mary goes“ by Johannes Eccard refers to the gospel of Luke, exactly like the painting by Konrad Witz: After Mary has conceived a child through the Holy Spirit, she visits her relative Elizabeth. Although Elizabeth could be considered too old to have a child, she is also pregnant. When the two women meet and Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting, „the baby leaped in her womb“ and Elizabeth blesses Mary the godmother.

In the gospel of Luke Mary says the Magnificat as Elizabeth recognises in her the godmother. Johannes Eccard turns the Magnificat into the chorus of his motet which he composed on the occasion of the Christian holiday „Visitation of the Virgin Mary“. The words „He is my saviour“ lead the polyphonous movement of „Over the mountains Mary goes“ into one voice. This shows: The certainty of redemption is as irrevocable as God’s Council.