By: Obed Pineda
In 1485 England, Henry VII would be crowned king after defeating Richard III, giving birth to the Tudor dynasty. It was during this period of history when royal portraiture would shift from the idealized and stylized depictions of monarchs to greater likeness and realism that attempted to capture their true form. One of the most popular royal portraits that exhibits this shift in style is none other than Hans Holbein’s painting of King Henry VIII. Holbein’s piece is lauded by several art historians as the true accomplishment of the goal that artists sought to achieve in the times of the Tudor dynasty not only because of how well it captured Henry’s actual physical traits, but also because it excellently exhibits his regal presence and power. After all, the purpose for royal portraits since ancient Egyptian times (where many art historians believe this trend began) has always been to display the power and authority of those governing the people. Unlike what some may conclude, royal portraiture went beyond a superficial and boastful exhibition, flaunting the royal family’s wealth and aristocracy. Although it is true that these pieces of art conveyed the authority of the ruler, they also authenticated their legitimacy to the throne. In other words, it announced to the kingdom who their king was, but it also served as an attempt at connecting with every citizen regardless of their social class. It was one form of showing the people whom they could turn to when danger appeared upon the horizon, but it also identified the purveyor of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Therefore it is clear that the regal picture was an embodiment of the monarch sitting upon the throne reminding his people that he was always near and among them. Jesus assured His disciples, “ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). This guarantee He accomplished by sending forth the Holy Spirit who would “teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). It is truly amazing to realize that the way our Lord and King abides among His Kingdom (i.e. the Church) is through His inspired Word (cf. John 14:22-24, 1st John 2:3-6). Keeping this extraordinary fact firmly in our mind, it can then be said that the Bible is the equivalent of the Almighty God’s royal portrait to His kingdom. This revelation, however, begs the following inquiry: How is this so? To begin tying the parallels between the type and anti-type with one another, it is valuable to begin by remember that one purpose for the royal portraiture was to convey the power and authority of the governing monarch. The apostle to the Gentiles heralds, “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and unwise. So, as much as in in me, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:14-18). Paul’s inspired words at once display God’s sovereign power and authority over mankind, as illumined by the Gospel’s ability to both save and condemn. It is vital to mention that Paul began this portion of Scripture by presenting himself as a herald commissioned to announce God’s royal message (i.e. preach) to those who were in Rome (cf. Romans 1:14-15). The great message commissioned to him was that there is power in the Gospel of Christ (cf. Romans 1:16). The type of power that Christ’s Gospel wields is the authority to either pardon or convict the guilty prisoner waiting for the execution of their sentencing to happen (cf. Ephesians 2:1-4, Romans 6:21-23). Observe that the Gospel is a royal decree that has God’s authorized permission to allows the convicted prisoner be pardoned from all of his wicked actions, commuting the sentence. Twice in the periscope the apostle Paul states that in Holy Writ God’s power and authority is revealed to mankind (cf. Romans 1:17, 18). Therefore, in this way the Bible achieves the goal of the royal portrait by displaying the Almighty’s sovereign rule over His creation. It was also stated that later in history the artists who painted these portraits aimed at creating pieces that were more accurate in revealing a monarch’s true form. Holy Scriptures begins to meet this goal by establishing that “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Not too long before our Master expressed this truth to the Samaritan woman with whom He spoke, He revealed that “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4:23). This demonstrates that the nature of God is a spiritual one that can only be revealed through a spiritual source. Additionally it confirms that true fellowship with God is only accessed by those who are spiritually minded (cf. Psalm 25:12-15). Only those who are guided by the Spirit (i.e. His inspired Word) will see God as Moses did (cf. Hebrews 11:24-27). Because the Bible is inspired by God, it is therefore spiritual in nature like God (cf. 1st Corinthians 2:6-16, 2nd Timothy 3:16-17, 2nd Peter 1:16-21). For this same reason, Holy Writ is eternal as God is eternal (cf. Psalm 33:11-12, 119:89-91, 152, Isaiah 40:6-8, Matthew 24:32-35, 1st Peter 1:22-25). The Bible portrays the immutability of God by being unchangeable itself (cf. Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 12:32, Proverbs 30:5-6, Revelation 22:18-19). Lamentably, space does not allow us to continue to extract the myriad of ways the Holy Spirit painted a very accurate and thorough portrait of the King of kings with the sacred pages of Scripture. There is no doubt that the Bible is a royal portraiture of God Himself that reveals to society that He still is King and like those literal portraits of old, His desire is that man “should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). Our God dwells among us, never veering too far from His beloved creation. Having His regal picture in our hands truly displays the mighty desire our Father has to dwell in perfect harmony with His kingdom. Thus, every time we open our Scriptures may it comfort us to know that we are looking at the royal portrait of our God, which conveys to us not just His awesome power and authority, but His profound desire to abide with us in everlasting life, fueled by the mighty power of His love. Indeed, what an incredibly spectacular depiction of God the Holy Spirit has painted for us.