 trumpet call of God (1 Thess 4.16). Surrounded by the angels and still bearing the signs of his passion, Christ establishes his kingdom. The lower figure depicts an earthly king whose kingdom falls to Christ and who bows before the King of kings (cf Revelation 11.15).
8 Symbols of Last Supper and the Crucifixion
The small side panels show various symbols of the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. The top panel depicts a chalice and bread. The next shows the ‘vernicle’ of St Veronica. There is a strong tradition, which is without Scriptural authority, that Veronica (Latin VERA ICON = true image) wiped the sweat from Christ’s face with her veil as he laboured on the Via Dolorosa. The imprint of his face remained, miraculously, on the cloth. The vernicle is preserved in the Vatican and the Catholic nature of the belief in it and its inclusion here may reflect either the German background of the window makers or the churchmanship of those responsible for commissioning the windows.
The pelican has been a symbol of Christ since mediaeval times. It appears on the shield of Corpus Christi College. Legend has it that the hen bird would pluck out her own breast feathers and peck at her breast to feed her chicks on her blood to ensure their life. The window panel shows the young in the nest. It has been a symbol for Christ because of the image of willingly shedding His own blood for God’s children.
The lanterns and sword remind us of the events surrounding the arrest of Jesus at night in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter drew a sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest in an attempt to defend Jesus (Matt 26.51, Mark 14.7, John 18.10).
The last panel shows the seamless garment for which the soldiers gambled at the foot of the Cross (see note to window 5).
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life
The extended group of disciples, which included women and Mary the mother of Jesus (Acts 1.13, 14) met together in the upper room. The top of the window shows a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit (John 1.32). As the disciples pray and read Scripture, tongues of fire appear on their heads (Acts 2.3). Fire is another symbol of the Holy Spirit.
10 Council of Jerusalem
I believe one Catholic and Apostolic church
The central figure of the window is probably Peter. The leadership of the Church and various theological issues were debated at this Council. Paul’s ministry was recognised and he and Barnabas were sent back to Antioch (Acts 15).
The inscription is DONO CAR ET MARG ANGIER (given by Charles and Margaret Angier).
11 The next window shows signs and symbols relating to the Old Testament practices for atonement that were fulfilled by Jesus
the remission of sins
The priest would lay his hand on the head of the animal to be slaughtered, symbolically transferring the guilt and sin of the people to the sacrifice, before it was killed (Lev 4). The animal would then be burnt on the altar and the rising smoke would symbolically rise to God. On the Day of Atonement a goat would be selected as scapegoat. The High Priest would make the prescribed sacrifices and would also lay both his hands on the goat, confessing over it all the sins of the Israelites. The goat would then be released in the desert, symbolically bearing away all the sin and guilt of the people (Lev 16). Jesus, through His death on the Cross was both sacrifice and scapegoat. He made Himself an offering to God for the redemption of all people and also, though innocent of any sin, bore the sins of the whole world to bring mankind atonement with God.
The institution of the Lord’s Supper (the Body and Blood of Christ) is shown with Jesus holding the cup. (Luke 20.22 ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’) All disciples are present. It is just possible to count 12 heads. Judas as treasurer of the disciples is shown holding a bag of money (John 13.29). This refers to when Jesus predicted his betrayal and before Judas received his bounty from the officials. Victory of the Archangel Michael over the devil is shown next (Revelation 12