Blind Healing of

Blind Healing Of

(in Christian art). This is frequently represented on ancient monuments, perhaps as a symbolical representation of the opening of the eye of the soul wrought by the power of the Saviour (1Pe 2:9).

In most cases only one blind man, probably the "man blind from his birth" of Joh 9:1, is healed. He is generally represented as low in stature, to mark his inferiority to the Saviour and the apostles (when any of the latter are introduced), is shod with sandals, and bears a long staff to guide his steps. The Saviour, young and beardless, touches his eyes with the forefinger of the right hand. This representation is found on an antique vase, on an ivory casket of the 4th or 5th century, in a bass-relief of a tomb of the Sextian family, in the museum of Aix in Provence, of about the same epoch, and elsewhere.

In a few cases the blind man healed appears to be Bartimaeus, from the circumstance that he has "cast away his garment" (Mr 10:50) before throwing himself at the feet of Jesus.

On a sarcophagus in the Vatican (Bottari, 39); is a representation of the healing of two blind men; probably the two who were healed by the Lord as he left the house of Jairus (Mt 9:27-31). Here, too, the figures of those upon whom the miracle is wrought are of small size; the blind appears to lead the blind, for one only has a staff, while the other places his hand upon his shoulder. The Lord lays his hand upon the head of the figure with the staff, while another, probably one of the apostles, raises is hand, the fingers arranged after the Latin manner in blessing. SEE BENEDICTION.