From Abraham to Christ. A Family Tree on the Scale of the Church and its Epigraphic Exegesis

A monumental Tree of Jesse on the counter-façade of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, depicting genealogical ramifications and integrating prophetic inscriptions from the Old Testament and Gospels, offers a rare surviving example of such depictions in the East. This visual representation provides theological commentary linking Christ's first coming to his Second Coming (Parousia) and connects with Advent and Christmas liturgies. The study examines how Latin inscriptions were used to enhance the narrative, revealing the church's epigraphic exegesis and its role in religious symbolism.

(Ed.). (2026). From Abraham to Christ. A Family Tree on the Scale of the Church and its Epigraphic Exegesis. Writing in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, 61–78. https://doi.org/10.1484/m.celama-eb.5.151591