Sammy Willett Genially 2 - Christ's Charge to Peter

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

John 21:16

John 21;15-17 is about Jesus commanding Peter to care for his sheep. This is a metaphor for the idea that Peter, who would be the first pope, is given the responsibility to "take care of" and lead followers of Jesus. Raphael depicts this scene very literally, as the cartoon (as well as the tapestry in the Sistine Chapel) shows sheep following Jesus as if they're about to be handed off to Peter.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 16:18-19

This scene in the New Testament is when Jesus declares that Peter will have the authority to speak on His behalf. Jesus entrusts this ability to all His disciples, but in this moment, He is speaking to Peter. This ability is realized through the idea of "keys," and we see in this painting that Peter appears to be holding a key. It is common for artists to depict Peter holding a key, and this artwork is no different. Not only does this help viewers recognize that this man is Peter, but they would also be reminded of the trust Jesus puts in Peter by giving him the key and wanting him to "take care of [His] sheep." (John 21:15-17).

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way:

John 21:1

John 21:1-14 is a story about Jesus visiting His disciples after his resurrection. The background of the painting gives viewers some context on which bible scene this is, as we see a large body of water in the back which would be the Sea of Galilee. This background also gives Raphael the space to depict later parts of John 21. It should also be noted that this tapestry in the Sistine Chapel is placed next to another tapestry that more in depth gives use the storyline of when Jesus meets them by the sea.

Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.

John 21:2

This scene specifically mentions that only 7 disciples are present during Jesus' reappearance and experience one of His miracles. However, Raphael decided to include 11 disciples in the painting, deviating from the accuracy compared to the original text. It is unclear as to why Raphael does this, and it also raises the question of whether this deviation affects the way that the painting is perceived.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.

John 21:10-11

The boat is a strategically placed detail in the painting that gives the viewer added context on which scene they are observing. While the boat correlates to the text, we notice that Raphael did not include the net or any fish in his painting. This could possibly be due to the idea that he wanted people to focus on Jesus and the moment He shares with Peter as opposed to the miracle that he performs at the beginning of the chapter, fearing that excess details would make the piece overwhelming.

Summary

Overall, Raphael's recreation of scenes from Matthew 16 and John 21 isn't necessarily accurate, but his attempt to do so does not go unnoticed. He has limited space to work with on the tapestries, and knowing that he was giving outlines for weavers to follow, it's important that he actualizes biblical messages that hold higher priority (such as adding sheep behind Jesus and the key in Peter's hand) than details (like fish in a net) that don't make or break the meaning of what he wants viewers to perceive. Additionally, these tapestries were commissioned by someone of high importance (Pope Leo X) and were to be hung in a place equally as influential. Based on the fact that there are differences between Raphael's cartoon and the final product in the Sistine Chapel, we know that the tapestry weavers weren't required to follow his depiction exactly. If they believed that certain left-out details or deviations were problematic, they most likely would've altered the tapestry accordingly. One can then assume that these weavers agreed with Raphael's choices, believing he came up with the most efficient portrayal of these notable teachings and events in the Bible.