Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata from a Winged Christ?

Legend of St Francis, Stigmatization of St Francis

Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337), Basilique Assise

(Image from Wikipedia)

Over at the Milton List, one of the participating scholars, Cynthia A. Gilliatt (English Department, James Madison University), posed this query:

This year during the Christmas Eve service, as we were singing one of my favorite hymns, I finally resolved to answer a question about the 3rd stanza of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" that has niggled at me for a couple of years.

This refers to Jesus:

"Risen with healing in his wings, light and life to all he brings."

Light and life -- not an issue. Healing -- not an issue.

"... in his WINGS?"

I asked this on another list, and someone suggested that William Blake had several images of a winged Jesus, as did Renaissance paintings.

I've emailed our excellent young Romanticist to ask about Blake, about whom I am woefully ignorant.

I'm asking folks on this list -- many of whom have knowledge both broad and deep of Renaissance art -- about winged Jesus images. I can't conjure any up, but my knowledge is pretty casual.

My initial response was to note that the imagery in this Christmas song comes from Malachi 4.2:

Interesting query. I've never seen any images of a winged Jesus, but you probably know that the 'image' comes from Malachi 4:2:

"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall." Malachi 4:2, KJV

I wonder if the KJV translators were making a pun on "Son of righteousness," for I notice that they've capitalized "Sun."

By the way, the image of a winged sun is rather ancient. See the image identified as Work 53 at this website . . . . There's also this image.

The Malachi verse, I'd suggest, is the source for the line from "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" (1739), but these links to ancient Near Eastern images are too obscure for the hymn's author Charles Wesley (brother of John Wesley) -- though such images may have been in the mind of the one who wrote Malachi 4:2.

Still, I was curious (hmmm...) about what some scholar at another list had mentioned to Professor Gilliatt concerning paintings that depict Jesus with wings, so I looked into this and found the image above, which comes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi, as detailed in this passage from Commentaries of St. Bonaventure the Bishop (Legenda S. Francisci cap. 13) (Latin, followed by English translation, both borrowed from the 9/17/07 entry in the blog in illo tempore):

Fidélis revera famulus et minister Christi, Franciscus, biennio antequam spíritum redderet cælo, cum in loco excélso seorsum, qui mons Alverniæ dícitur, quadragenárium ad honórem Archangeli Michaélis jejunium inchoasset, supernæ contemplatiónis dulcédine abundantius sólito superfusus ac cæléstium desideriórum ardentiori flamma succénsus, supernárum cœpit immissiónum cumulatius dona sentire. Dum ígitur seráphicis desideriórum ardóribus sursum agerétur in Deum, et afféctus compassiva teneritúdine in eum transformarétur, cui ex caritáte nimia crucifigi complácuit; quodam mane circa festum Exaltatiónis sanctæ Crucis, in látere montis orans, vidit quasi spéciem uníus Séraphim, sex alas tam fúlgidas quam ignítas habentem, de cælórum sublimitate descéndere. Qui, volatu celerrimo ad áëris locum viro Dei propinquum perveniens, non solum alatus, sed et crucifixus appáruit; manus quidem et pedes habens extensos et cruci affixos, alas vero sic miro modo hinc inde dispósitas, ut duas supra caput erigeret, duas ad volándum extenderet, duabus vero réliquis totum corpus circumplecténdo velaret. Hoc videns veheménter obstupuit, mixtumque dolori gáudium mens ejus incurrit, dum et in gratióso ejus aspectu, sibi tam mirabíliter quam familiáriter apparentis, excessivam quamdam concipiébat lætítiam, et dira conspecta crucis affixio ipsíus ánimam compassívi dolóris gládio pertransívit.

Intelléxit quidem, illo docénte interius qui et apparébat exterius, quod, licet passiónis infirmitas cum immortalitate spíritus seráphici nullátenus conveníret, ídeo tamen hujúsmodi visio suis fuerat præsentáta conspéctibus, ut amícus ipse Christi prænosceret, se, non per martyrium carnis sed per incendium mentis, totum in Christi Jesu crucifixi expréssam similitúdinem transformándum. Dispárens ítaque visio, post arcanum ac famíliare collóquium, mentem ipsíus seráphico interius inflammávit ardore ; carnem vero Crucifixo conformi exterius insignívit effigie, tamquam si ad ignis liquefactivam virtútem præámbulam sigillativa quædam esset impréssio subsecuta. Statim namque in mánibus et pédibus ejus apparere cœpérunt signa clavórum, ipsórum capítibus in inferióri parte mánuum et superiori pedum apparéntibus, et eórum acumínibus exsisténtibus ex adverso. Dextrum quoque latus, quasi lancea transfixum, rubra cicatrice obductum erat, quod sæpe, sánguinem sacrum effúndens, túnicam et femorália respergebat.

Postquam ígitur novus homo Franciscus novo et stupéndo miraculo cláruit, cum singulári privilegio retroactis sæculis non concesso insignítus appáruit, sacris vidélicet Stigmátibus decoratus, descéndit de monte secum ferens Crucifixi effigiem, non in tábulis lapídeis vel ligneis manu figuratam artíficis, sed in carneis membris descriptam digito Dei vivi. Quóniam sacraméntum regis seraphicus vir abscóndere bonum esse optime norat, secreti regalis cónscius, signácula illa sacra pro viribus occúltábat. Verum, quia Dei est ad glóriam suam magna revelare quæ facit, Dóminus ipse, qui signácula illa sacra pro viribus occúltábat. Verum, quia Dei est ad glóriam suam magna revelare quæ facit, Dóminus ipse, qui signácula illa secrete impresserat, miracula quædam aperte per ipsa monstrávit; ut illórum occúlta et mira vis Stígmátum manifesta patéret claritáte signórum. -- Porro rem admirábilem ac tantópere testatam atque in pontificiis diplomátibus præcipuis láudibus et favóribus exáltatam, Benedíctus Papa undecimus anniversaria solemnitate celebrári vóluit; quam póstea Paulus quintus Póntifex maximus, ut corda fidélium in Christi crucifixi accenderéntur amórem, ad universam Ecclésiam propagávit.

Now for the English translation:

Francis being indeed a faithful servant and minister of Christ, about the space of two years before he gave back his spirit to heaven, withdrew himself into an high mountain apart, even that mountain which is called Mount Alverno, and began to fast for forty days to the honour of the Archangel Michael. To think of the things above gave him sweeter comfort than beforetime he was wont, and the hot longing for heaven was kindled in him, so that he began to feel that the gifts from above were poured forth upon him in such fulness as he had never felt before. The burning of his desire made his heart rise towards God like the heart of a seraph, and his tender answering love yearned to be changed into the likeness of him who hath so loved us that he was content to bear the Cross. And it was so that one morning early, about the time of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he was praying upon the side of the mountain, and there appeared to him as it had been one of the Seraphim, having six wings, glorious and fiery, flying to him from heaven. It came therefore very swiftly, and stood in the air, hard by the man of God. He beheld then the appearance thereof that it was not winged only, but crucified also. His hands and feet were stretched forth and nailed to a Cross. Twain of his wings were lifted up and joined one to the other over his head, and twain were stretched forth to fly withal, and with twain he wrapped around his body. When Francis saw it, he was sore amazed, and his soul was filled with sorrow and gladness, for the eyes of him that appeared were full of strange love and tenderness, so that he conceived great rejoicing thereat, but the nailing to the Cross was so exceedingly dreadful, that as he saw it, a sword of sorrow pierced his soul.

Then he whom he beheld with his bodily eyes, began to speak silently unto him in his heart, and he understood that albeit the deathless Séraphim cannot suffer or faint, this vision was nevertheless therefore set before him, that he might know that as a friend of Christ he was to be all changed into the likeness of Christ Jesus crucified, not by the martyrdom of the body, but by the fervour of the soul. Then they held together some sweet converse, as of a man with his friend, and the vision passed from him, but his heart was kindled inwardly with the fire of the Seraphim, and his body was outwardly changed into the likeness of him who was crucified, even as wax is softened by the fire and taketh the impression of the seal. From thenceforth there were in his hands and feet the marks of the nails. The heads of the nails were seen in the palms of his hands and on the insteps of his feet, and the points came out on the backs of his hands and the soles of his feet. In his right side also was a long raw wound, as though he had been pierced with a spear, from which wound his holy blood oftentimes ran and stained his shirt and breeches.

Thereafter Francis was a new creature, famous for a new and awful sign. The holy marks of the Lord Jesus, whereon living man for twelve centuries had not been allowed to look, were his adornment. He came down from the mount bearing in himself the form of Jesus Crucified, not pourtrayed upon tables of stone or wood by the hand of any earthly craftsman, but drawn upon his flesh by the finger of the living God. The dying Seraph knew well that it is good to keep close the secret of a king, and knowing the secret of his King, he strove as far as in him lay to keep the sacred marks hidden from men. Nevertheless, forasmuch as it is the will of the Lord God for his own glory to make manifest the greatness of his own works, he openly shewed forth divers wonders through these wounds which he had himself made in secret, so that the hidden and wondrous power of the marks might become known by the fame of the miracles. -- The foregoing marvellous but thoroughly witnessed facts, which were already spoken of in Papal documents with especial praise and joy, were made, by the pleasure of Pope Benedict XI, the subject of a yearly memorial, which was afterwards extended by Paul V to the whole Church, in the hope of fanning in the hearts of the faithful the love of Christ Crucified.

The most interesting point for me lies in this vision's obscurity. Reflect again upon this passage, which describes the orign of Francis's vision in the the burning desire of his heart for heaven:

The burning of his desire made his heart rise towards God like the heart of a seraph, and his tender answering love yearned to be changed into the likeness of him who hath so loved us that he was content to bear the Cross. And it was so that one morning early, about the time of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he was praying upon the side of the mountain, and there appeared to him as it had been one of the Seraphim, having six wings, glorious and fiery, flying to him from heaven. It came therefore very swiftly, and stood in the air, hard by the man of God. He beheld then the appearance thereof that it was not winged only, but crucified also. His hands and feet were stretched forth and nailed to a Cross. Twain of his wings were lifted up and joined one to the other over his head, and twain were stretched forth to fly withal, and with twain he wrapped around his body.

The expression "there appeared to him as it had been one of the Seraphim" comes from the Latin clause "vidit quasi spéciem uníus Séraphim," which I suppose could also be translated as "it appeared as one of the seraphim kind." My Latin is not very good, but the obscure passage seems to imply that Francis's love took the form of a seraphim in the likeness of Christ crucified.

I don't have time to investigate this point, but if anyone knows more about this, please comment.

Meanwhile, check these links for more images:

A brighter reproduction of the Giotto fresco above.

A site with an image of the saint's vision and with links to many more such art works depicting this (scroll down to "Art depicting St. Francis").

A site with two images depicting this vision.

I've located still other images showing St. Francis receiving the stigmata from a six-winged, Christlike figure perceived in a vision, but I've seen no references either to Malachi 4:2 or to Charles Wesley's hymn, so I'd guess that the vision of St. Francis has no connection to the verse from Malachi and that Charles Wesley was not thinking of any Medieval paintings depicting Francis's vision.

Especially since the 'winged Christ' was 'wounding' rather than 'healing' St. Francis...