Ars: časopis Ústavu Dejín Umenia Slovenskej Akadémie Vied (44.2011)

one hand, as He turns and lays his hand upon her
headT
In early Christian and medieval iconography,
word and image are closely interwoven. The image,
however, is carried by a different medium, uses its
own "language", in a different "tense", and has its
own rulesf In the process of transposing word into
image the artist faces the challenge of "capturing"
in one scene all that unfolds textually in a subtle
build-up of action and dialogue. The healing of the
Haemorrhoissa certainly implies this process; there is
creeping, touching, becoming aware, feeling, turning,
seeking, récognition, blessing...^ IIow to translate
this progressive sériés of movements into a static
visual medium?
Tensions and nuances in the text are translated
visually in the image into another language; the body
language, and in particular a single curve: the touch
between Christ and the bleeding womanT To give
expression to the texťs chargedness, impact and
émotions, the iconography of the Haemorrhoissa
became a choice iconography of body language,
concentrated in that touch. We háve already seen
how on the mural in the catacomb of Peter and
Marcelltnus the woman longingly Stretches one hand
towards Christ; with the other she supports her chin,
in an expression of silent sadness and despair. The
greatest émotion, however, vibrâtes in the vulnerable
gesture of the mutual contact. The fresco shows in
a délicate and rehned way how the woman swiftly
reaches out to Chrisťs cloak with one hand and lays
hold of a single thread.
But their touch is no normal touch; and while
healings are frequent occurrences m the synoptic

'' This basic type, where the Haemorrhoissa Stretches out her
hand expectantly towards Jesus while He fulhls her expec-
tation by blessing her, is for example the most common ex-
pressive formula in early Christian sarcophagus art. It should
however be noted that interaction does not necessarily imply
touching; more often than not, Jesus merely holds his hand
above the woman's head, and sometimes the Haemorrhoissa's
hand does not quite make contact with Jesus' robe.
' ' BAERT 2006b (see in note 3).
Nowhere is a healing recounted at such length and with
so many stages as in this story. From its positioning of the
story of the Haemorrhoissa as taking a key position in the
reinforcement of a new, Christian faith, exegetical discourse


2. /A T zwry 7T/A/Í Mpy T*

gospels, the cure of the Woman with an Issue of
Blood is different in two ways. On the one hand,
Christ does not Himself act as a healer, but rather
it is the Haemorrhoissa who — according to some
exegetes because she is unclean - approaches Him
from behind and "takes power from Him". On the
other hand, the nature of her sickness makes her
healing a délicate matter; the woman suffers from
menstrual bleeding so that awareness of her healing
— power ilowing out, the how of blood stopptng — is
reserved to the protagonistsT
In an attempt to translate these two pecultanties,
and therefore the particular nature of her healing,
gives a dual explanation of this; on the one hand, in the course
of the story playing out there is emphasis placed on the im-
portance of the woman's faith; on the other hand, Christ is
also provided with an opportunity to reveal Himself as the
Messiah and to clarify the différence with pagan magic. This
has been treated at length in BAERT 2011 (see in note 11)
and KÜSTERS 2011 (see tn note 11).
^ On conventions in the visual language, see BARASCH
M.: GAAo /A ç/" Cambridge 1987; and
BREMMER J. - ROODENBURG, H. (eds.):H
Ayy of GesfaTť. New York 1993, pp. 15-35.
^ This has also been treated at lenght in BAERT 2011 (see in
note 11) and KÜSTERS 2011 (see m note 11).

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