People of Israel Punished for Worshipping False Gods (c.1478) from The Koberger Bible 1483

This woodcut, from the Koberger Bible printed around 1478, depicts a scene of divine punishment, where the Israelites are being slain for worshipping false idols. At the top, we see a celestial figure, likely God, amidst radiant clouds, and below, angels carry out divine justice. The act of worshipping false idols has deep roots in human history, surfacing across cultures. Even today, the allure of idols persists. The tablets lying on the ground serve as a painful reminder of the broken covenant and the consequences of straying from divine law. The image’s emotional power lies in its stark portrayal of divine retribution—an eternal warning about the wages of transgression. Notice how this scene echoes across time, resurfacing in various forms, each reflecting its own era's anxieties and moral teachings. This continuous return of similar images speaks to our collective memory of sin and redemption, constantly reshaped by cultural and psychological forces.