Christus voorspelt de vernietiging van Jeruzalem 1598 - 1618

Jacques de Bie created this engraving, “Christ predicts the destruction of Jerusalem,” in the early 17th century. The image depicts Jesus, surrounded by his disciples, gesturing towards a city that, while meant to be Jerusalem, resembles a contemporary European urban center. This conflation of past and present speaks to the cultural context of the time. De Bie, working in the Catholic-dominated Southern Netherlands, likely intended to draw parallels between the biblical narrative and the religious and political upheavals of his own era. The destruction of Jerusalem could be seen as a warning against the dangers of heresy and dissent, as well as the threat of iconoclasm. The presence of the Latin inscription reinforces the image's connection to religious authority and the learned elite. To fully understand this image, we can use a variety of research tools, looking at the history of religious printing, and the social function of religious imagery during the Counter-Reformation. Doing so helps us understand art’s capacity to comment on the social structures of its time, reinforcing religious authority during a period of conflict.