St. Paul standing under an overgrown arch, his left foot poised upon a rock, his right hand grasping a scroll, from "Christ and the Twelve Apostles" 1545

Lambert Suavius created this engraving of Saint Paul, part of his series "Christ and the Twelve Apostles," during the vibrant, transformative era of the Northern Renaissance. Suavius, active in the mid-16th century, navigated a world where religious identity was fraught with tension, shaped by the ongoing Reformation. Here, Paul stands not as a triumphant figure, but framed by an overgrown arch, hinting at a world in decay or transition. The scroll in his hand symbolizes his epistles, foundational texts of Christianity, yet his stance – one foot forward, the other grounded – suggests a complex relationship to the ground he occupies, a space both solid and precarious. Consider the emotional weight of Paul’s mission, his journey to spread a gospel in a world resistant to change. Suavius captures not just a saint, but a man burdened by conviction, standing at a threshold. The image invites us to reflect on faith, doubt, and the personal cost of belief in a world undergoing radical transformation.