Michelangelo's Daniel is very interesting

By Michael B. Shepherd, Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Louisiana College

Michael ShepherdThe Sistine Chapel is one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of art. From the depiction of Moses (left wall) to the life of Christ (right wall) to the sequence from creation to judgment (ceiling and center wall), it is like walking into the Bible itself. Michelangelo’s artistic portrayals of the events of the Bible are in many ways like the textual renderings of the same events by the biblical authors.

Reading of Scripture informed Michelangelo’s work to the extent that the Sistine Chapel has long since occupied an important place within the history of biblical interpretation.

One of the most intriguing features of this great work of art is the presentation of the biblical prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Jonah, Zechariah, and Daniel (Matthew 24:15).