Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Old Testament Stained Glass Windows by Henry Holiday

From the Holy Trinity website on The Old Testament window:

"Abraham, Joseph and Moses

South (right) Nave Clerestory Windows - Old Testament Windows

Abraham is shown holding a knife and the inscription in the small window reads "By faith, when Abraham was tried, he offered up Isaac" (Hebrews 11:17).

Genesis 22:1-2 After these things God Tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

Genesis 22:10-13 Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, ëAbraham, Abraham!í And he said, "Here as I". He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

The center panel shows Joseph, Abraham's great grandson, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was taken to Egypt where because he was able to interpret Pharaohís dreams, he was appointed ruler of Egypt. The window shows Joseph wearing the robes of an Egyptian ruler and the inscription over him says "Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have set thee over all Egypt." Genesis 41:41.

Joseph saved Egypt from a famine and Egypt became a haven for people escaping famine. At Josephís request, his father Jacob and his family moved to Egypt to survive a drought. They grew into the nation of Israel living in Egypt 430 years until the exodus.

Moses is shown with his face bowed down and the inscription reads "Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look at God."

Exodus 3:2-6 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and lo, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, "I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here am I". Then he said, "Do not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God."

There are 17 stained glass windows created by Henry Holiday of London, all memorials to various members of the Rhinelander family. Holiday made all 17 except for the west window, which was completed by his daughter after his death. The windows are the only complete cycle of windows remaining by Holiday, and the church is one of a few churches in the world in which all windows are designed by one artist, according to church website.

Henry Holiday (1839-1927) was an English historical genre and landscape painter, stained glass designer, illustrator, and sculptor. He is considered to be a member of the Pre-Raphaelite school of art, according to Wikipedia.

Holiday was born in London and at age 15 was admitted to the Royal Academy. Through his friendship with several artists there, he was introduced to artists of the "Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood". This movement was to be pivotal in his future artistic and political life. From Wikipedia: “The group's intention was to reform art by rejecting what it considered the mechanistic approach first adopted by Mannerist artists who succeeded Raphael and Michelangelo. Its members believed the Classical poses and elegant compositions of Raphael in particular had been a corrupting influence on the academic teaching of art, hence the name "Pre-Raphaelite".”

In 1861, Holiday accepted the job of stained glass window designer for Powell's Glass Works. During his time there he fulfilled over 300 commissions, mostly for customers in the U.S. He left in 1891 to set up his own glass works in Hampstead, producing stained glass, mosaics, enamels and sacerdotal objects.

Holiday's stained glass work can be found all over Britain and some of his best is at Westminster Abbey according to Wikipedia.

In addition to his stained glass work, Holiday was a painter; his works include The Burgess of Calais, The Rhine Maiders, Dante and Beatrice. He was commissioned by Lewis Carroll to illustrate The Hunting of the Snark. He remained friends with the author throughout his life.

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