For by him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16
Before Christ was born into our world, He existed eternally as part of the trinity. We usually picture God the Father as the Creator, but, Jesus, as part of the trinity, was Creator as well: “by him all things were created… all things have been created through him and for him.” In this sculpture at Chartres Cathedral, Christ is depicted tenderly and lovingly forming Adam.
Chartres Cathedral is the epitome of French Gothic art and architecture. The impressive building is crammed inside and outside with art, especially impressive carvings and stained glass windows. Although Chartres is unique in its magnificence, all medieval cathedrals are similar in their heavy-handed artistic communication. Most church-goers in the middle ages were illiterate and did not read scripture on their own. So the cathedrals were designed to be like visual Bibles, communicating the events and stories of scripture, as well as theological truths, in the specific art that decorated the cathedral and also the organization and proportions of the space itself in the colors, the light, and the materials used.
This sculpture is a prime example. In one concise image, it communicates several essential truths: that Adam (humanity) was created by God’s own hand (with love!), that Jesus existed before He was born into the world and before the world was created, that Jesus created man, and that Jesus is God.
Of course, we all know what Adam did after he was created. He rebelled and brought sin and death into the world. His failure is the reason that Christ had to come and die. And Jesus, being God who knows all things, knew this even as He created him! Jesus himself is called by Paul “the second Adam”… He came to earth as a man and lived the way Adam was supposed to, in perfect harmony with and obedience to the Father. And just as death came by Adam, life came by Jesus. All of this is wrapped up in this sculpture. In fact, it almost looks as if Christ is comforting Adam in his weakness, saying to him: “I know. You failed and now the world is broken. But I love you and I am undoing the brokenness and making the world new and whole again.”
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