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We do not see the actual expulsion in the drawing above. Fifty years later, Holbein made the dramatic image to the right, in which an angel uses a flaming sword to chase Adam and Eve naked out of Paradise.
According to the Bible, it happened a bit differently: God gave the couple »coats of skins, and clothed them«, before he sent Adam out, and presumably Eve too, even though this is not specified anywhere (Genesis 3:21-23). It was only after the fact that God »placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims (in the plural) and a flaming sword which turned every way« (Genesis 3,24).
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| God Death will separate soul and body, it's her office. And by this action 96 she will demonstrate divine justice. |
The pictures show an angel — cherubims have two or three pairs of wings and four faces. In the background of "Mors", top of this page, another angel passes three arrows and a divine authorization on to Death.
The three arrows that God uses to punish the sinful world are a familiar theme, and usually they are named Plague, War and Famine (pictured left), but as we shall see in the next pages, these arrows are a little different.
| The expulsion |
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Dieu Langele La mort |
Footnotes: (1)
»Sera par moy tost mis ad fin«. This line (104) is probably in error, since it's almost the same as 102.
In the Ambrosiana manuscript the line is instead: »Morront, et fussent my affin«.
Dances of death
Various
Mors de la Pomme
The expulsion