A Note from the Artist

"Years ago I was commissioned to do a series of middle eastern paintings for some of the most prominent Arabs including a 6x4 foot painting of Abd al Assis taking Rihahd which hangs in the room where the King of Saudi Arabia meets each Monday with senior members of the royal family. Ali Al Abssi of Ishtar International Galleria I Houston Tx was the art dealer who represented me.



The part of the cross to be carried by the victim to be crucified was the cross beam only and was called the patebulem. Up to 6 feet long and weighing as much a s a hundred pounds, the hands and wrists would be nailed to it . Four Roman soldiers would then lift it with the victim attached and attach it to the upright portion already fixed in the ground. The feet would then be nailed to the upright. The part of his raiment that they would not rend would have been his telite or prayer shawl which would have been woven of the finest wool without seam.

Signed on the cross K R Turner 2007
St Luke ch9 vs22-24
22 Saying, The son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
23 And he said to them all,if any man will come after me , let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life more my sake, the  same shall save it.
St John ch19  vs 16-17
16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified, And they took Jesus and led him away.
17 And he bearing his cross went forth unto a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha.
 
St Matthew ch 27 vs 31-32
31 And after they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

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Ali, a member of the American Appraisers Society, was asked one time what he thought of a painting that had been unveiled of John the Baptist. He replied that it was a beautiful painting but that John would not have looked like that, but rather more like him a man from the middle east. When I was commissioned by Mark A Chapman to paint something I wanted to, I decided to do the washing of the feet of Christs Apostles as authentically as I could. With all due respect to Leonardo the large upper room would not be large by our standards. I e-mailed a Jewish Christian Tour guide in Jerusalem and inquired of him what time of day, what kind of table and chairs, what foods would be present, how should people be seated, and where would Jesus, James, John, and Peter most likely sit. I received an answere which began "Shalom" and went on to say that first of all it would not be day but night as a Ceder supper could not begin until after the sun goes down. Please no table and chairs like we have but they would be seated on cusions in a u shape on the floor. When facing the u second from the left would be Jesus, with John to his right, James to his left and Peter across from Jesus, to Peter's left would be an empty very fancy cusion for Elijah.




My research into the customs of the times revealed the following information. The event described in the scripture at right took place after the sun went down. According to John it would be the night before the full moon. They were sitting on cushions on the floor, not on chairs - probably in a U-shape. John would be seated first on the left then Christ followed by James. Peter would be directly across from Jesus and on his left. The most fancy cushion left empty for Elijah. There was either a low table close to the floor or none at all. As explained to me, "The children of Israel did not have much furniture when they left Egypt." One of the garments Jesus would have set aside was assuredly his telite or Prayer shawl. The lamps in the painting are typical of the period. The foot washing basin is based on one from the second century B.C. and a stirrup is visible in the bowl. Such basins were at the entry of Jewish houses so that the servant could wash the feet of the master and his guests.

 

John ch13 vs1-9
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son to betray him;
3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God and went to God;
4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girdeth himself.
5 After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded
6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter; and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I was thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

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I have received tremendous response on these paintings by people purchasing them to give to their churches- of many different denominations I have made every effort to make them as historically authentic as possible.."

-Ken Turner


Jesus was teaching in the Temple in the morning. The women's court was open overhead, but surrounded by walls and columns. In a world where everything is symbolic, the columns symbolized a bridge between man and God. I felt that the painting required bright illuminating sunlight where nothing could be hidden. In Moses' law, the man and woman were both to be stoned. Where was the man? Stoning, a form of execution, was accomplished by casting heavy rocks on the condemned. The practice of stoning for adultery had been discontinued by this period. They were using the woman as a pawn to try to trap him. In the exchange of words later in Chapter 8, they pick up stones to cast at him but he passes by them in the crowd and escapes.

John ch8 vs3-12
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned; but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him, but Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last, and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said no main, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more.

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Of Jesus twelve apostles only one came from the city, Judas Iscariot. All of the others were Galileans. It was here the fishermen were invited to leave their nets and become the fishers of men. The name written in the sand is how Jeshua or Yeshua is spelled in Hebrew, which is  Jesus in Greek.

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Matthew 26: vs 27-29
 
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them,saying,Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I sayunto you, I willnot drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, untill that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

 

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