Bryce Art Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John the Evangelist at 6:1-8. The chapter tells of a "'book', or 'scroll', in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals". The Lamb of God, or Lion of Judah, (Jesus Christ) opens the first four of the seven seals, which summons forth four beings that ride out on white, red, black, and pale horses. Although some interpretations differ, in most accounts, the four riders are seen as symbolizing Conquest, War, Famine, and Death, respectively. The Christian apocalyptic vision is that the four horsemen are to set a divine apocalypse upon the world as harbingers of the Last Judgment. The third horseman rides a black horse and is generally understood as Famine. The horseman carries a pair of balances or weighing scales, indicating the way that bread would have been weighed during a famine. The indicated price of grain is about ten times normal, with an entire day's wages (a denarius) buying enough wheat for only one person, or enough of the less nutritious barley for three, so that workers would struggle to feed their families. Of the four horsemen, the black horse and its rider are the only ones whose appearance is accompanied by a vocal pronunciation. John hears a voice, unidentified but coming from among the four living creatures, that speaks of the prices of wheat and barley, also saying "and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine". This suggests that the black horse's famine is to drive up the price of grain but leave oil and wine supplies unaffected (though out of reach of the ordinary worker). One explanation for this is that grain crops would have been more naturally susceptible to famine years or locust plagues than olive trees and grapevines, which root more deeply. The statement might also suggest a continuing abundance of luxuries for the wealthy while staples such as bread are scarce, though not totally depleted; such selective scarcity may result from injustice and the deliberate production of luxury crops for the wealthy over grain, as would have happened during the time Revelation was written. Alternatively, the preservation of oil and wine could symbolize the preservation of the Christian faithful, who used oil and wine in their sacraments. Thanks Magik ________________ Le Troisième Cavalier Cheval Noir Les Quatre Cavaliers de l'Apocalypse sont des personnages célestes et mystérieux mentionnés dans le Nouveau Testament, au sixième chapitre du livre de l'Apocalypse. Il s'agit d'un remaniement de deux visions d'un prophète de l'Ancien Testament, Zacharie1. Leur chevauchée inaugure le commencement de la fin du monde, car ils apparaissent lorsque l'Agneau, figure de Jésus ressuscité, ouvre les quatre premiers sceaux. Bien qu'ils paraissent se succéder dans le temps, le dernier verset paraît suggérer que leurs chevauchées sont simultanées : « Le pouvoir leur fut donné sur le quart de la terre, pour faire périr les hommes par l'épée, par la famine, par la mortalité, et par les bêtes sauvages de la terre. » Plusieurs interprétations de la signification symbolique des cavaliers ont été émises, à différentes époques. Le troisième cavalier, dont le cheval est noir paraît représenter la disette. Il porte une balance qui signifie l'évaluation et donc le prix atteint par les denrées les plus caractéristiques du monde méditerranéen antique: céréales, huile et vin. Les céréales atteignent un prix exorbitant, un denier correspondant au salaire journalier d'un ouvrier antique. Quant à l'huile et au vin, il est demandé au cavalier de les épargner, c'est-à-dire, d'après le verbe grec utilisé (adikein), de ne pas leur causer de tort, de ne pas s'en prendre à eux. Merci Magik ________________