Religion Topicals

Martin Luther (1483-1546), German monk, priest, professor of theology and seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation, designed by the late German graphic artist Elisabeth von Janota-Bzowski (1912-2012), printed by lithography, and issued by Germany on October 13, 1983 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Luther's birth, Scott No. 1406, Michel No. 1193.

- nethryk

Within Tibetan Buddhism (the predominant form of the religion practiced in Mongolia), White Tara is regarded as a Bodhisattva of compassion and action, associated with long life, healing and serenity. Here is an image of a stamp depicting a statue of White Tara, printed by lithography, and issued by Mongolia on September 20, 1970, Scott No. 594, plus a photo of another statue of the Bodhisattva, and a YouTube link to a Mantra of White Tara: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMZs--ojiyw

- nethryk

The menorah is described in the Bible as the seven-lamp (six branches) ancient Hebrew lampstand made of gold and used in the portable sanctuary set up by Moses in the wilderness and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. The menorah has been a symbol of Judaism since ancient times and is the emblem on the coat of arms of the modern state of Israel. Here is an image of a stamp depicting a lighted menorah and olive branches, designed by Israeli artist George Hamori, printed by photogravure, and issued by Israel on April 26, 1955 to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the State of Israel, Scott No. 93, plus a photo of a replica of the Temple menorah.

- nethryk

The Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam, and a religious duty that must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so at least once in his or her lifetime. Here is an image of a stamp depicting a group of Muslim pilgrims at an airport, printed by photogravure, and issued by Indonesia on April 1, 1985 as one of a set of three stamps publicizing the country's Five Year Plan, Scott No. 1254. Note: Garuda is the national airline of Indonesia.

- nethryk

Ok, Let's see if I know what I'm doing with the photo posting tools...

One of my favorite sets comes from Anguilla for Easter 1972. Scott #s 140-144, full strip is #144a. These come from stained glass windows found in Bray Church, Anguilla.

The Christ beaten and mocked

Carrying of the cross

Crucifixion

Taken From the Cross

Burial

Born 1483 and dying at a young 37, Raphael was known as "The Divine" for his skill in rendering religious subjects. His habit of striking, bright colors and painting his subjects with a softness unseen before made him stand out from other Florentine painters.


Scott #2282

Madonna of the Goldfinch

Madonna of the Goldfinch is considered one of his greatest, if not THE greatest, example of Raphael's style. Lovingly restored in 2008 a brighter and bolder side of this work is now being displayed in the Raphael wing of the Uffizi Gallery, Hall #66.


Scott #2283

Madonna of the Grand Duke
Hard to see in this stamp's resolution are the halos and cheery countenance of the Christ on his mother's hip.


Scott #2284

Madonna of the Chair
Another good example of the rounded softness in Raphael's subjects.

Scott USA 2171 Father Edward Flanagan. Scott USA 2183 Rabbi Bernard Revel.

The previously posted Father Flanagan stamp raises an interesting issue. To my recollection there is not another stamp (except for Indians) in the Great American Series that does not clearly use a first name. Granted, the use of the name "Father Edward Flanagan" would take up a great deal more space, but they easily did it for the previous stamp in the series (Paul Dudley White, MD) and even when they did hit a long name such as "William Jennings Bryan" they found a creative way to include the whole name on the stamp.

I wonder how many other US stamps feature a title and last name and just omit the person's first name in the process?

Scott 2017 Touro Synagogue issue. This synagogue is the oldest existing synagogue in the USA as well as a National Historical Site.

Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg (c. 934-994) was bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria from Christmas 972 until his death. He is a saint of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches (canonized in 1052). Here is an image of a stamp depicting St. Wolfgang using a mason's hammer, designed by Adalbert Pilch after a detail from the altarpiece polyptych in the Church of St. Wolfgang on the Abersee by Austrian Tyrolean painter and sculptor Michael Pacher (c. 1435-1498), engraved by Alfred Fischer, and issued by Austria on May 26, 1976, Scott No. 1037.

- nethryk

Executed Philippines patriot and Roman Catholic priest, Father Jose Burgos.

The Archdiocese of Turku is the oldest diocese in Finland. Here are images of the three semi-postal Red Cross stamps in a set honoring former bishops of Turku, designed by Swedish graphic artist Signe "Ham" Hammarsten-Jansson (1882-1970), engraved by Alexander Laurén, and issued by Finland on January 20, 1933, Scott Nos. B12-14.

- nethryk

Magnus II Tavast (1357-1452), Bishop of Turku 1412–1450


Mikael Agricola (1508-1557), Bishop of Turku 1554–1557


Isacius Rothovius (1572-1652), Bishop of Turku 1627–1652

Here are images of the four airmail stamps in a set depicting various Buddhist themes, designed by Marc Leguay, engraved by Jean Pheulpin, and issued by Laos on November 5, 1957, Scott Nos. C27-C30.

- nethryk

Monk receiving alms


Monks meditating on a boat


Smiling Buddha


Temple painting of Nang Talinee, the Lao Earth Goddess, wringing out the water from her hair to wash away Mara and his followers

In Hindu mythology, Kaliya was the name of a giant, poisonous, multi-headed black serpent, called a naga, living in the Yamuna River, in Vrindavan, and terrorizing the local populace. Seeing that the people were afraid of Kaliya, Lord Krishna sprang upon him, assumed the weight of the whole universe, and danced on the naga's heads, crushing him. But Kaliya's wives pleaded with Krishna to spare the naga's life, so when Kaliya promised that he would never again harass anyone, Krishna pardoned and released him. Here is an image of a stamp depicting Lord Krishna conquering Kaliya, printed by lithography, and issued by Nepal in 1959, Scott No. 105, plus a photo of a statue depicting the incident, located at Swaminarayan Temple, Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India.

- nethryk

-IBFS