Italy ( part I)
a cradle for Renaissance and spiritual revolution!
Vatican museum upper level balcony with St. Peter's Basilica dome in the back ground
One of the most intriguing master-pieces in the Vatican museum is the below "School of Athens" by Raphael:
Raphael, 1509 AD, School of Athens, wall Mural, Vatican Museum.
"In both style and subject matter, this fresco sums up the spirit of Renaissance, which was not only the rebirth of classical art, but a rebirth of learning, discovery, and the optimistic spirit that man is a rational creature. Raphael pays respect to the great thinkers and scientists of ancient Greece, including Plato an Aristotle. In the center Plato points up, indicating his philosophy that mathematics and pure ideas are the source of truth, while Aristotle points down, showing preference for hands-on study of the material world. " (Rick Steves Rome, Rick Steves). One interesting point here, the face of Plato is played by Raphael's biggest idol, Leonardo da Vinci! Hereby, Raphael shows that Renaissance thinkers were as good as the ancients.
depiction of 'Zoroast' , زردشت holding a star-studded globe in his hand in "school of Athens" by Raphael
One of the most interesting parts of Raphael’s school of Athens painting is the depiction of Zoroast, زردشت the legendary discoverer of Astronomy defined as the science and study of the movement of celestial bodies, who is siginficantly holding a globe dotted with stars. This is one of the most famous of the European depictions of Zoroast in which he and Ptolemy are having a discussion in the lower right corner.
Zoroast was an ancient Iranian prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism who lived in Eastern Iran. He is credited with the authorship of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism.There is no consensus among scholars about the period of life, as the dates of his birth range from 3000 BCE to 600 BCE. The majority of his life is known through the Avestan texts.( see Wikipedia.)
In the Gathas, Zoroaster sees the human condition as the mental struggle between aša (truth) and druj (lie). The cardinal concept of aša—which is highly nuanced and only vaguely translatable—is at the foundation of all Zoroastrian doctrine, including that of Ahura Mazda (who is aša), creation (that is aša), existence (that is aša) and as the condition for Free Will, which is arguably Zoroaster's greatest contribution to religious philosophy.
The purpose of humankind, like that of all other creation, is to sustain aša. For humankind, this occurs through active participation in life and the exercise of constructive thoughts, words and deeds.
Elements of Zoroastrian philosophy entered the West through their influence on Judaism and Middle Platonism and have been identified as one of the key early events in the development of philosophy. Among the classic Greek philosophers, Heraclitus is often referred to as inspired by Zoroaster's thinking.
St. Peter's Basilica square
The design of the ring of columns was by Bernini symbolizing the arm of church welcoming everyone-believers and non-believers with its motherly embrace.
I’m not a Catholic in anyway, though I believe in Jesus, but I experienced an unexpected and elusive spiritual dominance as I entered the St. Peter’s basilica. From the vast area ( 2 football field long) to detailed and intricate architecture to make the vastness look more intimate, to the Pieta, and St. Peter’s statue itself and the occasional nuns who pass by, to the shining beams of light from the windows over the altar and to the remarkable silence with all those people around that is almost as divine as the place itself everything feels in a unique harmony here. And at that moment I couldn't help but let the tears run down my face unconsciously. Filled with emotions one longs for sitting in a quiet corner, and finding one's solace, going deep into self and just taking it all in. And for that, I respect that place. I was mostly taken by the story of St. Peter him self and the fact that he himself had his own doubts about faith in the first place much like any human and even had his down falls and humanly mistakes such as trying to walk on water and falling but was eventually elevated to an eternal spiritual level based on his belief and sacrifice.
St. Peter's atrium:
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