Unità documentaria 0516 - St John the Baptist

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The sepia-coloured image depicts the young St John the Baptist as a shepherd. The lamb is the common attribute of this saint as it symbolises his recognition of Jesus as the Son of God. In fact, when John baptised Jesus in the River Jordan he said ‘Behold, the Lamb of God’ (John 1: 36). At the back of this image, one can find a prayer to St John the Baptist taken from La Filotea, or the Introduction to the Devout Life written by Saint Francis de Sales, the first edition being published in 1609. It is categorised as a form of reading known as lectio divina , based on the Christian monastic practice of spiritual reading. At the top, overleaf, one finds a rubberstamp of the M.U.S.E.U.M. (Societas Doctrinae Christianae) Branch No. XV, Sliema.

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