The Stained Glass Windows of Saint Mark

The Risen Savior

“And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.” Matthew 28:2

In Memory of Rev. Peter A. Heard, 1826-1901

The reality of the living Christ is one of the most frequently used Christian themes employed in art. Artists interpret, elaborate, and comment upon this doctrine, sometimes producing works which reflect the substance if not the specifics of the religious tenets. Such is the case with this window, which depicts a scene which is nowhere recorded in Scripture.

The earliest Christian writer, Saint Paul, writing about A.D. 40, records appearances of the Risen Lord and states his own conviction that the resurrected body is spiritual and not physical; he makes no reference whatever to the empty tomb. The first Gospel, according to Mark, produced about A.D. 65, presents the empty tomb as an important fact; it and the other three Gospels describe the finding of the empty tomb by various persons. Nowhere in Scripture is there an account of Christ rising from the tomb in the presence of the guards. The scene here is of the artist’s creation, an elaboration of the basic elements of Scripture and Christian doctrine.

Jesus, depicted in a style suggestive of El Greco, stands on the edge of the open sepulcher. Clad in white robes, he raises his right hand in blessing and in the left hand holds a staff surmounted by the Easter or Resurrection banner. The white pennant, sometimes used as a symbol of Christ’s body, is combined with a red cross to represent the joyful victory over death won by our Lord. Both hands show the nail marks.
In all the Saint Mark windows, the principal figures are nearly life-size. In this window the figure of Jesus from head to toe is 5’ 4", with the upraised right hand adding another 10½".

An angel in robes of white, gold, and light blue hovers in the air at the left. At the bottom of the window, Roman soldiers assigned to guard the tomb rest on the ground with their shields, sword and spear. The one on the left is awaking in surprise as the other man still sleeps.
The city of Jerusalem appears in the background as the approaching dawn lights the sky in various shades of red. Of special artistic merit in this window is the achievement of a shimmering effect in the white robes of Jesus.

The medallion at the top of the window is an elaborate Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Used with a symbol or other representation of Christ, they signify that Jesus is “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13) and that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).

This window was made in 1909.

The Reverend Peter A. Heard taught at LaGrange Female College before he came to Atlanta in 1894. At Merritts Avenue Methodist Church he assisted Dr. I. S. Hopkins, Pastor, who preached at Merritts Avenue because the Presidency of Georgia Institute of Technology did not occupy all his time. Mr. Heard served subsequently as Pastor during 1895-1897. Known affectionately as “Uncle Peter,” he and his wife Mary, and her sister “Aunt Pony,” were especially loved by the young people, of the church. They were an older couple when at Merritts Avenue and they had no children. When Mr. Heard died in College Park, many of the Merritts Avenue congregation went to the funeral. Saint-Mark Church placed this window to honor him as one of the most beloved pastors of the church.