Ruth by Francesco Hayez

Painting: ‘Ruth’ (1835) by Francesco Hayez, oil on canvas, dimensions 139 cm x 101 cm.

The Book of Ruth has a unique significance to Jews, because Ruth, who is celebrated as a convert to Judaism, understood Jewish principles and took them to heart. Also the Book of Ruth is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, due to the fact that the story takes place during the barley harvest season and that Shavuot marks the end of the harvest.

For Christians too the book has great significance because the connection between Ruth and David is very important. Jesus of Nazareth was born of Mary, betrothed to Joseph of the lineage of David. Thus in Christian Biblical lineage Ruth is a foremother of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). The lineage can be traced as: Boaz, father of Obed; Obed, father of Jesse; Jesse, father of David; David, ancestor of Joseph; Joseph, husband of Mary, mother of Jesus.

The genealogy of Jesus at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew is a male lineage. Only four women from the Old Testament are included in it, one of whom is Ruth. Many Christians interpret Boaz and Ruth as typical of Jesus and the Church. Many women look upon Ruth as a guideline to their lives.

Bathsheba Bathing by Francesco Hayez

Painting: Bathsheba Bathing (Bathseba im Bade/ Betsabea al bagno) by Francesco Hayez (1834), an 1834 oil painting on canvas, 77 cm x 107 cm, is currently located in a private collection in Lugano.

According to the Hebrew Bible, Bathsheba (Bat Sheva, daughter of the oath) was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, King of Israel and Judah. She was the daughter of Eliam, one of King David's Thirty Warriors. Eliam was also the son of Ahitophel, one of David's chief advisors. Ahitophel was from Giloh, a city of Judah, and thus Bathsheba was from David's own tribe and the granddaughter of one of David's closest advisors. She was the mother of Solomon, who succeeded David as king.

The Penitent Mary Magdalene by Francesco Hayez

Painting: The Penitent Mary Magdalene by Francesco Hayez (1791-1882), Italian painter and leading artist of Romanticism in mid-19th-century Milan, renowned for his grand historical paintings, political allegories and exceptionally fine portraits. Details: Year - 1825; Technique - oil on canvas; Dimensions - 118 x 150 cm (46.46 x 59.06 in); Current location - Civica Galleria d'Arte Moderna; Source - The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.

A few modern writers have claimed that Mary Magdalene was married Jesus, quoting Gnostic writings to support their arguments. Extra-biblical sources like the apocryphal Gospel of Philip depict Mary Magdalene as being closer to Jesus than any other disciples.

Mary Magdalene is mentioned as one of the three Mary’s ‘who always walked with the Lord’ and as his companion (Philip 59.6-11). Gospel of Philip also says that the Lord loved her more than all other disciples, and used to kiss her often (63.34-36). But Kripal writes ‘the historical sources are simply too contradictory and simultaneously too silent’ to make absolute declarations regarding Jesus' sexuality. On the other hand, the historian John Dickson argues that it was a common custom ‘in early Christianity to kiss a fellow believer by way of greeting, and as such kissing would have no romantic connotations’.

The theory that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus Christ was propagated by books such as The Jesus Scroll (1972), Holy Blood, Holy Grail (1982), The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (1991), The Woman with the Alabaster Jar (1993), Bloodline of the Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed (1996), The Da Vinci Code (2003), and Jesus the Man (2006).