Jesus in the Temple

Jesus in the Temple, 1881 painting by Heinrich Hofmann.

Johann Michael Ferdinand Heinrich Hofmann (1824 - 1911) was a German painter.

Few scenes from the youth of Christ are so well known or beloved as Hofmann’s rendition of Luke 2: 46-47, Jesus in the Temple:

"46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers."

The ethereal beauty of the 12-year-old Christ contrasts markedly with the more corporeal, yet exquisitely painted, elders of the Jerusalem temple. In his lifetime many people questioned who the model was for this prodigy Christ. Hofmann responded, “When I read about Christ in the Bible, there arises spontaneously before my fancy a picture of Him which I try to retain and to reproduce-that is my only prototype." This vision of the Savior arose from an artistic and deeply devote mind.

Other Paintings by Heinrich Hofmann:

Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler