Apocalypse Then: Woodcuts of the Reformation

"The Woman Clothed With the Sun and the Seven-Headed Dragon" by Durer

As the Reformation was just beginning, several ideas about the apocalypse and the antichrist became popular.  Many artists used such a topic as the theme of their artworks, as seen in the woodcut above.  No doubt artists such as Albrecht Durer among others looked to the book of Revelation in the Bible for the ultimate question of what was to become of the future, or the end of it.  There was this idea of the coming of an antichrist, who was supposed to set himself up as a God and try to tear the Church apart from within.  The Church would thus be persecuted before the coming of Christ, and many Reformers including Luther believed that the antichrist was the Pope and papacy at the time.  They saw themselves as fighters against the powers of evil, and that the Catholic Church was corrupted.  Artists such as Durer wanted to encourage Reformers that even though they were being persecuted that there was still hope that Christ would come and save them from evil.  

The woodcut above depicts a section from Revelation 11-12 of the Bible, showing a woman presumed to be Mary.  A dragon with seven heads (symbolizing the devil) awaits the birth of her male child destined to rule the world someday and wishes to devour him, but angels above are waiting to carry the child away to the safety of heaven.  In a way the woman represents the Church, and her child the faithful followers who would be saved from the clutches of evil.  Many artworks such as this were not uncommon in the time of the Reformation, and all asked the same question:  What was to happen once the end of the world arrived?  I think it's extremely fascinating that so many were concerned with their future, and that many thought the Pope to be the antichrist.  It's crazy to see how a small Reformation can turn out to move so many people with a central idea.