Das Neue Jerusalem [The New Jerusalem]

A powerful image regarding the paths to Heaven or Hell.

This eye-catching allegorical print presents a visceral visual overview of the Judeo-Christian idea of the afterlife, with three different possible paths that lead to either New Jerusalem or the fiery pits of Hell. The immorality of greed is a consistent feature throughout, relevant given the publication period and increasing divide between the aristocratic and lower classes in Europe.

Through the spacious gate in the lower left enter a steady stream of smartly dressed Victorians, including a small boy who says, “I want to go to Zion.” Alas, these soldiers, fools, and merchants in the foreground are heading straight toward damnation, the Devil, and the Whore of Babylon. The second path, more winding and less-traveled, ultimately also ends up under Death’s gaze.

Only those who take the highest road (literally carrying crosses) through the ‘cramped gate’ are deemed worthy of New Jerusalem and its rewards of God’s presence, heraldic angels, the Tree of Life, and a unified Church. Adjacent text compounds the symbolism, with quotes like “many are called, but few are chosen” and “Zion’s road is deserted because it is covered with thorns.”

The hand colored sheet was published in a book of prints around 1845, in Neuruppin, Germany, by the firm of Oehmigke & Riemschneider. It is the second edition, updated from an earlier c. 1840 issue which was apparently the first independent view of Jerusalem sold in Neuruppin. The scene carries on a tradition of very similar allegorical images that present various paths to Heaven and Hell.

Further reading: Art Institute of Chicago; Heavenly Jerusalem; James Arsenault