Betrayal of Judas and the Arrest of Jesus, Release of St. Peter

Betrayal of Judas and the Arrest of Jesus

All the Evangelists describe this event. The panel depicts the Kiss of Judas and the Arrest of Jesus, as indicated by the Latin inscription: JUDAS TRADIDIT X[RIST]UM. Jesus, turned slightly towards the Jewish guards, seems to ask, “Whom do you seek?” We witness the scene at the moment when Judas has completed his betrayal with a kiss, and the soldiers are binding Jesus’ hands with a rope and leading Him through the gate. The creators of the Doors have succeeded in conveying Judas’s deceitful friendliness and the dignity of Christ, who is conscious of His destiny.

The Arrest of Jesus is one of the oldest themes in the Passion cycle. Quite often, it was a scene parallel to the Imprisonment of St. Peter. This tradition is reflected in the inclusion of the Release of St. Peter from prison in the Passion cycle of the Płock Doors. The Płock panel is characterized by Christ not looking in the direction of Judas but turning His head away from him. The behavior of St. Peter is shown here in a unique way, as if it were a scene taken from a larger cycle: the Apostle, with a troubled expression, does not have a sword and does not fight to free the Master. He stands aside, fitting more into a composition depicting the disciples’ escape.

His retreat speaks more of fearfulness and sorrow than of his impulsive nature. The Jews, belonging to the temple service, are depicted wearing short robes and pointed hats typical of their portrayal in medieval art. It is worth noting that sometimes in the Middle Ages, the Betrayal of Judas replaced the Last Supper iconographically. Thus, a new doctrinal aspect of this panel emerges. It recalls the institution of the Eucharist and Jesus’ Farewell Discourse during the Supper. The presence of Judas and Peter in the iconography of the Płock Doors provides Christians with an anagogical interpretation of how to atone for sins, which are succumbing to temptation.

Release of St. Peter

Great importance was attached to these depictions. The images of St. Peter served to illustrate the idea that the Church founded by Christ, although composed of many members converted from Judaism and among the pagans, is one. Only one successor of Christ, who has the greatest authority among the Apostles and other Christians, was established at its head. Not Jerusalem, not Antioch, but Rome became its seat, and in disputes, Peter’s decisions in Rome were sought.

Płock Doors

The Płock Doors, also known as the Magdeburg Doors, Korsun Doors, or Sigtuna Doors, were bronze doors once located in the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Płock. This is a relic of Romanesque art. Currently, the original doors are in the western portal of St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod, Russia, and a bronze casting (copy) has been in the Płock Cathedral since 1982.

Research indicates that the doors were probably in Płock for about 250 years before they adorned St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod. It is unclear how the doors ended up in Novgorod. According to a 15th-century legend, they were brought from Byzantium by Prince Vladimir the Great via Korsun in Crimea (hence the name Korsun Doors), although this is unlikely.

According to some historical hypotheses, they were looted in the 13th century by Lithuanians during their raid on Masovia. Other historians believe they were given as a gift by the Polish clergy or the dukes of Płock to Prince Lingwen Olgierdovich of Novgorod, brother of Władysław II Jagiełło. Some sources say they arrived in Novgorod as early as 1170, shortly after being made, while others suggest before the mid-15th century. According to a version announced in 1823 by Friedrich von Adelung, the doors are a military trophy of the Novgorodians (specifically Karelians, Estonians, Izhoras, and northern Russians), who captured them in 1187 during an expedition to the then-capital of Sweden, Sigtuna (hence the 19th-century name Sigtuna Doors).

The doors for the Płock Cathedral were ordered by Bishop Alexander of Malonne (died 1156). Master Riquin, with assistant Waismut, cast them in bronze using the lost-wax technique between 1152 and 1154 in one of the Magdeburg foundries. It is uncertain whether it belonged to the local fabrica ecclesiae, operating at the cathedral, managed by Bishop Wichman of Wettin (c. 1110–1192).

Figures of bishops and craftsmen are among the reliefs, to which in the first quarter of the 15th century, the representation of a Russian caster, Master Abraham, was added. He also adapted the doors to the western portal of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod, adding Cyrillic inscriptions translated from Latin. It is hypothetically assumed that the doors were looted from Płock at the end of the 13th century and, after various fates, were hung as a “copper icon” in an Orthodox church at the beginning of the 15th century.