Image Details

LINN, TEPPER, & BAR-OZ , “VISIBLE INDUCED LUMINESCENCE REVEALS INVISIBLE RAYS SHINING FROM CHRIST,” PLOS ONE 12(9): E0185149; CC BY 4.0

REVEALING THE INVISIBLE. In the Gospels, Jesus reveals his divine nature to his disciples Peter, Jacob (James), and John, in the presence of two Old Testament giants, Moses and Elijah. Known as the Transfiguration, this event is depicted in the vault of the South Church’s southern apse. Special imaging techniques mapping the distribution of Egyptian blue pigment in the painting revealed seven rays of light (see enhanced digital image here). The original composition presumably included all the actors, but the right side of the scene has nearly vanished.