Faith, Hope and Love

What does Faith, Hope and Love show?

The central figure wears green, holds a crown, and rises above the companions at either side. Her white wings form a wide arch around them. At the left, a veiled figure in white carries a leafy branch and a small burning lamp. At the right, a figure in blue touches the strings of a golden harp.

The pale steps and geometric floor keep the setting spare. Three haloes echo the curves of the heads, while the blue and white figures incline toward the center. Read beside Paul’s words, the higher central figure can become a focus for considering love’s place among the three virtues. This is an allegory, rather than a narrated biblical encounter.

What does 1 Corinthians 13:13 mean?

At the end of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul names faith, hope, and love as the three that remain, then calls love the greatest. The preceding verses contrast present, partial knowledge with the fullness still to come. Earlier in the chapter, he describes love through patient, kind, and enduring action.

Macomber’s title brings the same three virtues together. The painting gives them faces, garments, and objects; Paul gives them a relationship and a measure of conduct. Looking between the two invites us to consider the word greatest through the way love treats another person.

1 Corinthians 13:13 names the three virtues in Macomber’s title and asks us to consider why love is greatest.

Sources

Bridgeman Images — Faith, Hope and Love. Roy Miles Fine Paintings’ supplied image and record identify the 1894 painting, its medium, and dimensions.

1 Corinthians 13 — Berean Standard Bible. Paul’s concluding comparison follows the chapter’s description of love.