This is followed by The Adoration of the Magi and Balaam, the text being: "_Habitantibus in regione umbrae ... lux orta est_" (Isaiah ix. 2). The Old Testament subject depicts the moment when Balaam, taken to the top of Pethor by Balak, blesses instead of curses the enemy. Before them is the altar; around them are the princes of Moab, angry and threatening; in the background are the tents of the children of Israel. The victims are ready for the sacrifice, but to the astonishment of the king and his followers, Balaam lifts up his voice and blesses those he was brought to curse. _How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!_ This is one of the finest of the series.
In The Baptism we see the ascetic figure of S. John the Baptist pouring water upon Our Lord's head, while three Angels kneel upon the bank of the river, doing homage. Above is the descending dove and the verse: _Erit Sanguis Vobis in Signum_ (Exodus xii. 13). In the Passage of the Red Sea, the majestic figure of Moses stands upon the shore, his hair and drapery blown by the wind. He raises his hand, and the waters close over the Egyptians, while the Israelites lift up their voices in triumphant songs, Miriam leading them to the sound of the timbrel: _Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea._
The Institution of the Eucharist is treated from the purely Roman Catholic point of view. Our Blessed Lord is standing, holding up the wafer for adoration, while He places the other hand upon His side, symbolical of the gift of the sacred heart combined with His precious body. The Apostles form two groups, one on each side: _Novi Testamenti Mediator est_ (Hebrews ix. 15). The Old Testament type is Melchizedek appearing to Abram: _And Melchizedec King of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high God._
The next pictures, close to the choir, are badly lighted, but both are very fine. The Treason of Judas, and Joseph sold by his Brethren: _Pro salute vestra misit me Deus_ (Genesis xiv. 5).
And now we come to a subject into which Flandrin threw all his strength--The Crucifixion--which is not inferior in feeling to the great Angelico in the Convent of San Marco at Firenze. The divine expression of the dying Saviour, the heart-rending sorrow of the Mother, and the passionate grief of the Magdalen, are all exquisitely portrayed. So, too, The Sacrifice of Isaac, which is its type, is full of pathos and true religious sentiment. _Proprio filio non pepercit_ (Romans viii. 32) is the text.