The Church of the Circumcision
Who is the woman on the left of the above mosaic? Can you even see her in the shadows? Actually, she represents the Church of the Jews. The brightly-lit figure on the right embodies the Church of the Gentiles. The woman in the dark is a perfect example of how the Church plunged the Jewish followers of Jesus into the mists of history.
This mosaic is over the 'cypress doors' of the Church of Santa Sabrina in Rome. Built around 420-430 CE, it shows that the Church of the Jews was recognized as a prominent institution at that time. Its placement on the left, of course, shows its subservience to the Church of the Gentiles.
Being on the left, however, is symbolically apt: the Jewish followers of Jesus maintained his vision of establishing a kingdom of righteousness here on earth while the Gentile Church vigorously supported the establishment.
This is an important theme in my book, "Cover-Up: How History Silenced Jesus' True Heirs."-
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