PASSJONI Silent witnesses in Gethsemane

Il-Ġnien taż-Żebbuġ, jew il-Ġetsemani, jinsab f’riġlejn l-Għolja taż-Żebbuġ biswit il-belt ta’ Ġerusalemm. Dan il-ġnien fejn Ġesù qatta’ parti sew mill-aħħar lejl tiegħu u fejn ġie ttradut u arrestat hu marbut sew mal-ġrajjiet tal-Passjoni. Il-ġrajja ta’ Ġesù jitlob fil-Ġetsemani nsibuha rrakkuntata fl-erba’ vanġeli, għalkemm b’xi dettalji u enfasi differenti.

Dawn ir-rakkonti juru ċ-ċentralità li dan il-post għandu fir-rakkont tal-ewwel fażi tal-Passjoni, jiġifieri l-agunija ta’ Ġesù fil-Ġetsemani u t-tradiment ta’ Ġuda.

Wara l-ewwel ktieb, PASSJONI – Merging Art and Faith, issa għandna ktieb ieħor dwar il-vari tal-bidu fil-purċissjonijiet tal-Ġimgħa l-Kbira li juru episodji mill-Passjoni li ġraw fiċ-Ċenaklu u fil-Ġnien taż-Żebbuġ.

Found at the foot of the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane is located just outside the walls of Jerusalem. This is the garden where Jesus went to pray after the Last Supper and where he was betrayed by Judas and arrested. Therefore, it plays a crucial role in the story of the Passion of Christ.

The story, told in all four Gospels, with some minor differences between them, begins with Christ praying in the Garden.

In 2019, the first book in this series, PASSJONI – Merging Art and Faith, gave readers an overview of the statues that make up the Maltese Islands’ many Good Friday processions. Now, the second book shines a light on the statues that open these well-attended processions, starting from The Last Supper and moving on to the events that took place in the Garden of Gethsemane, namely those of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and The Betrayal by Judas.