Four Biblical Scenes

The Stanza dell'Eliodoro is a room in the Vatican palace, named for the main work on one of the walls: The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple. The ceiling is worthwhile too, showing four scenes from the Old Testament on the subject of devine intervention.

Counterclockwise, starting at the bottom:

• Jacob's Ladder (Genesis 28:12)
• Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:2)
• Abraham wants to Sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:10)
• Noah's Dream (Genesis 6:14)

Compared with Raphael's earlier work, these paintings are more expressive and more menacing. Raphael wanted it made perfectly clear that the episodes portrayed are turning points in the history of mankind.