Architecture & Stained Glass Windows

The Rose Window:

Jesus Christ Surrounded by the Twelve Prophets and Twelve Apostles

Installed in 1955, the rose window takes its theme from Paul's letter to the Ephesians: "You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone." It was given by William S. and Beatrice Gray and is the only window which is not dedicated to the memory of one or more individuals but rather "dedicated to all in this fellowship whose work and devotion make the Christian ideal a living reality. It is a symbol of gratitude to the past, courage in the present, and hope for the future." William Gray was a professor of Education at the University of Chicago, perhaps best known for his creation of the "Dick and Jane" readers which introduced generations of children to literacy. He and his wife Beatrice were devoted members of the congregation. Mr. Gray chaired the Future Plans Commission of the church in 1946 which was to study the changes in the neighborhood and design the church's outreach in the post-war years. The commission reported its findings upon the church's 75th anniversary in 1949.

The centerpiece of the rose window is the IHS monogram, a transliteration of the first letters of "Jesus" in Greek. Radiating outward from this center are twelve petals depicting the symbols of twelve prophets. Directly at the top, or twelve o'clock, position, tongs and a coal of fire symbolize Isaiah, who was able to speak in prophecies after his lips were touched by a seraph with a burning coal (Isaiah 6:6-7). Isaiah has an important place in Christian iconography because two of his statements—about the virgin who would conceive and bear a son, and the shoot that would spring from the tree of Jesse (Isaiah 7:14, 11:1)—were taken as prefiguring the coming of Christ.

The starry scepter in the next petal clockwise symbolizes Jeremiah. The next petal to the right depicts a pitcher and loaves of bread, symbols that represent Obadiah. The fish depicted in the next petal to the right traditionally symbolizes Jonah, who was chosen by the Lord to go to Nineveh and preach. Fleeing his fate by ship, Jonah was swept overboard and swallowed by a large fish. In despair, he vowed that he would bow to God's will, and God, hearing him, caused the fish to cast Jonah back on the shore. The broken sword is the symbol of the prophet Micah. The lion represents Daniel, whose final test of faith was to be cast into the lions' den. The trumpet is associated with the prophet Joel. Elisha, the disciple of Elijah, performed several miracles that prefigured the coming of Christ, including the cleansing of the leper Naaman in the River Jordan. The double-headed dove is his symbol, as he is often depicted with a double-headed dove on his shoulder. A broken yoke is the attribute of the prophet Nahum. Amos, the shepherd and the pruner of sycamore trees, is represented by a shepherd's crook. Hosea conveyed the Lord's offer of forgiveness to the faithless Israelites, if they will turn away from idol worship. In the rose window, he is symbolized by a broken idol. Closed gates symbolize Ezekiel, whose statement, "This gate shall be kept shut; it must not be opened" (Ezekiel 44:2) was seen as a metaphor of virginity. During the Babylonian exile (which began in 579 B.C.), Ezekiel had apocalyptic visions of a winged man, lion, ox, and eagle, symbols later adopted as the emblems of the four evangelists.

Twelve medallions at the ends of the outer petals contain the symbols of the twelve apostles: at twelve o'clock, the keys of Peter, his traditional attribute because Jesus said he would hold the keys to the kingdom; and (reading clockwise from the top) the pilgrim's hat and staff of James Major, the brother of John and, tradition has it, a wanderer who found his way to Spain (he became that nation's military patron saint); loaves of bread, representing Philip, who is associated with the feeding of the multitudes in the Gospel of John, chapter 6; arrows and stones, the attributes of Thomas because they are the instru-ments of his martyrdom; a money bag representing Mat-thew, the former tax collector; a ship representing Jude; the battle axe associated with Matthias; a fish, representing Simon; skin hanging on a cross, the attribute of Bartholomew (mentioned in the New Testament by name only, Bartholomew was supposed to have been flayed alive on a missionary journey to Armenia.); the saw and stones of James Minor, who was sawed in half and stoned; the cup and serpent represent John the Evangelist, and the poisoned cup forced upon him by the Emperor Domitian, which he drank without being harmed; and a fish and boat hook, the traditional symbols of Andrew, a brother of Simon Peter and also a fisherman.

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