Samson: The Iconography
Judges 13-16 tells the story of Samson, the Israelite hero who leads his people against the Philistines and is successful until he falls in love with Delilah, who betrays him to the enemy by cutting his hair (image).

Many images portray Samson's defeat of the lion. In Judges 14:1-7 he is on his way to Timnah when a young lion comes roaring at him, but he tears it apart. For St. Augustine this victory is a type of Christ's overcoming the savagery of the Gentiles, and perhaps for this reason it is a favorite subject in the art.1

Another subject is Samson's death (Judges 16:1-31). After he has visited a prostitute in Gaza the Philistines capture him, blind him, and bring him to the temple of Dagon for their amusement. But he destroys the temple by pushing down two of the supporting columns, killing everyone including himself. Later his brothers come and bury him. Two panels in a stained-glass window in Canterbury picture him in bed with the prostitute and his burial. I have personally seen only one image of the destruction of the columns, but a good number are available on this page at Wikimedia Commons. They all picture the hero pushing down the two columns.

Prepared in 2020 by Richard Stracke, Emeritus Professor of English, Augusta University.


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SHOWN ABOVE:
Relief Sculpture of Samson and the Lion, west façade of Milan's cathedral. See the description page for details.

OTHER IMAGES


Capital of an engaged column in Salamanca's Old Cathedral, 12th century. (See the description page.)


Scenes from Samson's life in a medieval miniature. (See the description page.)


In a fresco in a German church, Samson pulls down the columns of the Temple of Dagon. (See the description page.)





































1 Glossa Ordinaria, II, 246.