Nauvoo Temple Stained Glass by Tom Holdman: The Baptism – Part 2 of 2
Written by Donelle Gearheart.
(Continued from Part 1)
The Baptism is full of meaning and symbolism. Some of it is simple; some deep. Note the path which leads toward the river. Tom Holdman explains, “John had obviously been baptizing here before. Also, I wanted it to invite each of us into the piece. We can walk right in and be part of the whole experience.” Observe how the heavens are opening and dispersing the storm clouds. A few remaining lower clouds and the placement of light around the head of Christ give the appearance of a halo. “I wanted this to look like a halo, without it being like the stereotype, to show how he is the truth, the way, and the light. ‘No man cometh unto the Father but by him.’” The lines of the painting itself draw the gaze of the viewer to Christ. Notice the rays of light from heaven, the lower branch of the almond tree, the ripples on the water, the slant of bushes, and the lines of the background.
“The river Jordan is a very historical river. The Israelites had to cross it after traveling in the wilderness for 40 years. Joshua parted the river Jordan. While crossing, each of the 12 tribes picked up a stone from the middle of the river and carried it to the other side where they built an altar of them to offer sacrifice, now that they were in the Promised Land. (Joshua 3-4) They also carried over the Ark of the Covenant. Too, there’s been a lot of speculation that Christ intentionally went to that exact spot when he was baptized. Here is the significance: Christ is our Savior and helps us cross over troubled waters to our own promised land just like the Israelites (Joshua 4:24); just like the Saints of Nauvoo. Having his hand open towards us was very important to me; having him actually reaching outward, reaching out to us, saying ‘Come unto me.’ In a lot of pictures his hand is shut or fisted.” Along the banks of the river, you will notice twelve stones which correlate with the story about the twelve tribes and the altar. Significantly, the rocks are scattered as were the tribes themselves. They also remind us of the words of John the Baptist speaking to the Pharisees regarding proper authority: “God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” (Matt. 3:9) Wheat mixed with tares is also found along the riverbank.
Each of the trees depicted is important. The biggest tree in the window is the almond tree. The story is told how “all of the twelve tribes were fighting about who had the proper authority, so each of them placed a staff in the Holy of Holies overnight. By morning, the staff of Aaron had sprouted with all these almonds, leaves, and flowers. So, he was the one with the authority.” (Num. 17:8) The almond tree, then, represents the lesser priesthood. It is the priesthood being used in the performance of the baptismal ordinance. The Israelites had the lesser priesthood for hundreds of years, reflected in the size of the tree. There are twelve almonds on the tree denoting the twelve tribes having this priesthood. Next to the almond tree is an olive tree, standing for the higher priesthood. “Christ brought this priesthood. So it is a young tree, new and growing.” It will soon overtake the older larger tree which has a split and is beginning to rot. On the trunk of the olive tree is an area of grafting. “That has many meanings.” It signifies the grafting in of the wild olive branch with the tame tree, or of the gentiles into the house of Israel. There are eight olives on the tree which are indicative of the age of accountability. The last tree, on the left, is a fig tree. On one occasion, Christ cursed a fig tree that did not produce fruit. He also spoke of a fig tree in parable. The tree is a symbol of the tribe of Judah. It emphasizes the importance of works and not just outward righteousness. (BD: Fig) The other bushes in the water near Christ were placed there not only to help balance the painting once the other people were removed, but also “to symbolize the infancy of the first presidency. Peter, James, and John are going to be in charge of the church. But while Christ was still on the earth, they looked to Him for leadership. They’re leaning toward Him, to get strength from Christ.”
Tom also points out that there is a connection between the stained glass window and the oxen of the baptismal font only about 10 feet away. “The oxen stand for the tribe of Ephraim or Joseph. (Deut. 33:17; BD: Unicorn) In the latter days, all of the branches of the twelve tribes will be gathered with his horns. So, that’s also why I put this tree with the twelve tribes into the window.” They are near to being gathered.
The border around the window ties everything together nicely. Regarding it, Tom pays a touching tribute to his father-in-law: “He was an avid genealogist and had actually found over tens of thousands of names. He was so excited to help me do windows for the Nauvoo temple. He said: ‘I will do anything to help on that temple; I will clean the floor; I will cut glass.’ He, though, passed away. About a week after he had, while I was designing the edging for the entire border, I was in my office. I could actually feel his spirit in the room. He was showing me in my heart how important it was to hook together all of the ancestry and all of the posterity in that chain. Also, how necessary the higher priesthood is for connecting all of those links. So, I show all of the links as an olive branch, representing the higher priesthood. Joseph Smith spoke of the tree of life as an olive tree. (D&C 88; CH) So, within each link are two crystal olives which symbolize the fruit of the tree of life and the family unit established between husband and wife. When Lehi had eaten of that fruit, what was the very next thing that he did? He offered it to his family. He wanted them to feel of the joy that he had felt; all of the sweetness. (1 Nephi 8:13) So, where do we want all of our family to be, to feel of the joy that we have felt? In the House of the Lord. This fruit is found in my windows in each temple in Palmyra, in Winter Quarters, and in Nauvoo...how important that fruit really is!” (Alma 32:40-43) The chain, which is an unbroken continuous one all the way around the window, has over 1,500 pieces of glass in it. There were only 3,000 pieces of glass total, so over half were in the border. “It was a lot of work, but it was so important to link the ancestral chain.” Thankful that his father-in-law did get to help with and inspire such a key element of the window, Tom designed his father-in-law’s headstone and put the same olive border around its edge.
There were many miracles that happened while making the window. Tom related this dramatic one: “I was finishing up the window late into the night (until about 1 a.m.) in order to meet the final deadline. Throughout the project I have had many helpers and volunteers, and many were there that night (about 15 of them). We had built two special tables on hinges to enable us to turn the window over from front to back. We would screw the tables together with the window between them like a sandwich.
This particular time was the last time it was going to be turned in order to attach the steel support structure. Someone accidentally screwed the outside perimeter of the window to the table. So, when we flipped the table over and six of us lifted up the top table, I heard cracking. When I looked under the top board, the window was fastened to the board along the edges and the middle was bowing at least nine inches. Anyone who knows anything about stained glass knows how fragile it is, and you try and keep it from moving even one quarter inch let alone nine inches! I told them to hurry and put the board down, which they did. The room was deadly quiet. The look on everyone’s face was shock. I felt like I was about to faint. I told them to screw the two boards back together and flip it back I had to leave. I left the studio and walked out into a field. I'll never forget looking out at the millions of stars and feeling that we had just ruined a window which took over a year to make. I pled from every fiber of my being to God that if there was some way that the baptistery window could be ok to please help us. I had been working 90 hours a week for months and I could not do anymore. I had given all the strength I had to reach this point in the project and asked him desperately for his help now. I walked back in. It was so quiet; I don't think anybody was even breathing. We unscrewed the two boards hoping for a miracle but fearing the worst. As I examined the window, I found one crack and a nick. It was absolutely amazing! I left the piece in the window as my "miracle piece". We finished the window that very night and held it up completed to the light for the first time. The moment we had worked towards over a year of literally blood, sweat, and tears had arrived, and it was worth it! We knew at that moment that we had only played a small part in producing this piece of art and that God was the true creator. All of us bowed our heads and thanked God for that and all the other miracles we had witnessed in the making of the stained glass.”
It was finished. 3 years from inspiration to completion. When asked what it was like for him to see this stained glass window, The Baptism, completed and installed in the Nauvoo Temple, Tom expressed these feelings: “I had worked non-stop at the very end, three days straight without sleep to get this done, I was so exhausted. I gave it everything spiritually and physically and also mentally. Then to crate it up and drive it out, so stressed over every little bump that happened. To get it there, open up the crate and realize it was ok - not one piece harmed. To actually pick it up and slide it in! It fit so perfectly. No adjusting. Then, to turn on all of the lights and walk up the font stairs and to see Christ’s hand held out as if saying, ‘Here you are. You have just taken upon you my name in the font. You have been baptized. Now, after that, there is more. You must endure to the end.’ It was so moving to me. I just sat on the stairs and got all choked up. I thanked Heavenly Father. He had given me the chance, the opportunity, to speak to people through my art. I can speak to people when I’m not even there. I can bear my testimony. I feel strongly that these are not my windows. I cannot take credit for them. I am glad just to be an instrument in God’s hand.
God has really done the windows. As I was driving away at the last, I turned to see the temple. I thought about all the Saints, how they had been forced to leave the Nauvoo temple behind; how Wilford Woodruff also turned around when he was across the river, looked back, and said, ‘I pray that the Lord will remember our sacrifice.’ I couldn’t help but think the same thing. But it has been a blessing to do. It is a wonderful blessing to have it in this sacred edifice.”