The Professor

this is the wisdom of the world and the bondage and burden therefrom.  look at the details and you may notice what i mean.  Threre are some popular ideas today that are truely evil (in other words: contrary to true happiness and progression), and if they are adopted one can expect nothing less than darkness, destruction and bondage.  notice the prison like bars (there are 4 of them accross the whole piece) that presents all of the subject matter in their appropriate setting: prison.  The philosopher (in the forefront-mid left) is pointing outward toward the world around him.  this indicates his idea that truth comes not from God but from the world around him.  he represents "philosophy" as a whole.  on his shoulders there is a city, showing that the popular world rests on, and is founded upon such ideas.  to his right we see the professor who stands alone (in this piece) in the midst of the misleading ways of the world.  he stands in his conviction that truth, though it may be discovered in the world around us, is manifested to men in its fullness and clarity by God (notice he points up).  in his right hand (if you can find it, you will see a book with the title "ABC" indicating that Truth is basic, elementary even.  to the right of the professor is a few homes...on his shoulders-you know what that means?  the strength of homes and familys are dependant on True principles.

in Rafaels painting "School of Athens" (or "Philosophy") plato and arostotle stand in the center of the school making these same gestures (pointing) representing their conviction of mans axess to truth.  plato: from Godaround us; Arostotle: from the world around us.