John the Baptist, the last prophet in my series on images of "speakers-of-truth-to-power" in the Sacred Art Pilgrim Collection, saw himself as the forerunner of the Messiah whose role would decrease once Christ appeared on the scene. The Baptizer is still the dominant actor in this painting on leather from an unknown Ethiopian artist showing his encounter with Jesus at the Jordan River. The crouching posture of Christ emphasizes has humility in accepting his role as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Gospel narratives emphasize John's reluctance to baptize Christ, but Jesus willingly undergoes the rite of repentence "to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15, KJV). This anonymous Ethiopian icon-maker will, typically, create multiple images in this style, making his individual mark in the braided color frame, representative of a regional school of sacred art-making. (John Kohan)