The Apostles' Creed
I Believe in God the Father, Almighty,
Maker of Heaven and Earth:
And in Jesus Christ His Only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and
buried; He descended into Hell; the third day He rose
again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on
the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence
He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Catholic Church;
the communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins; the
resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Apostles' Creed Window reminds us of how Jesus used symbols again and again. He referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd, the Door, the Light of the World, the True Vine. He taught us about life and faith through images everyone could understand.
As we worship together in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, Allentown, may the wealth of symbolism contained in its windows enrich and reinforce our faith, as we attempt to serve God in this place.
The balcony window depicting The Apostles' Creed is composed of four lancets. Each is four feet wide, with a length of 35 feet in the center and 27 feet along the outside. They are designed as one composition, presenting a visual representation of our faith in the triune God. A dynamic flow of lines creates arches and contrasting areas of light and dark: light blue in the middle portion symbolizing purification; deep blue at the top and bottom of the window symbolizing the universe; and purple indicating royalty and dignity.
Ancient and modern symbols, as well as excerpts from the text of the Creed, enrich the general composition, creating in effect a symphony of color and light expressing our basic Christian beliefs. This may be likened to a symphony in organ music where the use of many stops and varieties of voice, tempo, and harmony bring into being a melodious interplay of tone and rhythm.
As you view the window, at the upper left is placed the All-Seeing Eye depicting the Omnipresence and Omniscience of God. Proverbs 15:3 reminds us that "the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." The eye is framed in a triangle, representing the Holy Trinity -- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The Hand, directly below the triangle, is probably the most outstanding symbol of God the Father. As the hand does the will of the mind, so here the hand portrays the will of God the Father being done in all creation. It also symbolizes Divine help always extended to God's children.
Close to the Creator's hand are placed the Two Tablets of Stone bearing the Ten Commandments (also called the Decalogue) which constitute the fundamental moral law for both Jews and Christians. The Commandments may be found in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5-6:21.
The Creed continues at the top of the extreme left lancet with the words: "Maker of Heaven and Earth." In the center of this area is placed the Ark of the Covenant. Jehovah gave Moses directions for making the Ark in Exodus 25:10-22. It was to be made of acacia wood, overlaid with beaten gold and surmounted by two cherubim of beaten gold, facing each other with the tips of their wings touching. The Ark signified both Old Testament worship and the presence of God, and the two Cherubims' wings form an arch of salvation.
The Six-Pointed Star (just above the Ark of the Covenant) is used as a symbol of God the Creator, and is called "The Creator's Star"; the six points denoting the six days of creation.
The second lancet from the left is used to depict Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior. In the center of the light blue background may be seen a full figure of the Lord seated on the heavenly throne. In his left hand he is holding a globe with a cross upon it, symbolizing the victory of the gospel over all the world.
In his right hand Jesus holds a scepter in the form of a Lily representing royalty -- a new Kingdom through the Resurrection which is in Christ.
Close to the feet of Jesus are symbolic creatures depicting the four evangelists:
First, St. Matthew appears as a Winged Man. Since his gospel dwells more on the human side of Jesus Christ than the other gospel records, Matthew is usually pictured as a winged man. Sometimes, however, he is pictured with a book or a pen, and an angel in the background dictating or pointing heavenward.
Second, proceeding clock-wise, is St. Mark depicted as a Winged Lion. This symbol is traditionally attributed to Mark because he wrote of the royal dignity of Christ, beginning his Gospel with the words of John the Baptist -- "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." (Mark 1:3)
Third, St. John is symbolized as an Eagle. Bede, one of the early Christian writers, once said of John: "In merit he is likened to the flying eagle. For indeed the eagle flieth higher than all birds and is accustomed to trust his gaze, more keen than that of all living things, into the rays of the sun. St. John knew, with loftily soaring mind and clearest sight the eternal power of His divinity and caused us to know also by his writing."
And finally, at the left center position of the grouping is St. Luke as a Winged Ox. The ox, an animal of sacrifice, was deemed appropriate for St. Luke, who emphasizes the Atonement made through Christ's sufferings and death.
The Thorns encircling the Three Red Crosses remind us of Christ's crown of thorns, and His crucifixion on Calvary, where He gave His life for all who accept Him as Lord and Savior.
To the left of the crosses are a Basin and Ewer (pitcher), symbolizing Pilate's ceremonial washing of his hands, as recorded in Matthew 27:24 - "He took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of this just person: see ye to it."
At the top of the cluster of symbols are the Sun and the Moon. The moon speaks of the time of the Crucifixion where there was a period of total darkness. Matthew 27:45 records it thus: "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour." The sun is a symbol of Jesus Christ, who through the resurrection triumphed over evil's darkness.
The third lancet from the left is dedicated to the third portion of The Apostles' Creed:namely the Holy Spirit and the resurrection from the dead.
The most widely used symbol of the Holy Spirit is the Descending Dove, with a three-rayed nimbus around its head. (The "nimbus" in art is an indication of radiant light or glory.) In the account of Jesus' Baptism by John we read, "And coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the spirit like a dove descending upon him." (Mark 1:10) Sometimes the dove is shown surrounded by stars, as if coming down from the starry heavens. Occasionally one will see a Flame, or seven flames, representing the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost when "tongues like as of fire" rested upon the followers of Christ, and "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:3-4)
At the top of the next grouping of symbols is seen a Hand Holding a Heart with Tongues of Flame leaping from it. This is the symbol of John Calvin, the founder of Presbyterianism. To Calvin the symbol of the bleeding heart spoke of Christ, "wounded for our transgressions" The Great Eternal Hand represented God the Creator and Sustainer. And the "tongues of fire" represented the Holy Spirit our Guide and Comforter.
Just below the Hand may be seen Red Flames coming down upon the heads of the people, reminding us of the 
Day of Pentecost, the Birthday of the Christian Church. That part of The Apostles' Creed which reads: "I believe in the Holy Catholic (Universal) Church..." is visually portrayed by figures of men and women receiving the Holy Spirit, symbolized by the flames of fire descending upon them.
To the right of the people may be seen churches of Gothic, Byzantine, Colonial, and Modern Architecture, giving visible perception to the church universal.
Beneath the words "The Holy Christian Church" is the Chalice, a great symbol of Holy Communion and the forgiveness of sins. Around the Chalice, Grapes depict the wine which Jesus used to symbolize His shed blood. Wheat, with the tares, symbolizes both the faithful and the non-faithful. The imagery here is taken from Jesus' parable of the good seed and tares recorded in Matthew 13:24-30. Above the Chalice is a wafer, or unleavened bread, inscribed with the Latin letters IHS.
In his book Our Christian Symbols, by Friedrich Rest, the author states that at least six interpretations have been given to the letters IHS (or in Greek IHC). The first is the one preferred, since it is historically correct, but the others are not to be ignored:
(1) The letters are formed from the Greek word (IHCOYC) for Jesus. As knowledge of Greek became rare, the Greek C was changed to a Latin S, so the abbreviation often is IHS instead of IHC;
(2) The Latin words "Iesus Hominum Salvator" (Jesus, Savior of humanity) are often used to explain the symbol;
(3) The German interpretation is "Jesus, Heiland, Seligmacher" (Jesus, Lord, Savior);
(4) The English sometimes say IHS means "I (Christ) Have Suffered";
(5) Others say IHS refers to "In Hoc Signo" (In this sign - the cross - shalt thou conquer);
(6) Another interpretation is that IHS signifies "In hac saltus" [In this (cross) is salvation].
The fourth or last lancet depicts the very last words of The Apostles' Creed: "...the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting."
At the bottom is an interesting symbol. The Butterfly is a symbol of the resurrection, and eternal life because it emerges from the cocoon with a glorified body able to soar into the sky. So also shall the dead in Christ be raised up at the last day.
Small Crosses scattered in a light blue background remind us of the end of the physical body when our souls, depicted in our window as white birds, enter a new world of Eternal Life known only to God.
At the top appear the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha (Α) and Omega (Ω). As the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, the Alpha and Omega stand for Jesus Christ, and bring us, at last, to understand something of the meaning of a statement of Jesus Christ as recorded by John, "I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the almighty" (Revelation 1:8). The same thought was expressed by Isaiah long before, without the use of such vivid imagery, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am the Last; and beside me there is no God" (Isaiah 44:6).
About the Window's Designer
Leonids Linauts, who designed and executed The Apostles' Creed Window (as well as the two stained glass windows in our Chapel), was born in Latvia and came to the United States as a refugee in 1949.
At the age of fourteen he began to study fine arts. For seven years after graduation from Art Teachers Institute he studied in the Academy of Fine Arts of Riga, Latvia, specializing in portrait and mural paintings. In addition to the regular curriculum he turned to the liturgical art field, specializing in stained glass. After finishing his formal art education in Latvia, he studied Medieval French, German, and English stained glass art throughout Europe.
For three years after coming to the United States, Mr. Linauts served as Supervisor and head of the Art Department of a stained glass studio in Reading, Pennsylvania. In 1953 he established his own Studio and began creating stained glass windows and murals for churches all over the country, which portrayed his unique individuality. Some of his work is also in the permanent collection in the Fine Arts Museum in Hagerstown, Maryland and in many private collections.
Gift of
WILLIAM JAMES ROBERTS
and
CLARA HAYWARD ROBERTS
Completed December, 1962
Dedicated February 24, 1963
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