The Hebrew and Latin that is transliterated as “Malachi” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “offering” referring to Malachi 3:8 and following. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew and Latin that is transliterated as “Zephaniah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign that depicts “blessing on a place.” This refers to the blessing of Zephaniah 3:14 and following. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is transliterated as “Habakkuk” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign for “dialog,” referring to the dialog between Habakkuk and God in chapters 1 and 2. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew and Latin that is transliterated as “Micah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “humility” or “obey,” referring to Micah 6:8. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Obadiah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “mountain,” referring to Obadiah 1:16. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Joel” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language in two different ways. The first is with a sign depicting “Pentecost flame,” referring to Peter’s speech on Pentecost in which he quotes Joel in Acts 2:16 and following. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Hosea” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “repent,” particularly referring to Hosea 6:1 – Hosea 6:3. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts going away and returning, referring to Hosea going away and finding the prostitute Gomer to marry and then returning home with her (see Hosea 1:2 and Hosea 1:3).
The following is a stained glass window of Hosea in the Augsburg Cathedral in Germany. It is part of the “Prophet windows of Augsburg ” from the 12th century which is assumed to be the oldest remaining set of church windows:
Photo by Hans Bernhard, hosted by Wikimedia Common under the GFDL-CC-BY-SA-all license
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Job” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign for “patience,” referring to James 5:11 and many other passages within the book of Job. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
