Verdrijving van de geldwisselaars uit de tempel 1548

Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert's engraving shows Christ expelling the money changers from the temple, capturing a moment of divine wrath. The raised whip is not merely an instrument of physical force; it's a symbol of moral outrage and a call for spiritual purification, echoing ancient practices of ritual cleansing. Consider how this scene resonates with other historical instances of iconoclasm. The forceful removal of sacred objects, be it idols or, in this case, merchants, speaks to a recurring human impulse to purge the sacred space of perceived corruption. Think of the Reformation's zeal in stripping churches of their finery, mirroring this act of purification. The image strikes deep into our collective psyche. The act of cleansing, whether physical or metaphorical, taps into our primal desire for order, purity, and the restoration of an ideal state. This isn't just a biblical episode, but a recurring motif in the theater of human history.