That's the easiest way to put this day into words. Usher couldn't have said it any better, and Henry Rowengartner of "Rookie of the Year" couldn't have made the string of OMGs more famous.
The Vatican Museum was the main attraction of the day, and the root of most OMGs. Here are a few
"CONNECTIONS!", if you will.
1. Depicted on the walk towards the Sistine Chapel...a long walk towards the Sistine Chapel filled with rubber-necking tourists who just have to swing their esophagi left and right to see carpet hanging on the walls. Jeez, give a cajun woman a front porch, a rocking chair, and a knitting kit..she'll have one of those monstrosities done in a week.---Anyways--- in a dome there is a depiction taken out of the Book of Revelation. The Seven Archangels are slaying the Seven Demons. Fun fact/observation as well: The angels are all depicted as Roman soldiers of sorts.
2. Moving onto the Sistine Chapel, Dr. Sebastian put into perspective a piece of the altar painting. Depicted in the lower right hand corner is Charon beating sinners into his boat with his oar; a scene taken directly out of Canto 3 of the Inferno. Another observation about Mr. Mike's painting of the SC, adorning the walls are could be biblical depictions (couldn't tell for the short time we were in there)..mixed with different time periods. In one depiction, we see Jesus and his twelve disciples on the left side of the painting, and a group of what looks to be Middle Ages people on the right. All of those on the right are bowing down to Jesus. I'll be back there at some point to look farther into that picture. Mr. Mike has something going on there.
3. Dr. Bednarz stopped a small group of us at one point to show us what must have been Christian equivalents of Roman household gods, or lares. It made me connect a modern practice much like the household god practice: Mary or Joseph statues in gardens, or maybe depictions of St. Francis of Assisi.
4. Finally, in one of the Raphael rooms, there is a wall piece titled "Deliverance of St. Peter." Interesting about this is the guards sleeping...I'll add more to this with some more thinking time, but there is a connection here to not knowing when the time or the hour is when God will come to save.
Lastly: Not all of the OMGs were of sheer amazement of beauty in the museum. My last OMG moment was in my rejection at the Scavi Office..Okay....so is there any particular reason why one extra person on a tour is such a burden on an archaeologist and the Scavi staff? Seriously, what is the reasoning behind an access denial of a university student studying early Christianity? Please Mr. 6'2 Scavi gatekeeper, can I have an explanation of why a group of three fanny pack tourists would have any type of qualifications to see the necropolis below that trumps a university student seeking knowledge of the ancient world? Oh powerful Charon, with your mighty Mont-Blanc Oar, please hop off of your power trip for a moment and have mercy on my soul, accept my offering of 15 euros, and let me into the depths of your illustrious lair. GRRRRRR!
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