The Allegory of the Good Samaritan

Early Christian scholars interpreted the parable of the good Samaritan as an allegory of the Plan of Salvation (see “The Good Samaritan and Eternal Life”). This interpretation, which resonates well with LDS doctrine, has been illustrated in stained-glass windows in the medieval French cathedrals of Bourges, Chartres, and Sens, which juxtapose images from the parable against images of the Fall, the law of Moses, and the Atonement. Click on the thumbnail images below to see larger images. (Photo Credits: Chartres detail of Adam and Eve courtesy of Le Centre International du Vitrail, Chartres; all others are from Colette Manhes and Jean-Paul Deremble, Le Vitrail du bon Samaritain: Chartres, Sens, Bourges [Paris: Centurion, 1986].)


Bourges Window

The good Samaritan window in the Bourges cathedral reads from the top down, with the parable being shown in the five center circles. Each good Samaritan circle is surrounded by quarter- or half-circle images showing the Creation, the Fall, scenes from the Exodus, and the suffering and Crucifixion of the Savior.


Chartres Window

Reading from the bottom up, the Chartres window tells the story of the good Samaritan in the bottom half of the window. The top half shows scenes from the Creation and the Fall. Unlike the other two windows, the Chartres window does not show images of the law of Moses or of the Atonement.


Sens Window

The Sens window is the most systematic of the windows. In three diamonds down the center of the window are scenes from the parable of the good Samaritan (reading from top to bottom). Surrounding each of the diamonds are four circular scenes depicting the Fall, Moses, and Christ’s betrayal, Crucifixion, and Resurrection.


“A Certain Man Went Down from Jerusalem” (Luke 10:30)

The Sens window (left) shows Jerusalem, and the Bourges window (right) features a scene of the man leaving the city on his way to Jericho. Early commentators saw in the words went down a reference to man’s fall from paradise (represented by Jerusalem, the Holy City) to this mortal existence.


“And Fell Among Thieves” (Luke 10:30)

Early Christians interpreted the traveler’s falling among thieves as representing not only Adam’s fall but also individual human failings. Illustrating this symbolism, the Sens (left) and Bourges (middle) windows show the traveler falling among and being stripped by thieves in context of images of Adam and Eve partaking of the fruit and being cast out of the Garden of Eden. The Chartres window (right) shows Adam and Eve being escorted out of the garden.


“And by Chance There Came Down a Certain Priest. . . . And Likewise a Levite” (Luke 10:31–32)

The priest and the Levite are surrounded by images of Moses and the Exodus in the Sens (left) and Bourges (right) windows. To early commentators, the priest and Levite represented the law and the prophets of the Old Testament, which did not have the power to save the wounded, sinful soul.


“But a Certain Samaritan . . . Had Compassion on Him” (Luke 10:33)

In the allegorical interpretation, the good Samaritan is a ready reference to the Savior. The Bourges window (left) shows the Samaritan leading the wounded traveler to the safety of the inn, accompanied by images of Jesus being scourged (on left) and crucified (on right) to save humanity from sin. In the Sens window (right), the Samaritan scene is surrounded by images of Christ’s arraignment before Pilate, his scourging, the Crucifixion, and the women at the tomb.