Placed in a monastery hospital where people were treated for Saint Anthony’s fire, or egotism–a disease caused by ingesting a fungus that grows on rye flour –The name of the disease explains the presence of Saint Anthony in the first view and in the third –Theme: healing through salvation and faith; Saint Sebastion was saved after being shot by arrows; Saint Anthony survived torments by devils and demons. –Those suffering in the hospital were brought before this image, which symbolized heroism, sacrifice, and martyrdom. –Ergotism causes convulsions and gangrene
-–A scene of the crucifixion is in the center: –Surrounded by a symbolically dark background –Christ’s body us dead with decomposing flesh emphasized as inspired by the writings by the mythic Saint Bridget –Christ’s arms are almost torn from their sockets –The body is lashed and whipped –The agony of the body is unflinchingly shown and acts as a symbol of the agony of ergotism -A lamb holds a cross, a common symbol for Christ, who is called the Lamb of God. -A chalice catching the lamb’s blood parallels the chalice used to hold wine–the blood of Christ–during the Mass. -The crucified body of Christ would have paralleled the raising of the sacramental bread called the Eucharist -When panels open to reveal the next scene, Christ is amputated. Patients suffering from ergotism often endured amputation
--Marian symbols: the enclosed garden, closed gate, rosebush, rosary -Christ rises from the dead, on the right; his rags changed to glorious -robes; he shows his wounds, which do not harm him now -Message to patients: earthly diseases and trials will vanish in the next world
--Saint Anthony in the right panel has oozing boils, a withered arm, and a distended stomach: symbols of ergotism
-Additional