AT Chartres Cathedral in France you will find 21,00 square feet of beautiful stain glass, which includes 10,000 images. The panels are similar to books, in that, they were used to illustrate the Bible before people could read. One of the lesson illustrated is the parable of "The Good Samaritan." The story is a parable told by Jesus in response to a question posed to him by a lawyer. The lawyer asked him to Jesus to define "neighbor." The panels illustate the story in a seq- uence from bottom left to top right. The viewer can read the story of a man who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, who was robbed and attacked by two thieves. They left him naked, stabbed, and alone on the side of the road, half dead. Just by chance, a priest came by, and crossed to the other side of the road when he saw the man. Next, came a Levite, another religious person, passed by the stranded and hurt man. A third man came along that was a traveler, a man from a different city, a Samaritan. When the Samaritan saw the man he felt compassion for him, he cared for him, bandanged his wounds, gave him his own animal, took him to an inn, and took care of his bills, gave the innkeeper money, and told him that he would pay for any other expenses when he returned. After telling the parable, Jesus, this time, asks the lawyer, who he believes his neighbor to be. The lawyers says, "He who showed mercy." The Stain Glass panels illustrate the stories lesson, and instruction in the final verse of the Luke 10-25:37 story, as Jesus instructs to "Go and do likewise." Project Idea #1 In Medieval times the colored glass techniques used at Chatres were highly innovative and utilized new technologies. Imagine that you have been commissioned to create a visual illustration of the "Good Samaritan" for a church, temple, or cathedral. How would you illustrate the events? Would you use stain glass? What are some modern materials or technologies that you could use to illustrate the parable? Project Idea #2 Create a story about a present day "Good Samaritan". Illustrate your story by creating stain glass panels from construction paper and tracing paper. First draw designs and figures on to two sheets of construction paper. Cut out designs, making sure that both pieces of construction paper are the same. Glue a sheet of tracing paper, or vellum, between the two construction paper panels. Lightly color the tracing paper or vellum so that you can see through it when it is held to the light. Project Idea #3 Using clear vinyl sheets, that can be purchased at a fabric store, draw an outline of a rose-like shape (similar to those found at Chatres) with black fabric paint (black, in the squeeze bottle). Let it dry. Create figures or designs with the black paint, let it dry and then use transparent glass paint (available in the craft stores) to fill the spaces within the black lines. Use the transparent glass paint sparingly. Cut out the contours of your design and lay it in a window. It will stick!