Noli me tangere

The phrase noli me tangere is in the Latin translation of John's Gospel an appeal to Mary Magdalene saying of Jesus after his resurrection ( John 20:17 EU) and means " Do not touch me " or " Do not touch me ."

Tradition

Mary Magdalene encounters report of John's Gospel According to the first the Risen near the empty tomb, but does not recognize him, but keeping him for the gardener. Therefore, they asked him if he carried away about the missing corpse of the crucified and where he had placed it. Only when Jesus calls her by her name, she recognizes him. Apparently on her attempt to kiss him or hug, Jesus responded with the proverbial saying and justified its ban it, he had not yet ascended to the Father. Mary Magdalene calls on it to inform the disciples. It is thus the first witness and herald of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Iconography

The mentioned only in John's Gospel scene was the subject of a long, widespread and continuous iconographic tradition in Christian art, from the High Middle Ages (Codex Egberti, 980-993 ) dates back to the 20th century. Mary Magdalene kneeling in front of Jesus and tries to kiss his robe or his feet. Jesus, in one hand, often the blade of the gardener or the vexillum cruets entertaining, her performs compared to a hand gesture. Two variants are prevalent in the iconographic tradition: a teaching and preaching gesture ( raising his arm outstretched three fingers) and a defensive gesture ( downward arm with upwardly angled hand, often with -laid on the tip of the thumb middle finger, little finger and index finger raised and slightly bent ).

Others

Pablo Picasso draws for the enigmatic central gesture in his famous painting La Vie from the Blue Period to the painting Noli me tangere by Antonio da Correggio.