The figure of Caravaggio as revolutionary in the history of western painting is one with which our own generation feels a particular affinity. The re-recognition of his genius some fifty or sixty years ago has even led some to consider him as a twentieth century painter, though he died in the year 1610. Many of our contemporaries delight to re-write history and to remold historical figures in a way which reinforces ideas of today. The real genius of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, though, is firmly rooted in the world he inhabited, the earthly and the spiritual. His unique ability to communicate a deeply held Christian faith, because it is less fashionable today, is even more revolutionary than many of his modern admirers might allow.