Can someone tell me what this sentence has to do with the "Pieta" by Michelangelo?

Question

Okay I think that the quote is interpreting the sculpture but how is it interpreting it?

Interpreting the sculpture in terms of its name, one might trace the origin: "The duty children owed their parents, termed pietas, was associated by Romans with the duty humans owed their gods" (James S. Jeffers, The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era: Exploring the Background of Early Christianity, Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press, 1999).

Answer 1

the portrayal of pain had always been connected with the idea of redemption: it was called the "Vesperbild" and represented the seated Madonna holding Christ's body in her arms. For more the link below will explain the whole thing. SO yes you are correct the sentence is depicting the meaning behind the sculpture. It interprets the name through the fact that Jesus being held by the Madonna had a duty to his father to carry out his plan on earth. Because Pieta stands for what I placed at the top of this answer it allows us to see that Michelangelo truly found a way to describe without words.