1. Text%&%Art%
%
New%Readings%of%Biblical%Stories%%
Through%Art%%
!
Instructor:* Dr.*Sharon*Gershoni*
!
!
• Abraham’s*willingness*to*sacrifice*his*son;**
• Jonah*=*the*only*prophet*who*runs*away*from*his*job;*
• God’s*passivity*in*the*murder*of*Abel…*
How!have!artists!over!the!centuries!understood!and!represented!to!the!
Biblical!stories!we!all!think!we!know?!How!have!the!stories!been!used!
to!comment!on!humanity!and!on!society?!And!how!is!their!respective!
historical!time!reflected!in!these!interpretations?!!
In!this!series!of!workshops!we!read!traditional!Biblical!stories!and!
review!over!a!millennium!of!Jewish,!Christian!and!Muslim!artwork,!to!
delve!into!these!and!other!stories.!We!examine!the!gestures!and!facial!
expressions!of!the!characters!in!the!pictures,!which!moment!in!the!
story!the!artist!chose!to!depict,!and!which!characters!are!highlighted,!or!
sometimes,!missing.!Reviewing!the!ways!in!which!artists!have!
commented!on!these!stories!offers!a!revitalized!and!inspiring!view!of!
Biblical!tales.!!
For*more*information,*please*contact:!
Dr.*Sharon*Gershoni:*sharon.gershoni@gmail.com*

2. Ztelem&Elohim:"The"
Image"Of"God""
“Thou!shalt!not!make!unto!
thee!any!graven!image,!or!
any!likeness!of!anything!that!
is!in!heaven!above…”!Exodus!
20:4
The!second!commandment!
forbids!the!visual!portrayal!
of!God,!considering!it!an!act!
of!idolatry.!Synagogues!
contain!no!artwork!depicting!
God. And!yet!both!Judaism!
and!Christianity!did!find!
ways!to!represent!God,!both!
verbally!and!visually.!!
How!has!God!been!perceived!
and!represented!over!the!
centuries?!Where!do!the!
images!we!have!of!God!come!
from?!!
In!this!workshop!we!analyze!
visual!and!written!traditions!
from!wall!paintings!to!
modern!and!contemporary!
art,!and!consider!the!
question,!“What!does!God!
look!like?”!

3. The"Binding"of"Isaac"or"
the"Sacrifice"of"
Abraham""
Did!Isaac!know!that!he!was!
walking!towards!his!death?!
How!did!Abraham!feel!before!
the!sacrifice?!What!was!
Abraham’s!reaction!when!
the!angel!stayed!his!hand?!
What!happened!when!
Abraham!returned!home?!
Are!we!sure!that!it!was!Isaac!
who!was!bound?!!
The!binding!of!Abraham’s!
beloved!son!is!one!of!the!
most!primal!stories!shared!
by!Judaism,!Christianity!and!
Islam.!Each!of!these!
traditions!has!presented!
diverse!textual!and!visual!
representations!of!this!story!
over!the!centuries.!In!this!
workshop,!we!view!Egyptian,!
Jewish,!Christian!and!Muslim!
art!from!13B.C.!to!2011.!!

4. Cain"vs."Abel:"The"first"
murder"
Did!God!play!a!role!in!the!
murder!of!Abel?!Did!Cain!
understand!what!murder!(or!
even!death)!was,!when!he!
killed!his!brother?!Was!Cain!
punished,!or!rewarded?!!
In!this!workshop,!through!
art!and!text,!we!explore!the!
responsibility!of!each!
character!X!Adam!and!Eve,!
Cain,!Abel,!and!even!God!X!for!
the!first!murder!ever!
committed.!We!will!focus!
particularly!on!ways!in!
which!the!story!has!changed!
through!history!and!how!it!
becomes!relevant!to!the!
moral!challenges!of!our!own!
time.!

5. Jonah"?"Journey"to"the"
self""
Jonah!is!the!only!prophet!
who!spoke!to!a!people!that!
attended!to!his!words!and!
repented.!And!yet,!he!chose!
to!escape!his!calling,!even!at!
the!risk!of!his!own!life.!!
The!book!of!Jonah!is!a!story!
of!human!failure,!personal!
growth,!and!a!journey!
towards!compassion.!!
In!this!workshop!we!read!the!!
traditional!text,!and!explore!
Jewish,!Christian!and!Muslim!
art,!which!paints!a!vivid!
picture!of!Jonah’s!living!
conditions!in!the!belly!of!the!
big!fish,!and!reflect!on!the!
piety!of!the!gentile!sailors!
and!the!people!of!Nineveh.!!