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Representations of Others in Early Christian and Byzantine Art1 Ljubomir }Vfila11ovi6

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Representations of Others in Early Christian and Byzantine Art1 Ljubomir }Vfila11ovi6 Representations of Others in Early Christian and Byzantine Art1 Ljubomir }vfila11ovi6 The Greek culture. Roman political concepts and Christian In U1at major work ofU1e fiftl1 centUI)'. 1he mosaics cycle in faith were 1J1c main clements dctcnnining BY7..an1inc state de. SanlaMariaMaggioreinRome(c. 432-437 CE). we can seeU1e velopment. The Christian faith insisted on equality bcrwccn firs1 auemp1 a1characlerizingccnain figures, while al 1he same people of different origin. so representations of the Others in time the typological emphasis is placed, in U,e same scene. on a Early Christian and By,.antinc an arc almosl always based on jux1aposi1ion offigurcs or clements which have no chronologi­ differences in way of dressing or in some other specific sym­ cal reason 10 be 1oge1hcr.' The mosl slriking example is un­ bols signifying an c1hnic group. In this paper. the focus is on doubtedly the panel of the meeting of Abraham and represen1a1ions of Blacks although images of Jews, Go1hs and Melchi1.cdck: 1hc rwo figures occupy an impor1an1 position in other "Others·· sel the his1orical conte:-."t. the mosaic. and Abraham. accompanied by armed warriors, In Early Chris1ian and By1A1n1inc art. Je"ish people were emerges from U,e right-hand corner of the panel.' Typologi­ dislinguished by tJ1eir specific garmcnl used in rirnal practice, cally, lhe main person of 1he scene is not Abraham but and are included in many different scenes from Old and New Melchizedek. as is clearly expressed by 1he composi1ion and its Tcs1amcn1s. When we approach lhc world of images. we are central a-ds. There is one significant detail. moreo,·er. which struck by botJ1 lhe variely and complexity of the rcprcscnra­ cmphasi1.cs 1hc impor1ancc of1his charac1er: for 1he firs1 time. a tions of Jews in Byzantine iconography. Wl1eU1er it was the biblical personage wears a cos1un1e diffcrcnl from the classical illus1ra1ion of Old Tes1amcn1 1cx1s. 1hc visual 1ranscrip1ions kind. which had previously seemed unalterJble.' of Gospel narratives or the descriplion of Jesus· cnvironmcn1 In 1hc Bible, two passages (Numbers. I 5: 37-~ 1: and the scenes and selling from his life, Ihere were numerous Deuteronomy. 22: 11) deal with the Jewish type of dress, the reasons for painting Jews. The palh by which B}7,1ntine arl­ sanctifocaiion of the Jew's external appearance. reminding him ists "saw" or found Jewisb prototypes we shall be able only 10 of his duly 10 observe lhe commandments: the first concerns guess. We can bul question whether the image of the Jew in the tallit.'.md the second the prohibition of mixed ma1erials. Byzalllinc art was the rcflcclion of the lhcological ideas and One shot~d also add the 1e,1s which describe. not a mere de­ politics of the period. or whcU1er, on the contrary. ii r<:vcalcd a tail ofcoslUme, but a sign and which commands every Jew 10 search for some perhaps dis1an1 historical truth. carried out in bind his forehead with tefillin (Exodus. 13: J. 3:16: a deliberately objective and neutral manner. Deuteronomy. 6:4-9. 11:18).' These were the dis1inc1ive ele- Titis ~per W:1.$ dQne :i.s a p.,;rt oftht course EllrlyChrltff(ln and By:<mtme cause ofhis lypological role. See: K. \\'cib'.mann. H.L. Kessler. The F,w­ An. held by Pro( Ljubica 0 . Popovich. I would like lo lhnnk to Prot: coes of the Dura Synagogue and Chmtran Art (Washington D. C.: Popo\•ich for ht..'T scholarly guidaocc and direction during the 1>rocess of DumNrton Oab Rest3rch Libr:t1)' and Collee1ion. 1990) 114•119. Ac• wor._ nswell a.ct her advice and encouragement conoeicted with prep:1ra1ioo oording to A. Grab.v. Chnssfun iconography: ti sllldJ'of,tst.mgms: 1he A. of this work for particip:11ion in the Art HiJlory Graduate Symp<>smm ttl W. "-lcllon Lcctul'\.'S. in the F"ine Art..ct. 1961 . ·n1c N3lional Gallery ofArt.. the Florida. SI.tit Univ1,TSity. Wamington, l) .C., tran.~. 1: Gr:1bar(London: Routledge& K P:1u l. 1969) 142-143. on the walls oflhe c:it.:ic;ombs are m..in_gled. in a non-chrouologj­ Die Fri1hchrlsthchen tmd Mme.lalterlichen Mosa,ken m Santa Mana c-..1.I order. Noah and the Dove. Jonnh beneath his Gourd. Abraham and Maggio,-e:u Rom.cd. H. Karpp(B:tden-Radcn: Bruno Grimm, 1966) 7- ls.:tac, .\·10$C..ct and the 8uming Bush~ and the 11m:c lsrnclilcs in the Fur- 22. 11.'l<.'e, lndiscrinlin:11ely. ti.loses or Abra.ham in the Via Latin.1 catacomb. Noah in lhc C;ttacx,mbof Priscilla or Jonah in that ofCallixtus catacombhn,·c no \ 'ariation of Genesis.. 14: 14-24. distinct.ivesymbol except the attributes oftheir fune1ion in the plan ofs.11 - \':ttion. Dressed like Rom.ans or G-m:ks in a lon_g chlton and mantle. they Cl:ls:sical garmenl, neither a chlt1mys oor a lon_g tunic. bul :i shon lunic are bareheaded and Nri:fooled. though somclimct with sandals. extending to slightly abo\'C the knc:cs and re\•caling booLct. Over his shoul­ ders. Abrah:un wears a mantle(/ocema), also ofa speci:tl type. fonnio_ga A striped gannent. with fringes (zt:1()1) al each of ilS four come!'$. \\,-om by cape and joined in the ,uiddle with :l brooch. The /""rna ;1.nd boou: was 3 ' Je"lvish men for prayer (Numbcn;I S: 38-41).&:<:: E. Ruel-Neher. The mi­ combin,11ion kn0\\11 tolhe :incien1 world and"'" :ti costume worn by orien- ages of/he Jews m By=amme An (New York: Pergamon Pres.ct, 1992) 13,I rul e1'8 and princes. P«sian in origin and tran$Rliltcd through the Gr~k 127. theatre, it is found, from the lllird century. :u Dura Euro~s (mid-third cen­ tury),. \\1Jere 2.-0roaster. in the Milhraeum. is dressed in this same cOISlumc. Rucl-f\chcr 127. 'l'he lefillm which every Jew wean every moming. ex­ which 111..1y be described, owing to iL<i origins, as ex~ic. Abraehsm lhus ' cep1ing Sabbalb.i :ind tCStivals. are two little cubic boxes. ooe for the fote• becomes one of the first biblical characters to be dis1inguisl1ed from the he.:id and the other for the lefi 3rnt. held by strip5 of blad:. leather thongs. m:isses. :.lt\d SfOUP of people and 10 emerge from 3nonymi1y. no doubl be- They are wom on the ann and forehead. but loday they are ontywom by ATHANORXX U 1.J'80Mll{ t\·ULA.'\:OVIC menlS of Je,vish costume from the biblical period until the Middle festivals. The Jews were thus distinguished by this visible sign.' Ages when the Western Church required Jews to wear partiCIJ­ Consequcmly, tejil/i11 will be most conunonly represented lar items of clothing. The latter constraint did 001 exist in the as a characteristic 5Ymbol of Jews in Bywntimn. Byzantine Eastern Church and its art depicted a Jew unknown to Western an revived this sign of identity-a symbol of pride and faith­ art-tl1e Jew defined by his observance oftl1e conunandments and not a sign of infamy. Paintings. manuscripts and icons concerning bis ganneots and his external appearance in daily represented tefil!i11 at various times although we know they life. were no longer worn in public and tlms no longer constituted lfwe recall the biblical texts in question and their signifi­ a detail of the Jew's external appearance. A reflection of an cance in Judaism, it "ill help us to understand the importance earlier period by means of iconographical copying. the visual of the depiction of some details ofcostume in By1.a111inc art: history of the tefilli11 in B)'7.antium can contribute not only to And tl1e Lord spoke llllto Moses, saying, tl1e reconstitution of the image of the Jew, but also lo a deter­ Speak unto t11e cltildrea of Israel, and bid mination of the Byiantinc relationship 10 its Jewish commu­ them that they make fringes in the borders nities. Furthermore, this symbol co111ribu1es 10 a clearer un­ of their gannents throughout tl1eir genera­ derstanding of tl1e mechanism of iconograpltical models and tions. and that they put upon the finger of prototypes in By1.an1inc art. the borders a ribbon of blue: And it shall be One of the oldest existing mi1tia1ures showing tejilli11 10 unto you as a fringe, that ye may look upon appears on the fulJ page of Ez.ra in the Codex Amiati1111s I il1 and remember all the commandments of (Florence, Bibi. Med. Lourenziana) from the beginning of the the Lord, and do t11em; and that ye seek not eighth century." II is important to remark tliat a tefilli11 was after your own heart and your own eyes, af. only given 10 single indi\tjduals. bigh priests. priests or those 1cr which ye use 10 go awhoring: That ye seen as such, de1em1ined by tl1eir fimction, and never given to may remember, and do all my conunand­ a group. Witl1 tl1e to/Iii, U1e Jew's garment, the opposite phe­ ments, and be holy unto your God. I am the nomenon took place. Unlike the tefilli11, the ta/lit is essen­ Lord your God (Numbers 15:37-41 ). tially characteristic of a group of Jews. In the sixth century. The gannelll of t11e Jew must possess, at its four corners, tl1e ta/lit merged witl1 the classical type of garment. " II had an addition, wbicb distinguishes it ,;sibly from the nom1al narrow. dark-<:<>lored horizontal stripes and gammadia. II was clothing. The ziziot,' the fringes, which distinguish U1e Jew's used as a cos11une for characters of all kinds, as well as for clotl1es from tl1ose of other peoples, are a reminder of tl1e im­ prophets and apostles.
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