Visual Exemplars

Biblical Figures in the Art and Literature of Jewish Late Antiquity

Series: 

Author:
Jill Joshowitz
Between the third to seventh centuries of the common era, Jewish communities throughout the Eastern Mediterranean began to adorn their synagogues with figural illustrations inspired by the Hebrew Bible. Although the Bible had long been the cornerstone of Jewish life, it was only in late antiquity that its patriarchs, prophets, and heroes entered the Jewish visual lexicon. Through careful consideration of the rich history of Jewish biblical interpretation alongside similar motifs in Near Eastern, Greco-Roman, and Christian visual culture, this book challenges the reader to consider the relationship between late antique Jewish biblical art, synagogue rituals, rabbinic teachings, and exemplary paradigms.
Copyright Year:
2026
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-75010-4
Publication:
04 Nov 2025
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-75009-8
Publication:
13 Nov 2025
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Jill Joshowitz, Ph.D. (2023), New York University, is a scholar of Jewish visual culture. She has curated exhibitions for Jewish cultural institutions throughout North America, including the Rauh Jewish Archives and the Yeshiva University Museum.
Acknowledgements
List of Figures and Tables
Abbreviations

Introduction
 1 Exemplars in Ancient Jewish Literary Texts
 2 Visual Exemplars in the Synagogue
 3 Approaches to Biblical Iconography in its Roman Context
 4 Aesthetics and Donors
 5 Approaches to Text and Image
 6 Project Overview

1 Wisdom and Leadership: Competing Memories of Moses and the Red Sea Crossing
 1 Moses in Dura: Historical Context and Archaeological Discovery
 2 Moses’ Portrait Type in Dura: Wise Man and Teacher
 3 Moses’ Giant Dimensions: Heroism and Size in Late Antique Art
 4 Moses in Dura: Leading Agent of the Red Sea Crossing
 5 Alternative Memory Traditions in the Late Antique Galilee
 6 Huqoq: Visualizing the Red Sea Crossing Without Moses
 7 Wadi Hamam: A Second Image of the Red Sea Crossing Without Moses
 8 Literary Memories of the Red Sea Crossing
 9 Exodus 14–15: Conflicting Memories of Human and Divine Agency
 10 Inner-Biblical Memories of the Red Sea Crossing
 11 Minimizing Moses’ Role in Second Temple Texts
 12 Jubilees: Moses and the Red Sea
 13 Philo: Moses and the Red Sea
 14 Pseudo-Philo: Moses and the Red Sea
 15 Josephus and Moses: The Exception to the Rule
 16 Minimizing Moses’ Role in Rabbinic Texts
 17 Moses’ Absence in the Late Antique Passover Haggadah
 18 Rabbi Yehoshua and the Min: The Exception to the Rule
 19 Moses, Memory, and Exemplary Paradigms

2 Musical and Poetic Devotion: King David and the Lyre
 1 The Biblical Origins of David as Musician in 1 Samuel
 2 Beyond the Kinnor: David as Musician and Poet in 2 Samuel and Amos
 3 David as Temple Musician in Chronicles and Ezra Nehemiah
 4 David and Psalms: Musical Poetry in Biblical and Second Temple Literature
 5 Josephus and David: Kinnor Playing Musician and Singer
 6 Kinnor and Nebel in Second Revolt Coins
 7 Kinnor and Nebel in Rabbinic Literature
 8 The Lyre of David as Exemplar in Rabbinic Legend
 9 David as Musician in Late Antique Jewish Art
 10 David Playing the Lyre in the Dura Europos Reredos
 11 David as Possible Warrior-Musician in the Meroth Synagogue
 12 David as a Musician in Maiumas
 13 David, Orpheus, and Paideia in Late Antique Gaza
 14 Imperial and Sacred Motifs in David’s Portrait at Maiumas
 15 Approaches to Genesis, David, and Late Antique Jewish Piety

3 Piety and Prayer: Daniel in the Lions’ Den
 1 The Biblical Context of Daniel’s Prayer and the Lions’ Den
 2 The Ancient Near Eastern Context of Daniel and the Lions’ Den
 3 Daniel as Pious Exemplar in Second Temple Literature
 4 Daniel as Prayer Exemplar in Late Antique Rabbinic Literature
 5 Biblical Paradigms for the Orans Motif in Late Antique Jewish Art
 6 From Kneeling to Standing: Changing Notions of Jewish Prayer
 7 Daniel and the Lions’ Den in the Naʿaran Synagogue
 8 Daniel in the Lions’ Den in Susiya
 9 Daniel in the Lions’ Den in ʿEn Nashut
 10 Daniel in the Lions’ Den in Sardis
 11 Daniel’s Exemplary Legacy in Palestine and the Jewish Diaspora
 12 Daniel’s Exemplary Legacy in Christian Funerary Art and Ritual
 13 Between Judaism and Christianity: Nuances in Daniel’s Exemplary Legacy

Conclusion
 1 Late Antique Jewish Exemplary Norms: From the Bible to the Talmud
 2 Filling in the Gaps: Exemplary Motifs Between Text and Image
 3 Jewish Adaptation of Ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman Motifs
 4 Limitations of Analysis: Iconoclasm and the Vagaries of Time
 5 Late Antique Comparands: Roman and Christian
 6 The Decline of Jewish Biblical Imagery in the Synagogue

Figures

Bibliography
Index
Scholars, university students, and professionals working in the fields of Jewish Studies, Art History, Archaeology, and Religious Studies, as well as laypersons with strong interests in Jewish biblical interpretation.
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Publisher:
Brill
Language:
English
Pages:
xviii, 270 pp.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004750104

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