Otto Pächt (The Rise of Narrative in Twelfth Century England) indicates that there was no tradition of extensive New Testament picture cycles until the 12th century.
Sarcophagus with Representations of Jesus’ miracles, the Passion Sarcophagus, Rabbula Gospel
However, extensive picture cycles relating to the Old Testament can be found in early Christian art: Callixtus Catacombs of the 3rd century, the Jonah Cycle; the catacomb at the Via Latina, 4th century, Vienna Genesis, Byzantium; Cotton Genesis, Egypt 5th century: a continuation of this tradition followed in the mid Byzantine Octateuch manuscripts, 11 and 12th century; the Old English Aelfric Paraphrase, 11th century, Caedmon Paraphrase, Oxford, 10th century.
In Judaism pictorial narratives can already be found in the 3rd century in the Synagogue of Dura Europos.
Image in the Synagogue of Dura Europos 244 A.D. of infant Moses being hidden and discovered.
Thoughts about the roots of Jewish art: inscriptions in the paintings are both in Aramaic and in Greek; Rabbinic influence is clearly visible, assuming that these themes go back to the Jewish book art of an earlier period.
A further argument for the existence of such late Antique Jewish book art is the fact that in early Christian and medieval art there are many cases where iconography can be interpreted with the help of Rabbinic Bible exegesis, or Midrash literature.
Samuel’s anointing of David, Dura Europos Synagogue; Sacra Parallela Manuscript, Palestine 7th century, Vatopaidi Psalter after 1088. In this case Rabbinic exegesis does not shape the interpretation, yet the parallels between late Christian and early Jewish versions still makes an affinity plausible.
A similar situation results from the representation of Noah’s Ark in the catacombs at the Via Latina. This varies from the familiar representation in catacomb iconography and shows Noah together with his wife. An analogous representation can be seen on a coin from Apamea, 193-253, where the scene runs from right to left.
Influence of Rabbinic exegesis in the catacombs of the Via Latina can be seen in the representation of Abraham welcoming the three angels in Mamre: [link: Christian-Jewish Encounters in Art http://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail_object/o:472218], compared to Christian examples not influenced by Midrash literature: Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, 432-36, San Vitale, Ravenna, beginning of the 6th century.
The iconography of Abraham, as influenced by the Rabbinic tradition, can also be seen on the sarcophagus in the Callixtus catacomb from the 3rd century as well as on the 12th century tapestry in the Halberstadt Cathedral treasure.
Catacomb at the Via Latina, expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise with later parallels in the Creation Dome of San Marco in Venice, 13th century, related to the early Christian Cotton Genesis of 5th century Egypt; the Vienna Genesis, the St. Albans Psalter, England 12th century (Pächt), Farfa Bible, Ripoll, 12th century, Hortus Deliciarum, Herrad of Landsberg, Alsace, 11th century; Millstadt Genesis, 12th century; possibly a representation of the Shekhina (in-dwelling of the Godhead); the Fiery Wheel; Cherubs.
The story of Joseph in the Vienna Genesis: Joseph and the wife of Potifar. This representation contains many non-Biblical elements (reference to Levin, Revel Neher, Gutmann). Some of these have parallels in the frescoes in the church of San Paolo fuori le Mura (only the copies of which are preserved). In both images one can see Potifar’s wife in bed, which goes back to Rabbinic tradition.
In the Vienna Genesis the rest of the story of Joseph is also based on non-Biblical Jewish tradition, particularly the episodes of Aseneth.
Octateuch iconography (vat. gr.746): illustration of the Fall with a four-legged snake looking like a camel. This detail can also be ascribed to Jewish tradition and is perhaps based on a late Antiquity Jewish model (Weitzmann).
Summary: it is now impossible to gauge to what extent the Christian illustrations were created in accordance with transmitted Jewish models, or how much they were new creations, mixed with various Jewish elements to become novel compositions. For late antique Jewish painting was also shaped by the Hellenistic painting tradition.
(Translator: Joan Avery)
The Corresponding illustrations, selected by the Center of Jewish Art (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), can be found here: http://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail_object/o:524558
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