{"id":54292,"date":"2019-04-24T13:31:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T10:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=54292"},"modified":"2019-04-24T13:53:01","modified_gmt":"2019-04-24T10:53:01","slug":"the-crossing-of-the-sea-in-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-crossing-of-the-sea-in-art\/","title":{"rendered":"The Crossing Of The Sea In Art"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dura Europus
\n<\/u>The fresco contains three separate scenes which together tell the story of the crossing. In each, an oversized Moses and his staff tower over the rest. On the right side, the Children of Israel march from Egypt armed with shields, and on the far left, Moses leads them safely from Yam Suf. The center of the mural is framed by two figures of Moses, the first lifting his staff, presumably to split the sea for the Israelites, and the second with his staff again outstretched, signaling the waters to return and drown the Egyptians. At the top of the image, two hands of God appear, one pointing toward the water and the other reaching out toward the people on dry land, emphasizing His role in the both the punishment and the salvation.<\/p>\n

Sarajevo Haggadah
\n<\/u>This scene from the Sarajevo Haggadah focuses on the contrasting fates of the Egyptians and the Israelites. The sea is split into multiple, alternating paths of water and dry land, with the drowning Egyptians and their weapons juxtaposed with the crossing Israelites carrying unbaked matzot on their shoulders. Interestingly, the paths are drawn as arcs rather than horizontal strips. In the left foreground, Pharaoh stands tall, the sole survivor among the dying Egyptians.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mainz Haggadah
\n<\/u>In contrast to the others, this image depicts only the conclusion of the story, after the Children of Israel have already reached the safety of the shore. They watch as Moses lifts his staff and the Egyptians drown in the sea. As in the Dura Europus painting, here, too, the nation is armed. Amidst the many figures in the painting, those of Moses and Pharaoh stand out. Moses looms in the foreground, staff raised and garbed, king-like, in gold robes. Paralleling him, Pharaoh sits in his gold chariot, his hand stretched heavenwards, perhaps finally recognizing God. It is unclear if he is about to drown or be saved.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The artists’ choices reflect ambiguities in the Biblical text and different interpretive stances:<\/p>\n

One Path or Many?
\n<\/u>A simple read of Exodus suggests that when the sea split, it created one large dry patch of land, bordered by “walls” of water between which the nation crossed to safety. Several sources, though, suggest that twelve separate lanes were created, one for each tribe.<\/p>\n

Pharaoh’s Fate
\n<\/u>While Pharaoh is not depicted at all in the Dura Europus fresco, he is highlighted in the others. The Sarajevo Haggadah clearly suggests that he miraculously survived the crossing. In contrast, the Mainz Haggadah leaves his final fate as a question mark. While Pharaoh’s death is never mentioned explicitly, the simple reading of “The waters turned back and covered Pharaoh\u2019s entire army\u2026not one of them remained” in Ex 14:28 suggests that there were no survivors.<\/p>\n

Israel and Egypt \u2013 How Close?
\n<\/u>The Sarajevo Haggadah has the Egyptians drowning in the sea, while the Israelites simultaneously cross unharmed, right next to them. The Mainz Haggadah, in contrast, depicts the Egyptians drowning only once the Israelites have reached the shore.<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":54293,"id":54293,"title":"1041-Dura Europus","filename":"1041-Dura-Europus.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/1041-Dura-Europus.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-crossing-of-the-sea-in-art\/1041-dura-europus\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"1041-dura-europus","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":54292,"date":"2019-04-24 10:29:21","modified":"2020-02-13 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