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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious life & practice
Antique Jewish art visualized the idea that the essence of God is
beyond the world of forms. In the Bible, the Israelites were
commanded to build sanctuaries without cult statues. Following the
destruction of the Second Temple, Jews turned to literary and
visual aids to fill the void. In this accessible survey, Shulamit
Laderman traces the visualizations of the Tabernacle implements,
including the seven-branch menorah, the Torah ark, the shofar, the
four species, and other motifs associated with the Hebrew Bible and
the Jewish calendar. These motifs evolved into iconographic symbols
visualized in a range of media, including coins, funerary art, and
synagogue decorations in both Israel and the Diaspora. Particular
attention is given to important discoveries such as the frescoes of
the third-century CE synagogue in Dura-Europos, mosaic floors in
synagogues in Galilee, and architectural and carved motifs that
decorated burial places.
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