The Binding of Isaac in Art of Late Antiquity

Judeo-Christian Themes of Sacrifice, Salvation and Liturgy

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About the Book

From the third through the sixth centuries, the binding of Isaac saw a flourish of representation in Christian, Byzantine and Jewish art. These images engaged the viewer in a religious experience that highlighted sacrifice, salvation and liturgy, and reflected an increased visual richness of sacrificial and liturgical concepts. In contrast to earlier scholarship on the sacrifice of Isaac that offered general descriptions of the period and digressions on isolated images, this book presents the interpretation of specific works depicting the binding of Isaac by his father Abraham across time, examining the iconography, style, social context and purpose of the sacrifice in the artworks.

About the Author(s)

Bonnie L. Kutbay, professor emerita of art history (Mansfield University of Pennsylvania), received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. She lives in Mansfield, Pennsylvania.

Bibliographic Details

Bonnie L. Kutbay
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 196
Bibliographic Info: 31 photos, glossary, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9060-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5362-4
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi

Abbreviations ix

Preface 1

Introduction 5

One. The Patriarch Abram (Abraham) and Isaac in Judaism and Christianity 15

The Trials of Abram  15

God’s Promise to Abram  16

The Covenant Between God and Abraham  18

Isaac in Judaism and Christianity  19

Concluding Observations on Abraham and Isaac  24

Two. Jewish Origins of the Binding of Isaac in Art: Dura Europos 25

The Torah Shrine at Dura Europos  26

Symbols of Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot on the Torah Shrine  29

The Image of Isaac Entering the Tent on the Torah Shrine  30

Jewish Motifs in the Iconography of the Binding of Isaac  35

Concluding Observations on the Akedah at Dura Europos  42

Three. Ritual Human Sacrifice in the Ancient Greek World and Its Possible Influence on the Iconography of the Sacrifice of Isaac in Art 44

Iphigenia  44

Human Sacrifice in the Ancient World  47

Polyxena  49

Concluding Observations on Iphigenia and Isaac  51

Between pages 54 and 55 are 8 color plates with 14 photographs

Four. The Sacrifices of Jesus and Isaac in Eucharistic Liturgy of the Early Church 55

Literary Sources for the Eucharist as a Sacrifice  56

Early Christian Worship  60

Concluding Observations on Jesus and Isaac in Eucharistic Liturgy  63

Five. The Third and Fourth Centuries: The Sacrifice of Isaac from the Catacombs and Sarcophagi of Rome 64

The Sacrifice of Isaac in Catacomb Frescoes  64

The Sacrifice of Isaac on Sarcophagi  75

Between pages 84 and 85 are 8 color plates with 17 photographs

Six. The Fifth Century: The Sacrifice of Isaac on the Great Berlin Pyxis and in the Mosaics of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome 85

The Great Berlin Pyxis  85

The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore  93

Seven. The Sixth Century: Isaac in the Mosaics of San Vitale and Sant’Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna, Italy, and the Beth Alpha Synagogue in Israel 103

San Vitale, Ravenna  103

Sant’Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna  114

The Synagogue at Beth Alpha, Israel  119

Conclusion 130

The Third Century  131

The Fourth Century  133

The Fifth Century  134

The Sixth Century  135

Concluding Observations  136

Glossary 139

Chapter Notes 141

Bibliography 165

Index 173