Ecclesia and Synagoga
Ecclesia and Synagoga, or Ecclesia et Synagoga in
The two female figures are usually young and attractive; Ecclesia is generally adorned with a crown,
The figures of Ecclesia and Synagoga are sometimes traced to the influence of the 5th-century
Background in literature
The relationship between Church and Synagogue was discussed for a long period, ultimately influencing the depictions found in later visual representations. The tone of these varied in their tolerance or otherwise.
Meaning
The medieval figures reflect the Christian belief, sometimes called
The blind covering Synagoga's eyes derived from the letter of
We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
The figure of Synagoga is usually shown as in some way fallen. The blindfold is also symbolic of this, but other indications can include presentation in a prone position, or possessing a broken staff, or a crown or scroll that is slipping. Sometimes a devil or serpent rather than a blindfold shields her eyes from the word of God. This contrasts with the upright presentation of the victorious Ecclesia.[15]
The sculpted portal figures are generally found on the cathedrals of larger cities in northern Europe that had significant Jewish communities, especially in Germany, and apart from their theological significance, were certainly also intended to remind Jews of their place in a Christian society, by projecting "an ideal of Jewish submission within an ideally ordered Christian realm".[16] They are therefore very prominent, but not very common. Many Jews, like Christians, conducted business in churches, and would pass the figures as they came and went.
Leo Spitzer has claimed that unlike many medieval depictions of Jewish figures (other than those from the Hebrew Bible), there is very rarely any element of a hostile caricature in the depiction of Synagoga who, if clearly defeated, is often strikingly beautiful, as at Strasbourg.[17] Henry Abramson however contextualises the figure of Synagoga as being particularly marginalised, as both Jewish and a woman. As Synagoga is also blindfolded, she would be seen as vulnerable, particularly to rape. Within a medieval mindset, any form of extramarital sex including rape would make a woman permanently untrustworthy. The figure of Synagoga is often accompanied by a Ram, symbolising unrestrained Jewish sexual forces and a focus on the flesh rather than the spirit, symbolised by the Christian Lamb. Sometimes Synagoga will interact with the Ram in a way to suggest lust and even oral or penetrative sex.[18]
Some English depictions include a horned Moses accompanying Synagoga.[19] A horned Moses has usually been thought to be purely the result of a mistranslation by Jerome, but some of the medieval depictions have been interpreted as overtly antisemitic.[20]
Evolution of the imagery
It is often recognised that that the hostility implicit in later depictions is not found in the earliest ones. and scholarship, and stimulating them to counter this.
There was also a tradition of dramatized disputations between the two figures, which reached its height somewhat later than depictions in art, but had a similar geographical distribution.[25] Usage of the figures declined in the Renaissance and later periods, as the religious dimension of antisemtism receded, but continued in Passion plays up to the present.[26] During the 14th century the pair become much rarer, replaced in Crucifixion scenes by large numbers of figures of soldiers and disciples, but some examples are found in the 15th century and later.[27]
Examples and distribution
There are examples on the portals of the cathedrals at
A rare carved misericord at Erfurt Cathedral shows the pair jousting on horses; unsurprisingly, Ecclesia is winning. As with many misericords, this was probably intended as a humorous version of iconography treated with full seriousness in more prominent locations.[33]
Ecclesia alone
The personification of Ecclesia preceded her coupling with Synagoga by several centuries. A number of biblical passages, including those describing Christ as a "bridegroom" led early in the history of the church to the concept of the church as the
An earlier appearance of two female figures is in the now heavily restored
Wise and Foolish Virgins
High medieval depictions of the New Testament
Modern developments
The pair as a subject has often been avoided by modern artists, but after Napoleon occupied Milan in 1805, he ordered the completion of the façade of Milan Cathedral, to include secularized representations of Synagoga and Ecclesia, symbolizing the legal equality of all religions under the French regime. Synagoga stands upright, holding the Ten Commandments, while Ecclesia is portrayed as the Lady of Liberty, complete with crown and torch.[37]
They each have a painting (1919) by John Singer Sargent in the Boston Public Library, as part of a larger scheme.[38]
In 2014,[39] Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia commissioned a large sculpture by Joshua Koffman showing the pair in harmony.[39] The sculpture was commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of the Nostra aetate declaration that called for a more cooperative approach to the relationship between Catholicism and Judaism. Both personifications wear crowns and hold their respective Holy Scriptures, representing their respective covenants with God and suggesting the notion of learning from one another.[39] The finalised bronze cast of the sculpture was dedicated on 25 September 2015 and blessed by Pope Francis on 27 September.[40][41] Pope Francis was a natural choice to bless the sculpture as only a year or so prior to the installation, Pope Francis wrote:
We hold the Jewish people in special regard because their covenant with God has never been revoked, for “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29). … Dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are part of the life of Jesus’ disciples. The friendship which has grown between us makes us bitterly and sincerely regret the terrible persecutions which they have endured, and continue to endure, especially those that have involved Christians. God continues to work among the people of the Old Covenant and to bring forth treasures of wisdom which flow from their encounter with his word. For this reason, the Church also is enriched when she receives the values of Judaism.—Pope Francis,
External links
- Ecclesia at the Christian Iconography web site
Notes
- ^ The misunderstanding originates in the Ecclesia et Synagoga article on the subject in the Encyclopaedia Judaica. However, the sources quoted there do not speak of representations of the pair at Salisbury Catheral, but in two medieval illustrated manuscripts, possibly originating in the Salisbury area (Sarum Missal, John Rylands Library Ms. 24 f.153r and Amesbury Psalter, All Souls Library Oxford Ms. 24 f. 5), cf. Edwards 1955
Citations
- ^ See Schiller's Index, or Chapter III, pp. 31–66, in Schreckenburg
- ^ Michael, 42
- ^ Schiller, II, 159
- ^ Schiller, II, 112
- ^ Schiller, I, 17, 19, 73–76
- ^ Hillgarth, p. 3n, lists authors who have advanced this hypothesis. Weber, p. 73, expresses doubt.
- ^ Rose, 9; Schiller, II, 110; Rose,9
- ^ Rowe, 52, says there are seven late Carolingian ivory book covers, which she discusses, 57–59
- ^ Schiller, II, 110–112; Schreckenburg, 31–34; Rose, 9-11
- ^ Hillaby & Hillaby 2013, p. 346.
- ^ Schlauch 1939, p. 454.
- ^ Rowe, 18
- ^ Schiller, II, 110–112
- ^ Lewis, 548, note 24; II Corinthians, 3 (NIV, UK)
- ^ Abramson 1996, p. 8-11.
- ^ Rowe, 81-83, 81 quoted
- ^ Spitzer, 358-359
- ^ Abramson 1996, p. 11-12.
- ^ a b Edwards 1955, p. 71-75.
- ^ Mellinkoff 1970, pp. 133–137, Strickland 2003, pp. 106–7, Bertman 2009, pp. 101–103
- ^ Edwards 1955, pp. 63–64.
- ^ Rowe, 40–47
- ^ Rowe, 58–61
- ^ Rowe, 61–62, 62 quote
- ^ Spitzer, 357-358
- ^ Heil
- ^ Schreckenburg, 61
- ^ Ecclesia et Synagoga, Encyclopaedia Judaica
- ^ Brooks & Pevsner 2012, p. 274-7.
- ^ Alexander & Binski, 346-347
- ^ Edwards 1955, p. 66-71.
- ^ Heslop 1994, p. 459.
- ^ Schreckenburg, 61
- ^ Wechsler, 73, 75–77
- ^ Kitzinger, 42
- ^ Marissen, 188-191
- ^ Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations 2014
- ^ Boston Public Library 2015
- ^ a b c Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations
- ^ Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations 2015b
- ^ Brown 2015
- ^ Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations 2015c
- ^ Bergoglio 2013, p. §247-249
References
- JSTOR 3622591.
- Alexander, Jonathan & Binski, Paul (eds), Age of Chivalry, Art in Plantagenet England, 1200–1400, Royal Academy/Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1987
- Bergoglio, Jorge Mario (24 November 2013). "Evangelii Gaudium : Apostolic Exhortation on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today's World".
- Bertman, Stephen (2009). "The Antisemitic Origin of Michelangelo's Horned Moses". Shofar. 27 (4). Purdue University Press: 95–106. JSTOR 42944790.
- "Boston Public Library, Sargent murals". Archived from the original on 2015-09-03. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
- Brooks, Alan; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2012). The Buildings of England: Herefordshire. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300125757.
- Brown, Dotty (28 September 2015). "Pope Francis Makes Surprise Stop To Bless Sculpture Symbolizing Catholic Unity With Jews". The Forward. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- Edwards, Lewis (1955). "Some English Examples of the Mediaeval Representation of Church and Synagogue". Transactions. 18. Jewish Historical Society of England: 63–75. JSTOR 29777922.
- Hillaby, Joe; Hillaby, Caroline (2013). The Palgrave Dictionary of Medieval Anglo-Jewish History. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. OL 28086241M.
- ISBN 0571111548(US: Cambridge UP, 1977)
- Heil, J. (2017). "Ecclesia et Synagoga". In Diner, D. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Cultures Online. Brill. .
- Heslop, T.A. (1994). "Review: The Cloisters Cross: Its Art and Meaning". The Burlington Magazine. 136 (1096): 459–60.
- Hillgarth, Jocelyn N., ed. (1999). Altercatio ecclesiae et synagogae. Brepols.
- Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations of Saint Joseph's University. "Sculpting a New Tradition". Saint Joseph's University. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations of Saint Joseph's University. "The Medieval Motif of Synagoga and Ecclesia (Page as of 8 October 2014)". Saint Joseph's University. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations of Saint Joseph's University. "Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time - SJU Dedicates Its Nostra Aetate Sculpture; Blessed by Pope Francis Two Days Later". Saint Joseph's University. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- "The Story of the Sculpture that Enshrines the Institute's Mission". Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations of Saint Joseph's University. Archived from the original on 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- Lewis, Suzanne, "Tractatus adversus Judaeos in the Gulbenkian Apocalypse", The Art Bulletin, Vol. 68, No. 4 (Dec., 1986), pp. 543–566, JSTOR
- Michael, Robert, A History of Catholic Antisemitism: The Dark Side of the Church, 2008, Macmillan, ISBN 978-0-230-60388-2
- Marissen, Michael, "Rejoicing against Judaism in Handel's Messiah", The Journal of Musicology, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Spring 2007), pp. 167–194, University of California Press, DOI: 10.1525/jm.2007.24.2.167, JSTOR
- Mellinkoff, Ruth (1970). The Horned Moses in Medieval Art and Thought. California Studies in the History of Art. Vol. 14. University of California Press. ISBN 0520017056.
- Rose, Christine, "The Jewish Mother-in-law; Synagoga and the Man of Law's Tale", in Delany, Sheila (ed), Chaucer and the Jews : Sources, Contexts, Meanings, 2002, Routledge,
- Rowe, Nina, The Jew, the Cathedral and the Medieval City: Synagoga and Ecclesia in the Thirteenth Century, 2011, Cambridge University Press,
- Schiller, Gertud, Iconography of Christian Art, (English trans from German), Lund Humphries, London, Vol. I, 1971, ISBN 0-85331-324-5
- Schlauch, Margaret (1939). "The Allegory of Church and Synagogue". Speculum. 14 (4). Medieval Academy of America: 448–464. JSTOR 2849533.
- Schreckenberg, Heinz, The Jews in Christian Art, 1996, Continuum, New York, ISBN 0-8264-0936-9(this devotes Chapter III, pp. 31–66, to the theme)
- Spitzer, Leo, review of Die religiöse Disputation in der europäischen Dichtung des Mittelalters: I. Der allegorische Streit zwischen Synagoge und Kirche by Hiram Pflaum, Speculum, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Jul., 1938), pp. 356–360, Medieval Academy of America, JSTOR
- Weber, Dorothea (2010). "The Altercatio Ecclesiae et Synagogae from a Classicist's Point of View". Millennium. 7 (1): 67–86.
- Strickland, Debra Higgs (2003). Saracens, demons, and Jews: making monsters in Medieval art. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691057192.
- Weshler, Judith Glatzer, "A Change in the Iconography of the Song of Songs in 12th and 13th century Latin Bible", in: