Mysteries and Visions Final
Rev 9:1 "And I saw... Rev. 9:3: From the smoke of a pit came out Locust. And power was given to them as the scorpions of the Earth hove power. The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. Their faces resembled human faces.
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Syncretistic Thor Hammer
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hammer of thor amulet Mjölnir (me-OL-neer) means grinder, crusher, hammer and is also associated with thunder and lightning. When the Vikings saw lightning, and heard thunder in a howling storm, they knew that Thor had used Mjölnir to send another giant to his doom. Thor was the son of Odin and Fyorgyn (a.k.a., Jord) the earth goddess. He was the god of thunder and the god of war and one of the most popular figures in all of Norse mythology. While Viking jarls and kings easily identified with wise, cunning Odin, Thor's boundless strength, bravery, fortitude, and straightforwardness appealed more to the common Viking freeman. Mjölnir is known for its ability to destroy mountains. But it was not just a weapon. The origin of Mjölnir is found in Skáldskaparmál from Snorri's Edda. Loki made a bet with two dwarves, Brokkr and Sindri (or Eitri) that they could not make something better than the items created by the Sons of Ivaldi (the dwarves who created Odin's spear Gungnir and Freyr's foldable boat skioblaonir). The result was the magical hammer that was then presented to Thor as described in the following: Then he gave the hammer to Thor, and said that Thor might smite as hard as he desired, whatsoever might be before him, and the hammer would not fail; and if he threw it at anything, it would never miss, and never fly so far as not to return to his hand; and if be desired, he might keep it in his sark, it was so small; but indeed it was a flaw in the hammer that the fore-haft (handle) was somewhat short. — The Prose Edda Thor also used Mjölnir to hallow, or to bless. With Mjölnir, Thor could bring some things (such as the goats who drew his chariot) back to life. Thor was invoked at weddings, at births, and at special ceremonies for these abilities to bless, make holy, and protect.Hundreds of Mjölnir amulets have been discovered in Viking graves and other Norse archaeological sites. Some experts have postulated that these amulets became increasingly popular as Vikings came into contact with Christians, as a way to differentiate themselves as followers of the Old Ways and not the strange faith of their enemies. This may or may not be true. Certainly, amulets of many kinds have been in use since pre-historic times. Interestingly, Mjölnir amulets were still worn by Norse Christians (sometimes in conjunction with a cross) after the Old Ways began to fade, so we can see that the symbol still had great meaning even after its relevance to religion had changed. With its association with Thor, the protector god of war and the of nature's awe, the Mjölnir stands for power, strength, bravery, good luck, and protection from all harm. It is also an easily-recognizable sign that one holds the Old Ways in respect.
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Viking Weathervane Ringerike style late 10th - 11th c Hung from a metal rod, the vane was free to rotate, the pierced holes along the edge holding ribbons or streamers (or even thin metal leaves). When fitted to the curved stem, the vane would have tipped forward and its slight upward angle become horizontal again. Two lions are depicted, one large and one small, theirs mane and tails an elaborate spray of tendrils. This is only one other vane with the same zoomorphic style and abstract interlace: the Källunge vane from the church on the Swedish island of Gotland, which was discovered in 1930, when the spire was taken down for repair. It depicts a lion, its neck wrapped around by a serpent against a background of tendrils. In this detail from the museum website, two large serpents are entwined, surrounded by smaller ones. Some of the drilled holes along the bottom rim have begun to open, as they have on the Söderala vane, which suggests that small metal rings may have been inserted to hold the fluttering streamers. If they, too, were of metal or thin chain, wear would have been aggravated even more. (The holes on the the Heggen vane are so prominent because its curved edge had been replaced.) There is a fourth vane from the parish church at Tingelstadt (in Gran, just north of Oslo). But it dates from the second half of the eleventh century and is later than the Viking Age (AD 800-1050), as can be seen from its distinctive Romanesque style. Recalling the shepherd David in I Samuel 17:34-35, it shows him prising apart the jaws of a lion to rescue a lamb. That all these vanes once adorned church spires may relate to leidang, whereby men and ships were levied in time of war to defend the kingdom. In peacetime, however, conscripted ships and equipment were put in storage, the sails and gear usually kept in churches. With the decline of the levy system in the Late Middle Ages and the superiority of higher-sided Hanseatic cogs against the longship, it is surmised that the vanes, as one of the more valuable (and still useful) items to be left behind, were newly utilized as weathervanes. That holes along the curved edge of the vanes held streamers or some other decoration can be seen in several graffiti, some of which were scratched on the inner walls of the stave churches at Urnes and Borgund. More readily visible is the Bryggen ship-stick, a piece of juniper wood found in the medieval harbor of Bergen, Norway, and incised sometime between 1248 and 1332, given the stratum in which it was found. On the back is a runic inscription that reads "Here goes the sea-brave." Altogether, forty-eight longships are represented, as if resting at anchor. Whether they are shown in perspective, order of importance, or simply that the decreasing size represents smaller boats is not known. The strakes are clearly depicted, as are vanes prominently attached to the prows of several ships. On one, a pennon (pennant) also flies from a post directly behind the fore-stem, streaming in the opposite direction of the vanes, which would seem to indicate that these gilded and elaborately wrought objects were more a display of a chieftain's wealth and power, much like the ship's pennant, than a simple indicator of the wind's direction. (Behind the sail, there would be little wind to direct the vane in any event.) The Old Norse word for such a weathervane is veðrviti, and Bugge quotes several sagas in which its presence signified a longship. In the Saga of Håkon Håkonsson, for example, the king hid his warships behind smaller boats and were recognized only when their vanes reflected in the sun. In another, a ship was disguised so as to slip by a sentry. When it had safely passed, the mast was raised and its gilded vane put back into place. Invariably, these vanes are described as gilded: they glitter in the sun, shine like red gold, and look as if fire burned out of their heads.
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27 illustrated Beatus Apocalypses Revelation 6:2 ff. The scales refer to measuring wheat and thus to famine. The bow, and the sword [or spear] The image of Death behind the Fourth horseman. The Kingdom of Toledo fell in 711, leaving most of the Iberian Peninsula in the hands of Muslim conquerors.[2] Christians under Pelayo managed to establish one kingdom on the northern coast, protected by the Cantabrian Mountains.[2] Beautus lived in the Cantabrian valley of Liébana.[2] With the recent conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the Apocalypse and the symbolism in it took on a different meaning. The beast, which had previously been believed to represent the Roman Empire, now became the Caliphate, and Babylon was no longer Rome, but Córdoba. In continuity with previous commentaries written in the Tyconian tradition, and in continuity with St. Isidore of Seville and St. Apringius of Beja from just a few centuries before him, Beatus' Commentary on the Apocalypse focuses on the sinless beauty of the eternal Church, and on the tares growing among the wheat in the Church on Earth. Persecution from outside forces like pagan kings and heretics is mentioned, but it is persecution from fellow members of the Church that Beatus spends hundreds of pages on. Anything critical of the Jews in the Bible is specifically said to have contemporary effect as a criticism of Christians, and particularly of monks and other religious, and a good deal of what is said about pagans is stated as meant as a criticism of Christians who worship their own interests more than God. Muslims are barely mentioned, except as references to Christian heresies include them. Revelation is a book about the Church's problems throughout all ages, not about history per se. In the middle of Book 4 of 12, Beatus does state his guess about the end-date of the world (801 AD, from the number of the Holy Spirit plus Alpha, as well as a few other calculations) although he warns people that it is folly to try to guess a date that even Jesus in the Bible claimed not to know.
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Saint Beatus of Liébana was a monk, theologian, and geographer from the former Duchy of Cantabria and Kingdom of Asturias, in modern Cantabria, northern Spain, who worked and lived in the Picos de Europa mountains of the region of Liébana. He is best remembered today as the author of the Commentary on the Apocalypse.Revelation. 12:1 - 3 A great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the Moon under her feet, on on her head a crown of twelve stars... Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads Book of Revelation. "An the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to deliver that when she should be delivered he might devour her son. 12: 5 And her son was taken up to God and to his throne. ...Michael and his angels fought with the dragon.... and they prevailed not.
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Leon Bible of 920 Four Evangelists
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Leon Bible of 920 Canon tables
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rev. 17: 3 ff There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.
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There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.
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Moutier-Grandval Bible
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Utrecht Psalter Psalm 1:1fol. 1v. "Blessed is the man who walked not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scorners." Psalm 1:2"...His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he doth meditate day and night." -a psalter are the psalms that have been attributed to David -literal reps of the words on the psalms -sun on left, moon on right--> sun reps day, moon reps night -meditates day and night -there is a literal translation of the words -Jewish image of Satan is Bell The entire volume contains 108 vellum leaves, approximately 13 by 10 inches (330 by 250 mm) in size. The pages are formed by quires of 8 pages folded (Birch, 64, 67). There was probably at least an "author portrait" of David at the start, and the surviving text begins with a large initial with insular-style interlace (picture at top). The psalter was at one time thought to be a 6th-century work largely because of the use of archaic conventions in the script. The Psalter is written in rustic capitals, a script which by the 9th century had fallen out of favour in Carolingian manuscripts. These are now widely viewed as imitation rustic capitals, and the manuscript is dated no earlier than the 9th century (Lowe, 237). It has been suggested that because of the capitals and the book's size, the Utrecht Psalter was intended as a choir book for several monks to read at the same time while singing; alternatively that it was intended for young monks learning the Psalms by heart in groups, a suggestion that perhaps better explains the amount of illustration. The psalter is believed to have been made near Reims, as its style is similar to that of the Ebbo Gospels (Benson, 23). It may have been sponsored by Ebbo, Archbishop of Reims, and so is usually dated between 816 and 835. Others have argued for a date c. 850, saying that the psalm illustrations draw from the travels of Gottschalk of Orbais, and the illustration with the Athanasian Creed and other details pertain more to Ebbo's successor, Hincmar (Chazelle, 1058, 1068, 1073). The Utrecht Psalter is lavishly illustrated with lively pen and ink drawings for each psalm. The miniatures consist of outline drawings in plain bistre, a technique which gained popularity in the Carolingian Renaissance; it was cheaper than full coloured illustrations and quicker to produce. However the Gospel book still remained the main focus of illumination at this period, and the Utrecht Psalter is highly unusual both in the number of illustrations, their size, and the large groups of small figures they contain. The Utrecht Psalter is important to the development of Anglo-Saxon art in the late tenth century, as the artistic style of its artwork seems to have been drawn on and adapted by Anglo-Saxon artists of this time (Pächt, 172). Although it is hardly likely that this single manuscript was solely responsible for beginning an entire new phase, the style which developed from it is sometimes known as the 'Utrecht' style of outline drawing, and survived almost unchanged into the 1020s (Wormald). The style of the outline drawings is dramatic, marked by activity, leaping creatures and fluttering folds of drapery set in faintly sketched landscape backgrounds stretching the full span of a page. Unlike traditional medieval Psalter decoration, which focused on general narrative or symbolic aspects of the texts, the Utrecht Psalter provides a very literal, concrete depiction of every line of the text for each Psalm, all combined into one elaborate scene which directly precedes the psalm it illustrates. The purpose of this unusual mode of illustration is unclear. Some have argued it was designed to enable easier memorization of the psalm texts by associating every line with a striking image, in accordance with classical and medieval mnemonic arts (Gibson-Wood, 12-15). However, these composite images sometimes go beyond a purely literal reading of the text, incorporating New Testament scenes or motifs from Christian iconography (Pächt, 168-170).[2] Despite the individuality of the style, the hands of eight different artists have been detected. The Psalter is the earliest and most fully illustrated of a "narrative" group of Carolingian Psalters and other manuscripts; the much greater freedom of their illustrations may represent a different, probably monastic, audience for them from the more hieratic productions for the court and the altar. Images are unframed, often varied and original in iconography, showing a "liveliness of mind and independence of convention" not found in the more formal books (Hinks, 117). Other members of the group are the Golden Psalter of St. Gall and the Drogo Sacramentary, which made the important innovation of placing most illustrations in inhabited initials. The Byzantine Chludov Psalter represents a comparable tradition in the East (Hinks, 115-119), and the Reims style was also influenced by artists fleeing Byzantine iconoclasm (Berenson, 163). Meyer Schapiro is among those who have proposed that the Psalter copied illustrations from a Late Antique manuscript; apart from an original perhaps of the 4th or 5th centuries, details of the iconography led him to believe in an intermediary "Latin model" of after about 700 (Shapiro, 77, 110 and passim). That the miniatures are in large part based on an earlier manuscript, initially disputed by some (Tselos, 334 etc.), seems to have gained general acceptance, though the precise nature and dates of earlier postulated versions vary.[3] Folio 15b illustrates Psalm 27 The illustration for Psalm 27 centers on they "that go down into the pit". Winged figures poke the "workers of iniquity" with spears. On the left a king stands before a temple; Christ and his angels are shown above. The umbrella held over the king was considered strong evidence that the manuscript was not produced by an Anglo-Saxon artist (Birch, 232). The illustration for Psalm 115 shows a crucifixion with a chalice catching the blood flowing from the side of Christ. The earliest known comparable images are a miniature from the Drogo Sacramentary (dated 840-855), and an ivory from the Pericopes of Henry II (dated 840-870). This illustration leads to one argument for a later date for the Utrecht Psalter, because dating the illustration before about 835 would make it substantially predate other extant Carolingian examples of this theme (Chazelle, 1072). According to Getrud Schiller, the manuscript has the first Western images to show Christ dead on the cross, with eyes closed,[4] though it must said it is hard to tell from such small drawings. These qualities are even 1nore captivating in the n1aster- piece of the Reims School-the Utrecht Psalter-illustrated entirely \Vith pen dra-..,vings (figs. 8.21, 8.22). It is believed that the in1pressive Psalter 1vas n1ade betvveen 816 and 834 at the Benedictine abbey of Hautvillers (Altu111villare) in the diocese ofRei111s, then held by Archbishop Ebba. The largest nun1bers of its illustrations are not allusive but literal and direct. They depict objects, figures, and actions just as they are described in the \Vords of the psalnllst. Furthern1ore, for n1any psalms the lines ofthe song are illustrated one after the other in a continuous fashion and then sprinkled over a broad panora1nic landscape above or below the text. The illus- trations thus becon1e so1nething like tableaux ofpictorial rid- dles or charades, a forn1 of play and instruction that the reader n1ust decipher, an approach that 1vas ahvays popular in the North. A fan1iliar exan1ple, Psaln1 22 (Vulgate Dible; Psaln1 23 in King Jan1es version), the "Lord is n1y shepherd," den1on- strates this point. "The Lord is n1y shepherd": He 1naketh 111e to lie do\vn in green pastures" (the psaln1ist reclines an1ong his flocks in a bucolic setting); "He leadeth n1e beside still \Vaters" (a strean1 flows beneath the figure);"Lo, even though I v/alk through the valley of the shado\V of death" (below, to the right, is a shallo\.V pit \vith 1vrithing den1ons hL1rling arrovvs); "Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort n1e" (behind the shepherd another figure holds a rod and a sn1all vial); "Thou anointest n1y head \Vith oil, iny cup runneth over" (the chalice held in the psaln1ist's hand spills over its lip);"Thou preparest a table be- fore n1e" (to the left a sn1all table \.Vith food stands betOre the psalmist); "Surely goodness and n1ercy shall follovv 111e all the days of iny life; and I shall d"\vell in the bouse of the Lord for- ever" (in the upper left is a s1nall basilica \Vith an altar before v.rhich tiny figures kneel). The con1posers ofthe tiny vignettes often exhibit a ren1- arkable inventiveness. For Psaln1 43 (44), \.Vhich is a lan1ent for the afflictions of Israel, cast out, oppressed, hu1nbled, abused, and disgraced, the panoran1ic landscape features a broad city under siege \.vith details of the text such as "Thou hast n1ade us like sheep for slaughter" illustrated by a nun1ber of slain sheep heaped before the city gate (fig. 6.4). For the last verses of the Psaln1, "Arise, \.Vhy sleepest thou, 0 Lord," the illustrator added the figure of Christ co1nfortably reclining \Vithin a n1andorla upon a canopied bed. Earlier, in Psalm I I (12), "For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, nO\V 1vill I arise, said the Lord," the miniaturist actually depicts the figure of Christ rising up and stepping forth from the confines of his aureole. Belo..v, for "the \vicked walk round about," the figure is shown holding onto a turnstile or forn1ing a circle, \Vhich re1ninds one of Saint Augustine's comn1entary on this Psahn: "The ungodly \Valk in a circle which revolves as a wheel." Thlls the Utrecht Psalter is, in nlany •vays, a glorious pastiche, but one should not deny the artists their keen sense of humor and inventiveness. In many instances, the scattered vignettes have pointed theological n1eanings, but often they seen1 n1ore like clever pasti1nes, like pictorial riddles, for the artists and for those \Vho v.rill peruse these pages.
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Native American Arts practiced during the Middle Ages
animal-skin clothing Woodcarving basketry wood, bone, and shell sculpture wooden bowls, spoons, ladles, pipes, war clubs, and ritual face masks. Carved three-dimensional wood sculptures with human or animal head decoration.
Viking jewelry The purpose of jewelry in the Viking culture was extremely unique and different from the usual use of jewelry. Of course these Norse men and women wore jewelry as a sign of their wealth but most importantly jewelry was often used as a form of currency. Vikings wore arm and neck rings usually made of silver from which they would hack pieces off to make payments for goods and services. This type of jewelry is referred to as 'Hack Silver'. Silver and bronze were the most popular metals used by the Vikings while gold was rarely used. Brooches made out of bronze were the most common items of jewelry found on women of the ancient Viking culture.
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God's chariots are myriads upon myriads...line 18. Fig. 1. Psalm 67, 820 - 835, Utrecht Psalter, University Library, Utrecht, MS 32, folio 37v.
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Viking god Frey God of Fertility Bronze Frey (or Freyr) is the Norse god of fertility and the dispenser of rain and sunshine, also associated with sacral kingship, prosperity and virility. Our Norse God statues are copies of actual finds from the Viking age. Each is a heavy casting of solid bronze and are always one of our best selling products! Choose your Norse god statue, or get the full set for your Asatru rituals. Have the blessing & protection of the Norse gods and a safe journey to Valhalla with a mythical Valkyrie!
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Celtic Boar god Limestone pillar statue From Euffigneix , France 1st c. BCE -limestone pillar statue -has human features on face -body is like a boar -berger's reading
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Sacramentary of Metz c. 870 S. Gregory and the dove He would dictate when the Dove whispered in his ear. Peter the Deacon was the scribe. The Dove became identified with the Holy Spirit
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In Principio S. John's Gospel In Kells This post focuses on the text and imagery of folio 292r, which reads In principio erat verbum ('In the beginning was the word', John 1:1). The first three letters of the text are the largest and most elaborate. The I and N share a vertical shaft in the far left of the image. The diagonal of the N is then formed by linking that shaft to another by means of two circles and a cruciform shape. Sitting at the top of the image is a human figure robed in purple and clutching a book. The figure has been identified as a deacon holding a Gospel book, but also as an image of God the Father or the creating Logos. As pointed out by Małgorzata D'Aughton, the position of the figure above the circle parallels images of Christ seated on the globe of the world as in the fifth-century mosaic found in the baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, Naples or the later San Marco mosaic in Venice, which was inspired by a fifth- or sixth-century manuscript illustrations of the creation of the world. The iconography of the creation provides an appropriate context for the Kells page that glorifies the Word that existed at the beginning (John 1:1). The opening words of the Gospel of John evoke the opening words of the Book of Genesis that reads In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram ('In the beginning God created heaven and earth', Genesis 1:1) as the two texts emphasize the role of the word in the process of creation. In the Book of Genesis, God calls the universe into existence and then names all created things and beings (Genesis 1:1-31). The letter P is the last of the three largest letters on the folio. The vertical shaft of this letter is joined to the second vertical of the N, while the loop is an independent rectangular shape. The second human figure is positioned above the loop of the P. He is shown seated, drinking from a cup, while a monstrous face of a lion, stares at him, mouth agape. This human figure has been identified as a Christian, who is saved from evil by drinking the Eucharistic wine. It may also, as argued by George Henderson, be a representation of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he asks his disciple Peter, whether he, Jesus, can refuse to drink from the chalice prepared for him by the Father (John 18:11). This passage features at the opening of the Passion account and is directed at Peter as he attempts to prevent the arrest of Jesus. The next line includes letters R, I, N, and C that are formed by serpent-like creatures and are relatively easy to read, as well as the letter I formed by a human figure grappling with the letter C. Imagery of wrestling or grappling in Biblical and patristic texts often relates to a struggle against evil. One such text is St Paul's verse in the Epistle to the Ephesians that describes Christians as 'wrestling not against flesh and blood but against the world rulers of present darkness' (Ephesians 6:12). The Kells image may evoke this theme. The remaining letters that appear at the bottom of the page in two lines are the easiest to read; they spell out the letters P, I, O, E, R, A, T, V, E, R, B, U, and M. These letters are executed in a clear style without any decoration in a dark hue that contrasts them with the lighter background.
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Urnes stone with runes The style or design of runestones varied during the Viking Age. The early runestones were simple in design, but towards the end of the runestone era they became increasingly complex and made by travelling runemasters such as Öpir and Visäte. A categorization of the styles was developed by Anne-Sophie Gräslund in the 1990s.[1] Her systematization is considered to have been a break-through and is today a standard. The styles are RAK, Fp, Pr1, Pr2, Pr3, Pr4 and Pr5, and they cover the period 980-1130, which was the period during which most runestones were made. The styles Pr1 and Pr2 correspond to the Ringerike style, whereas Pr3, Pr4 and Pr5 belong to what is more widely known as the Urnes style.[2] Below follows a brief presentation of the various styles by showing sample runestones according to Rundata's annotation.
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Book of Kells Late 8th c. - 9th c.
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Cernunnos -has Roman influence -snakes with ram's head at his waist -torc around neck -seated on ground (genitals on ground to represent fertility) -holes to receive deer antlers -two small human faces at the back, which make it tricephalic (3 faced God)
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Valkyrie, [greet deceased warriors in Valhalla In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (/vælˈkɪəri, -ˈkaɪri, vɑːl-, ˈvælkəri/;[1] from Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who choose those who may die in battle and those who may live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr), the valkyries take their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors become einherjar (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"[2]). When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens and sometimes connected to swans or horses. Valkyries are attested in the Poetic Edda (a book of poems compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources), the Prose Edda, the Heimskringla(both by Snorri Sturluson) and the Njáls saga (one of the Sagas of Icelanders), all written—or compiled—in the 13th century. They appear throughout the poetry of skalds, in a 14th-century charm, and in various runic inscriptions. The Old English cognate terms wælcyrge and wælcyrie appear in several Old English manuscripts, and scholars have explored whether the terms appear in Old English by way of Norse influence, or reflect a tradition also native among the Anglo-Saxon pagans. Scholarly theories have been proposed about the relation between the valkyries, the Norns, and the dísir, all of which are supernatural figures associated with fate. Archaeological excavations throughout Scandinavia have uncovered amulets theorized as depicting valkyries. In modern culture, valkyries have been the subject of works of art, musical works, comic books, video games and poetry.
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Stylistically they are provincial versions of contemporary Graeco-Roman style and technique; several different artists seem to have worked on them. Technically they are not fresco (paint fused into wet plaster) but tempera over plaster. Earlier parts of the building have decorative painting with no figures. Some of the paintings have figures whose eyes have been scratched out, especially those in Persian costume.Mural Dura Europos Synagogue Mid 3rd century Museum of Damascus Scholars cannot agree on the subjects of some scenes, because of damage, or the lack of comparative examples. The scenes depicted are drawn from the Hebrew Bible and include many narrative scenes, and some single figure "portraits"—58 scenes in total, probably representing about 60% of the original number. They include the Sacrifice of Isaac and other Genesis stories, Moses receiving the Tablets of the Law, Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt, the visions of Ezekiel, and many others. The Hand of God motif is used to represent divine intervention or approval in several paintings.[1] There have been scholarly debates questioning the wall paintings' influence over later Judeo-Christian iconography, which have been held due to the relevance of such early depictions of the biblical narrative.[2]
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