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iblical narrative themes and images: representation, origin, and meaning 57
A. Biblical Scenes
Biblical themes were included in the Jewish figurative
repertoire and represented on synagogue mosaics
pavements though they were selected from
relatively few biblical stories: the Binding of Isaac
(Aqedah), Noah’s Ark, Daniel in the Lion’s Den,
the Twelve Tribes and King David. At Sepphoris
three additional narratives were rendered: The
Consecration of Aaron to the Service of the Tabernacle
and the Daily Offerings; The Shewbread
Table and the Basket of First Fruits; and perhaps
the Men’s (Angels’) Visit to Abraham and Sarah.
Another addition is the scene of the End of Days
on the mosaic pavement of the Beth Midrash at
Meroth. Noteworthy is the recurrence of biblical
scenes in more than one synagogue mosaic
pavement in the Land of Israel and on mosaics
and wall paintings in the Diaspora (Hachlili 1988:
285-300): the Binding of Isaac on the Beth "Alpha
and Sepphoris mosaics and in the Dura Europos
wall paintings; Noah’s Ark on the mosaics at the
Gerasa synagogue and Misis-Mupsuhestia in Cilicia;
Daniel in the Lions’ Den at Na#aran and
Susiya; David/Orpheus on the Gaza synagogue
mosaic pavement and in the Dura Europos wall
paintings, and David and Goliath’s weapons on
the Meroth synagogue mosaic.
The Binding of Isaac (The Aqedah)
The Binding of Isaac (the Aqedah) is portrayed on
synagogue mosaic pavement panels at Sepphoris
(5th century CE) and Beth "Alpha (6th century)
and on the wall painting of the arcuated niche at
the Dura Europos synagogue (mid-3rd century)
representing one of the most important stories
of Judaism.
The story of the Binding of Isaac is described
in Gen. 22: 1-13, 19:
God put Abraham to the test saying
“Take your son, your one and only son, whom
you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There
you shall offer him as a sacrifice on one of the
heights which I shall show you”. Early in the
CHAPTER FOUR
BIBLICAL NARRATIVE THEMES AND IMAGES:
REPRESENTATION, ORIGIN, AND MEANING
morning Abraham saddled his donkey, and took
with him two of his young men and his son Isaac;
and having split fire-wood for the sacrifice, he
set out for the place of which God had spoken.
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw
the shrine in the distance. He said to his men:
“Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy
go on ahead. We shall worship there, and then
come back to you’’. Abraham took the wood
of the sacrifice, and put it on Isaac’s shoulder,
while he himself took the fire and the knife. As
the two of them went on together’ Isaac spoke
to his father saying: “Here are the fire and the
wood, but where is the sheep for a sacrifice?’’
Abraham answered: “God will provide himself
a sheep for a sacrifice…”.
Arriving at the place Abraham built an altar
and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac,
and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
He reached out for the knife to slay his son. But
the angel of God called to him from heaven,
“Abraham… do not raise your hand against the
boy; do not touch him. Now I know that you
are a God-fearing man. You have not withheld
from me your son, your only son”. Abraham
looked round, and there in the thicket he saw
a ram caught by his horns. He went seized the
ram, and offered it as or a sacrifice instead of
his son…Abraham then went back to his men,
and together they returned to Beersheba… (Gen.
22: 1-13, 19)
The Beth "Alpha mosaic panel is completely preserved
and comprises a narrative composition divided
into three episodes unfolding from right to
left (following the reading of Hebrew), apparently
illustrating the latter part of the biblical account
(Hachlili 1988: 288-292) (pl. IV.1a; fig. IV-1a). (1)
On the right Abraham lifts Isaac off the burning
altar (Gen. 22, 10-11). (2) In the centre the Hand
of God, representing the angel of God (Gen. 22,
10-11), and the substitute ram tied by its horn to a
tree (Gen. 22, 13), constitute the dramatic climax
of the story. (3) On the left the two youths with
the ass (Gen. 22, 19). The depiction was apparently
constructed from right to left, as proved by
the fact that the ass is incomplete (Yeivin 1946:
21-22); however, Sukenik (1932: 40) describes the