Ways of Knowing through Iconography: The Temple of Solomon and the Dome of the Rock

Spring 2009 Events

Pamela Berger
Boston College

Date:听April 8, 2009

Abstract

The Dome of the Rock figured as a model for the Temple of Solomon in some works of art. However, the depth and complexity of the connection has not been explored, nor has the meaning of that domed structure in Jewish art been illuminated. Pamela Berger's research听shows how the site of the rock retained its holiness as it was re-consecrated first by Muslims, then by Christians, then by Muslims again. The way Berger听views the material is completely new for the field, especially the idea that the Muslims built upon a site holy to Jews and recognized its importance for their common ancestors, David and Solomon. This perspective points to links that have been ignored in modern scholarship, especially since the mid-twentieth century. The material Berger presents will encourage people to look at the history of this site in a new way, not as a monument with an importance for one group only, but as a shrine which, at different times in its history, was viewed as a sacred place by the three Abrahamic faiths.

Speaker Bio

Pamela Berger听is a filmmaker who has written, produced and/or directed three feature films.听鈥淪orceress鈥� is about a medieval woman who is accused of being a heretic but is actually a healer.听 It was shot in both English and French. Both versions are now available on DVD.

The second film, which she wrote, produced and directed is 鈥淭he Imported Bridegroom.鈥澨� It鈥檚 a comedy set in Boston in 1900 about a father who tries to find, back in the Old Country, a perfect bridegroom for his Americanized daughter.听 She takes one look at the boy he brings back and is appalled.听 This film is also in DVD.听

The third film, 鈥淜ilian鈥檚 Chronicle: The Magic Stone鈥� is about an Irish slave who escapes from a Viking ship and is rescued by Native Americans five hundred years before the arrival of Columbus.

Professor Berger teaches medieval art, from 300听to 1425 CE.听 Her special interest is iconography, i.e. the meaning of the image in the context of its time, and most of her research deals with iconographic interpretation.

Event Recap

During her April 8 presentation at the Boisi Center, Pamela Berger, Professor of Fine Arts, explored the iconographic relationship between the Temple of Solomon and the Dome of the Rock. Berger鈥檚 interest in this topic arose when she noticed that in medieval art the Temple was often depicted as circular, even though it is known to have been rectilinear both when built by Solomon and when rebuilt by Herod.

Even after the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews, who were expelled from Jerusalem, would return to the city and conduct furtive ceremonies at the site of a pierced stone where they believed the Holy of Holies had stood. Under Christian rule the land eventually became part of a garbage dump and was defiled. When Muslim armies captured the city in 636 CE, their leader, Umar, sought out the holy rock. By now it had been legendarily connected to Abraham鈥檚 near sacrifice of Isaac (according to Jews and Christians) or Ishmael (according to Muslims), Jacob鈥檚 pillow and the site where David prayed asking for God鈥檚 mercy while his first child with Bathsheba was dying.

The Dome of the Rock was erected as a large circular building on the site, and Muslims tolerated Jewish worship there. Berger showed examples of how this round Muslim building was iconographically conflated by Christian crusaders, as well as Jews, with the Temple of Jerusalem. She hopes this art historical conversation will encourage greater interreligious dialogue.

Elan, Amikam. 鈥淲hy Did 鈥楢bd al-Malik Build the Dome of the Rock? A re-examination of the Muslim Sources,鈥澨�Bayt la-Maqdis, 鈥楢bd al-Malik鈥檚听Jerusalem. Julian Raby and Jeremy John, eds. Part One. Studies in Islamic Art, vol IX.听Oxford:听Oxford听University听Press. 1992, 33 鈥� 58.

Ferber, Stanley. 鈥湴粘蟊鹛毡鸪颈璞舯鹛谴谔Т潜舸浅敬遣蕴齣n Early Christian and Byzantine Art.鈥澨�罢丑别听罢别尘辫濒别听辞蹿听厂辞濒辞尘辞苍. Joseph Gutmann, ed.听Missoula,听Mont: Scholars Press, 1976. 21-44.

Folda, Jaroslav.听Crusader Art in the听Holy Land.听听Cambridge:听Cambridge听University听Press, 2005.

Grabar, Oleg. 鈥淭he Umayyud Dome of the Rock.鈥澨�Art Orientalis. (1959) 33 鈥� 62.

Grabar, Oleg. The Shape of the Holy. Princeton:听Princeton听University听Press, 1996.

Hirschberg,J. W.. 鈥淭he Sources of Moslem Traditions concerning听Jerusalem.鈥澨�Rocznik Orientalistyczny.听17 (1951): 314 鈥� 350.

Jacobson, David M., 鈥淚deas Concerning the Plan of Herod鈥檚听Temple,鈥澨齈alestine听Exploration Quarterly, (1980): 33 鈥� 40.

鈥淚tinerarium Bernardi Monachi.鈥�. In听Itinera hierosolymitana et descriptiones Terrae Sanctae听, Titus Tobler, ed. 1806-1877, 314.

闯辞蝉别辫丑耻蝉,听Antiquities of the Jews, Book 15, ch. 11 [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/ant-15.htm#EndNote%20Ant%2015.23a]

Josephus, Jewish Wars,听Jewish Encyclopedia on line.听

Krinsky, Carol Herselle. 鈥淩epresentations of the听Temple听of听Jerusalem听before 1500.鈥� Journal of the Warburg abnd Courtauld Institutes33 (1970): 1 鈥� 19.

Krautheimer, Richard. 鈥淚conography of Mediaeval Architecture.鈥澨�Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes. 5 (1942): 1 鈥� 33.听

Ku毛hnel, Bianca. 鈥淛ewish Symbolism of the听Temple听and the Tabernacle and Christian symbolism of the Holy Sepulchre and the听听听Heavenly Tabernacle.鈥澨�Jewish Art.听(1987): 147 鈥� 68

Ku毛hnel, Gustav. 鈥淎achen, Byzanz und Die Fruehislamische Architektur im Heiligen Land.鈥澨�Studien zur byzantinischen Kunstgeschichte: Festschrift F眉r Horst Hallensleben zum 65 Geburstag.听Birgitt Borkopp et al. Editors.听Amsterdam: Verlag Adolf M. Hakkert, (1995): 39-57.

Lewis, Bernard. 鈥淎n Apocalyptic Vision of Islamic History.鈥澨�Bulletin of the听School听of听Oriental听and African Studies. 13 (1950): 308 鈥� 338.

Le Strange, Guy.听Palestine听Under the Moslems.听Beirut:Khayats, 1965.

惭补颈尘辞苍颈诲别蝉,听The Code of Maimonides, Book Eight, The Book of听Temple听Service. translated with an introduction by Mendell Lewittes.听New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 1957.

Mayer, Hans Eberhard.听Das Siegelwesen in den Kreuzfahrerstaaten.听Munich: Verlag der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1978.

Mishna, Tractate Middoth.听

Naredi-Rainer, Paul von. 鈥淏etween Vatable and Villalpando: Aspects of Postmedival Reception of the Temple in Christian Art.鈥澨�Real and Ideal Jerusalem in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Art. Ed. Bianca K眉hnel. Jerusalem: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1998. 218 鈥� 225.

Naredi-Rainer, Paul von.听Solomos Tempel und das Abendland. K枚ln: Dumont Buchverlag, 1994.

Petachia, [Pethahiah of Regensburh] Rabbi Yehoodah the Pious.听Travels of Rabbi Petachia of Ratisbon. Translated and abridged by Abraham Benish. London: Trubner, 1856.

Peters, F. E..听Jerusalem. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1985.

Rabbat, Nasser. 鈥淭he Meaning of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock.鈥澨�Muqarnas听6 (1989): 12 鈥� 21.

Rashi,听听Commentary on the Bible:听http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/63255/jewish/The-Bible-with-Rashi.htm

Rosenblatt, Samuel. 鈥淩abbinic Legends in Hadith,鈥櫶�The Moslem World. 35 (1945): 237 鈥� 252.

Sabar,听听Shalom. 鈥淢essianic Aspirations and Renaissance Urban Ideals: The Image of Jerusalem in the Venice Haggadah, 1609.鈥澨�Real and Ideal Jerusalem in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Art. Ed. Bianca K眉hnel. Jerusalem: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1998. 294 鈥� 312.

Sed-Rajna, Gabrielle. 鈥淚mages of the Tabernacle/Temple in Late Antique and medieval Art: The State of Research,鈥澨�Real and Ideal Jerusalem in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Art. Ed. Bianca K眉hnel. Jerusalem: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1998.

42 鈥� 53.

Sed-Rajna, Gabrielle.听听鈥淭he Illustrations of the Kaufmann听Mishneh Torah,鈥澨�Journal of Jewish Art. (1979): 64 鈥� 77.

听

Sharon, Moshe. 鈥淭he 鈥楶raises of Jerusalem鈥� as a Source for the Early History of Islam.鈥澨�Bibliotheca Orientalis. 49. No.1/ 2 (1992): 56 鈥� 68.

Silver, Larry. 鈥淢apped and Marginalized: Early Printed Images of Jerusalem.鈥澨�Real and Ideal Jerusalem in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Art. Ed. Bianca K眉hnel. Jerusalem: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1998. 313-324.

Soucek, P.,鈥淭he Temple of Solomon in Islamic Legend and Art,鈥澨�The Temple of Solomon, Joseph Gutmann, ed. Missoula, Mont: Scholars Press, 1976. 73-124.

Suermann, H.. 鈥淢uhammad in Christian and Jewish Apocalyptic Expectations.鈥澨�Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations. 5. 1(1994): 15 鈥� 21.

Talmud, Tractate Yoma V:听Babylonian Talmud, Book 3: Tractate Yoma,听听[tr. by Michael L. Rodkinson, [1918], at sacred-texts.com Chapter V, page 76, In Jewish Virtual Library, 鈥淩egulations concerning the remaining services of the high-priest on this day in the times of the First and Second Temples.鈥澨�

Vilnay, Zev.听Legends of Jerusalem. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1973.

Weiss, David.听鈥�Hec est Domus Domini firmiter edificata: The Image of the Temple in Crusader Art.鈥澨�Real and Ideal Jerusalem in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Art. Ed. Bianca K眉hnel. Jerusalem: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1998. 210 鈥� 217.

Weitzmann, Kurt. 鈥淭he Question of the Influence of Jewish Pictorial Sources on Old Testament Illustration.鈥澨�Studies in Classical and Byzantine Manuscript Illumination, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971. 76 - 95听

Weitzmann, Kurt.听听Die Byzantinische Buchmalerei des 9. Und 10. Jahrhunderts. Vol. I.听听Wien: Verlag des Oesterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1996.

Weitzmann, Kurt and Massimo Bernab貌,听The Illustrations in the Manuscripts of the Septuagint II. Octateuch.听TEXT &听听PLATES. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999.

Wilkinson, John.听Jerusalem Pilgrims before the Crusades.听Warminster: Aris & Phillips Ltd, 2002.

Wilkinson, John.听Jerusalem Pilgrimage 1099 鈥� 1185. London: The Hakluyt Society, 1988.

Wright, Thomas. ed.听Early Travels in听Palestine.听New York: AMS Press. Reprint. 1969.

Yerushalmi, Yosef Hayim.听Haggadah and History.听Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of听America, 1975.

情色空间

Resources