Parsing “The Parting” Painting: The Marriage of the Virgin

Home > Magazines > BAR > July/August 2014

More than two years ago Hershel Shanks rang me up about a new book he was preparing: Partings—How Judaism and Christianity Became Two, with individual chapters by some of the world’s leading scholars. I am an art historian with a strong interest in the relationship between the Early Church and Judaism. As I am also head of Art Resource, an extensive visual archive on the history of art, Hershel asked me to suggest some illustrations for the book. I was glad to help him and proposed a number of images. However, Hershel, being the strong-willed person we all admire […]

You have already read your free article for this month. Please join the BAS Library or become an All Access member of BAS to gain full access to this article and so much more.

Join the BAS Library!

Already a library member? Log in here.

Institution user? Log in with your IP address or Username

Endnotes

The work is sometimes called “The Betrothal of the Virgin,” leading to confusion as to whether we are viewing an engagement or a marriage ceremony. There are many reasons to believe that this is a marriage, including the site, the attending witnesses, and the presence of its officiant, the high priest of Israel.