Some of the oldest surviving icons from the Byzantine world are on view at the Getty Center, offering a rare insight into monastic life at the remote, historic Saint Catherine’s monastery in Sinai, Egypt. The works on display, which were all commissioned by the monastery or received as gifts over more than a thousand years, include 43 icons—holy pictures or emblems regarded as sacred in the Eastern churches—and six manuscripts. The exhibition examines the enduring tradition of Saint Catherine’s in three sections: the icon as a holy object in the Orthodox Church; the role of the icon in prayer and liturgical rites; and Saint Catherine’s as a pilgrimage site.
Museum of Art / Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
(954) 525–5000
www.moafl.org
December 7, 2006–April 15, 2007
This traveling exhibition that traces the shared roots of Judaism and Christianity is now at the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale. By bringing together some of the most significant artifacts ever found in Israel, Cradle of Christianityoffers visitors an unprecedented opportunity to learn about early Jewish life, the birth of Christianity, and how these two faiths influenced each other. In an effort to synthesize literary sources with recent archaeological finds, several noteworthy artifacts are on display. The Temple Scroll, one of the largest and most important discoveries among the Dead Sea Scrolls, is on its first-ever tour outside Israel. Other significant items include an inscription with the name of Pontius Pilate, the ossuary of Caiaphas and a stone inscription from the TM reading “To the place of trumpeting …”
Can’t make it to Ft. Lauderdale? You can still purchase Where Christianity Was Born, a collection of BAR articles that serves as a companion to the Cradle of Christianity exhibition. For more information about this book, visit www.biblicalarchaeology.org/store.
Museum of Biblical Art
New York, New York
(212) 408–1500
www.mobia.org
December 14, 2006–March 11, 2007
Biblical Art in a Secular Century explores the work of 20th-century artists—including Marc Chagall and Jeff Koons—who found the visual heritage themes and devotional practices of the Judeo-Christian tradition to be rich ground for creative expression. The exhibition illustrates the various ways in which artists have mined this tradition, whether as an act of faith; a search for identity; out of intellectual curiosity; in service of a commission; or for other reasons. Themes such as Biblical suffering as metaphor for contemporary grief and social disease, churches as patrons of art, cultural or religious identity, and the position of organized religion will be investigated.
J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Center
Los Angeles, California
(310) 440–7360
www.getty.edu
November 14, 2006–March 4, 2007
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