Ancient Hebrew Art
There are many forms of art found throughout history among different nations and peoples each with its unique cultural purpose. Looking over many millennia of artistic expression one sees many general likenesses in each culture. However, of all the peoples that have walked the face of this earth, the ancient Hebrew people stand out in the fact that artistic expression in the way of sculpture and forms was almost non-existent. The few artifacts of art that were produced of Hebrew hands however exemplifies the fact that there were artists among them with much skill and ability even though it was never practiced. And it is quite remarkable for such a people to produce something as exquisite as Solomon’s Temple, one of the wonders of the ancient world.
It was around the 14th century B.C. when the nation of Israel was given its code of laws and instruction (known as the Torah or Pentateuch) by Yahweh, the God of Israel. And in the Ten Commandments—the core of Judaism and the instruction—was the commandment, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.[1] The people of Israel were known throughout the world as “The People of the Book, for they were very zealous for the scriptures and held them in the highest regard in their lives. Thus, there was very little artistic expression in sculpture, paintings, or even architecture. The people feared they might transgress this commandment if they did create anything, especially images of people, which, according to Genesis 1:26-27, were created in the image of God.[2] However, their fear was not necessarily based on the making of images itself, but probably more likely on the very next part of the second commandment, “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.[3] In light of this, it must also be known that Israel did not always fear Yahweh. Just 12 chapters later in Exodus, Israel has “turned aside quickly out of the way that [Yahweh] commanded them, creating a golden calf which they then proceeded to worship and sacrifice to. [4] And so is the story of Israel according to the Hebrew scriptures, from obedience to straying and from straying to obedience.
Rebellious Art
It was during these times of straying that many images and idols were made by their hands.[5] This is one of two general circumstances in which visual art seems to be found in the ancient Hebrew culture. The reason these have not remained is made pretty clear by the Scriptures in that they were continually cut down and burned at the command of judges and kings when they turned back to following Yahweh.[6]
One of the first occasions was at Mt. Sinai when, after Moses had delayed in returning from speaking with Yahweh, the people of Israel made for themselves a golden calf. The golden calf was an idol common in Egypt during that time (fig. 9), the one they made probably had similar characteristics since they had just spent 400 years living there.
Ahab was regarded as one of the most rebellious kings of Israel and “did more to provoke Yahweh to anger than all the kings before him by building a pagan temple full of ivory carvings and making an asherah, (known as the astarte figurine – see fig. 6 and 8 ) which was a prominent venus idol used among the Canaanites. [7]
The other circumstance where visual art can be found is when it was produced out of obedience. Bezalel and Oholiab were two men of the tribe of Judah singled out by Yahweh to “devise artistic designs in regards to the building of the tabernacle and the vessels of service. [8] We also see more plans for a future temple given by Yahweh to Ezekiel which makes use of images and forms such as palm trees, and cherubs with two faces—one of a human, and of a lion similar to the carving found in Ahab’s Palace (fig. 7).[9]
The Coat of Many Colors
As one of the first pieces of Hebraic art one might consider the “coat of many colors in Genesis which was given to Joseph by his father Jacob around 1900 B.C.[10] It was apparently a robe with stripes of varying color,[11] and it is suggested that it reached down to the hands and feet and was typical of garments worn by those who did little manual labor.[12] And because the family of Jacob consisted of nomadic herdsmen, its not likely that the robe was very elegant or exquisite. It should also be noted that the Hebrew word which is translated “colors is actually uncertain and has been translated in other manuscripts as “long sleeves. The purpose for designing the robe as such is not given in the Genesis record. Nonetheless, we do see that it had something to do with Joseph being “the son of [Jacob’s] old age. One thought is that it may have been a traditional token of blessing given to a first-born son.
The Tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple
When Moses led the Hebrew nation out of slavery in Egypt to Mt. Sinai, commands were given for building a tabernacle, or tent of meeting, which served as a mobile temple while migrating through the wilderness for 40 years. It was also commanded that certain vessels for the service of the tabernacle be made. These commands also applied to the actual temple later built by King Solomon as well (fig. 10).[13] These included the Ark for the tablets (fig. 4) with the Ten Commandments written on them, a table for bread (fig. 2), the menorah (fig. 3), an alter for incense (fig. 5), and a large bronze basin (fig. 10). The tent of meeting itself consisted of a court with many pillars with walls and a gate of embroidered linen in blue, purple, and scarlet (fig. 1).[14]
When King Solomon had the Temple of Yahweh built in 967 B.C., (480 years after Israel was led out of Egypt according to 1 Kings 6:1) it was recognized as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. The account of the construction is found in 1 Kings chapter 6 and 2 Chronicles chapter 3. Solomon was also one of the richest kings ever to live, so there were definitely plenty of resources. It measured approximately ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high. A bronze worker named Hiram from Tyre who was “full of wisdom, understanding, and skill was sent for by Solomon to cast all the temple furnishings.[15] Among the cast items were pillars with capitals with lilies and pomegranates (see fig. 10), similar to what is seen Egypt and throughout Greek and Roman cultures. There was also the “sea of cast metal which was a large bronze basin approximately fifteen feet in diameter and seven and a half feet tall which was set on twelve oxen, or bulls, in groups of three facing each of the four directions. The rim was “made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily and held about 11,500 gallons of water.[16] There was the gold table for bread[17] (fig. 2) and the Menorah which was a lamp stand with seven arms with artistic designs making use of almond blossoms, flowers, and knops, and made entirely out of about 94 pounds of hammered gold (fig. 3). Hiram also built the ten wash basins of bronze, upon which were panels with images of lions, oxen, and cherubim. Each holding approximately 230 gallons of water.
Inside the temple were to be found an immensely elaborate décor of cedar wood from the finest trees found by Solomon himself in Lebanon. The cedar covered the entire inside of the temple so that none of the stone was visible. Everything was coated with gold veneer and decorated with precious stones—the rafters, doorframes, walls, and doors. Engraved on the walls were things such as fruits and flowers, cherubim, palm trees, and chain designs. The inner sanctuary at the back of the temple, known as the Holy of Holies, was a cube measuring 30 feet by 30 feet by 30 feet, and was also completely plated with gold from top to bottom—more than 22 tons of gold worth. An alter of cedar inside it was also plated with gold.
Temples were common in many cultures and a foreigner walking through this one might be fairly accustomed to the ideas and the purposes. What would be different and perhaps confusing to him, however, would be the fact that there were no idols and, of course, the utterly extravagant and outrageously rich design of the temple. The sacrifices were made on the alters to no idols. There were only the two gigantic cherub statues carved from olive wood, also fully plated in gold, which were fifteen feet tall and had a wingspan of fifteen feet; and the ark of the covenant, which sat just between the statues.
The Ark of the Covenant was a small chest which held the two tablets with the Ten Commandments (known as the Ten Words, or tablets of the testimony, or covenant to the Hebrews) written on them by the finger of God.[18] It measured 3¾ ft. long by 2¼ ft. wide and deep. It was made of wood and also completely plated with gold inside and out and had a crown molding of gold around the top. There were four gold rings on each corner for sliding carrying staves through. On the top of the chest was the lid, sometimes referred to as the “mercy seat, and set upon the lid were two cherubs made of hammered gold with their wings spread out to cover the lid and set to face each other (fig. 4).
These remarkable feats of craftsmanship still remain to be found. The last record of them is just before the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Interestingly, in the detailed descriptions of the booty taken from Jerusalem by the Babylonians as found in 2 Kings chapter 25 and Ezra chapter 1, the temple furnishings and the ark are not listed. Today excavations on the site of the temple are not possible because of current control of the Temple Mount by an Islamic group called the Waqf and the mosques which are built on top of the site.
Bibliography
Tenney, Merrill C. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 5. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1975.
Ausubel, Nathan. Pictorial History of the Jewish People. 1954.
Barrow, Martyn. “Tabernacle Home Page. http://www.domini.org/tabern/. Last visited December 2, 2003.
“The Temple Institute. http://www.templeinstitute.org. Last visited December 2, 2003.
Eadie, John. Biblical Cyclopaedia Vol. 1. 1848
The Bible, English Standard Version. 2001.
[1] Exodus 20:4
[2] Jewish Folk Art, Joy Ungerleider-Mayerson pp. 14-15
[3] Exodus 20:5
[4] Exodus 32:8
[5] 1 Kings 15:12,13
[6] Exodus 32:20; 1 Kings 15:13
[7] 1 Kings 16:33
[8] Exodus 31:1-4
[9] Ezekiel chapters 40-48
[10] Genesis 37:3
[11] Hebrew: Kethoneth passim. a coat made of stripes of different coloured cloth. – Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge on Gen. 37.
[12] “A Coat of many colors. This was a coat reaching to the hands and feet, worn by persons not much occupied with manual labor, according to the general opinion. – Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible for Gen. 37.
[13] 1 Kings 6
[14] The Tent of Meeting, Exodus 26:1—37; 27:9-19
The Ark, ibid. 25:10-22
The Table for Bread, ibid. 25:23-30
The Menorah, ibid. 25:31-40
The Alter of Incense, ibid. 25:25-29
The Bronze Alter of Burnt Offerings, ibid. 27:1-8, 38:1-7
Bronze Basin, ibid. 30:17-21
The Court, ibid. 27:9-19
[15] 1 Kings 7:13
[16] 1 Kings 7:23-26
[17] See Exodus 25:23-30
[18] Deuteronomy 9:10