Visualizations of Ritual in Medieval Book Culture

Abstract

This chapter offers a brief survey of premodern visualizations of Jewish rituals. Such visualizations address both the performances and/or the symbolic and mythical aspects of the rituals. The focus is on how the artist’s (or patron’s) life experience might have shaped his/her perception of ritual and religious life. The chapter is structured roughly along communal ritual, on the one hand, and the private arena, on the other with occasional overlappings and intersections. It begins with a brief discussion of visual references to synagogal ritual as it emerged in late antiquity followed by an analysis of images showing public prayer in the Middle Ages. The second section discusses the role of the communal arena in preparations for Passover; and the third addresses life cycle events that were celebrated in the public sphere. The final discussion focuses on the Passover ritual celebrated in the private sphere. The chapter ends with a brief look at the early modern period and some observations on contemporaneous social change and its effects on book culture.