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'Cradle of Christianity': Maltz exhibit explores shared roots of Judaism and Christianity
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By: Susan H. Kahn, Assistant Editor
The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage hopes to be a museum that speaks to all people.
To further that objective, the museum will unveil "Cradle of Christianity: Treasures from the Holy Land” on April 1.
Making its U.S. debut in Cleveland, this major traveling exhibition traces the shared roots of Jewish and Christian values by exploring aspects of early Jewish life and the concurrent birth of Christianity.
Artifacts in the exhibit are drawn almost entirely from The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which houses the world's foremost collection of biblical archeological treasures.
Using dramatic installations that incorporate objects excavated in Israel over the last century, the exhibit examines two periods of major consequence in the history of modern religion. The Maltz Museum display includes objects illuminating ancient Judaic and Christian practice from the same eras, allowing visitors to see parallels between the two.
The exhibit synthesizes literary sources with artifacts that include architectural remains, liturgical objects from churches, personal belongings of the Christian inhabitants, and souvenirs made for pilgrims.
Among the unique objects on display is a section of the newly restored Temple Scroll, one of the most important of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which has never before been displayed outside Israel.
Maltz Museum founders Tamar and Milton Maltz, executive director Carole Zawatsky, and exhibit designer Peter Gallagher made several trips to Israel to select the added materials. They collaborated with Israel Museum director James Snyder and David "Dudi” Mevorah, curator of Roman, Hellenistic and Byzantine archeology.
Mevorah, who has been in Cleveland for several weeks supervising the installation, is enthusiastic about the exhibit. He says it "takes small topics and adds a layer of information” that is very personal, shedding light on how ancient people lived and related to one another.
"Cradle of Christianity” is approached via a short hallway lined with photos depicting the landscape of Israel around the Sea of Galilee. Although taken in the 19th century, these sepia-toned murals have an ancient look and help draw the viewer back in time.
"Those who saw this exhibit in Israel didn't need ‘context' - they were surrounded by the land where the artifacts were found,” says Zawatsky. "We wanted to provide our visitors with that sense of place.”
The first section of the exhibit explores the time when Jesus of Nazareth lived, the final days of the Second Temple (Herodian Period and the 1st century C.E.). It presents important events of his life in context of Jewish life of this period, as described in the scriptures and in the writings of Jewish historian Josephus Flavius.
The original stone ossuaries (burial urns) bearing the Hebrew names of Jesus and members of his family are among the artifacts in this section. Huge, remarkably intact 1st-century Judean water jars are items Mevorah deems "the most Jewish in the exhibit.” Text accompanying these vessels describes their use in Jewish ritual purification and in the story of Jesus turning water into wine.
"These artifacts of the material culture give visitors a better understanding of events described in the Gospels,” says Mevorah.
Also in this section of the exhibit is a stone from the southwest corner of The Temple of Jerusalem inscribed "to the place of trumpeting,” a testimony to the custom of signaling the beginning and end of Shabbat. The oldest representation of the menorah that stood in The Temple is displayed here.
A jewel of the exhibit is the never-before-seen section of the Dead Sea Scrolls; it is one of the most historically important, in that it calls for a new interpretation of the Torah.
"This was a pluralistic society, and these were turbulent times,” says Mevorah. "Jesus was not alone in his criticism of the priests and The Temple. There were others interested in creating a new Judaism; the religion was evolving.”
The second section of "Cradle of Christianity” explores the parallel development of formative Judaism and Christianity in the Holy Land in 4th-7th century C.E.
In this Byzantine period there was intensive building of churches, monasteries, shrines, and infrastructure to accommodate mass pilgrimages.
"Religious tourism in the country flourished,” says Mevorah. "It was the largest ever until the establishment of the modern state of Israel.”
One of the centerpieces of the exhibit is a full-scale reproduction of the chancel of a Byzantine-era church, constructed with authentic artifacts gathered from 15 different sites across Israel. The viewer can see its similarity of design to Jewish temples, with the notable addition of a reliquary for sanctified objects placed beneath the altar and a large baptismal font.
Also in this section are two of the largest three-dimensional menorahs ever found in excavation. Elsewhere in the exhibit menorahs appear as decorative elements, but these were actually designed for use with depressions for oil atop each branch.
The last section of the exhibit uses audiovisual effects to bring alive the story of pilgrimages. A huge mosaic "map,” an itinerary for pilgrims, has contemporary views of these same holy sites in Israel projected upon it. Dramatic readings from pilgrims' written accounts accompany this display.
Ask Mevorah what his favorite artifacts in the exhibit are, and you get a surprising reply. Bypassing the more decorative and monumental elements, he points to some small clay tokens which had holy scenes pressed on them. These sanctified items, perhaps souvenirs from pilgrimages, he calls "ancient aspirins” because of their supposed power to bring relief for life's ills. These tokens might be ground up or dipped in water, which was then drunk by someone who was ill or struggling with infertility.
"These appeal to me because they speak of the personal, how religious items address the most human requirements for support and protection.”
This, he says, is one of the lessons of the exhibit, that ancient people were very much like us. The other message Mevorah hopes visitors will take away from the exhibit is the understanding that "in a remote and small place, Jews, Christians, Samaritans and pagans all found a way to live together.”
For tickets to "Cradle of Christianity: Treasures from the Holy Land,” call 877-665-4849 or visit http://www.MaltzJewishMuseum.org. For more information about the exhibit, call 216-593-0575.
skahn@cjn.org
To further that objective, the museum will unveil "Cradle of Christianity: Treasures from the Holy Land” on April 1.
Making its U.S. debut in Cleveland, this major traveling exhibition traces the shared roots of Jewish and Christian values by exploring aspects of early Jewish life and the concurrent birth of Christianity.
Artifacts in the exhibit are drawn almost entirely from The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which houses the world's foremost collection of biblical archeological treasures.
Using dramatic installations that incorporate objects excavated in Israel over the last century, the exhibit examines two periods of major consequence in the history of modern religion. The Maltz Museum display includes objects illuminating ancient Judaic and Christian practice from the same eras, allowing visitors to see parallels between the two.
The exhibit synthesizes literary sources with artifacts that include architectural remains, liturgical objects from churches, personal belongings of the Christian inhabitants, and souvenirs made for pilgrims.
Among the unique objects on display is a section of the newly restored Temple Scroll, one of the most important of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which has never before been displayed outside Israel.
Maltz Museum founders Tamar and Milton Maltz, executive director Carole Zawatsky, and exhibit designer Peter Gallagher made several trips to Israel to select the added materials. They collaborated with Israel Museum director James Snyder and David "Dudi” Mevorah, curator of Roman, Hellenistic and Byzantine archeology.
Mevorah, who has been in Cleveland for several weeks supervising the installation, is enthusiastic about the exhibit. He says it "takes small topics and adds a layer of information” that is very personal, shedding light on how ancient people lived and related to one another.
"Cradle of Christianity” is approached via a short hallway lined with photos depicting the landscape of Israel around the Sea of Galilee. Although taken in the 19th century, these sepia-toned murals have an ancient look and help draw the viewer back in time.
"Those who saw this exhibit in Israel didn't need ‘context' - they were surrounded by the land where the artifacts were found,” says Zawatsky. "We wanted to provide our visitors with that sense of place.”
The first section of the exhibit explores the time when Jesus of Nazareth lived, the final days of the Second Temple (Herodian Period and the 1st century C.E.). It presents important events of his life in context of Jewish life of this period, as described in the scriptures and in the writings of Jewish historian Josephus Flavius.
The original stone ossuaries (burial urns) bearing the Hebrew names of Jesus and members of his family are among the artifacts in this section. Huge, remarkably intact 1st-century Judean water jars are items Mevorah deems "the most Jewish in the exhibit.” Text accompanying these vessels describes their use in Jewish ritual purification and in the story of Jesus turning water into wine.
"These artifacts of the material culture give visitors a better understanding of events described in the Gospels,” says Mevorah.
Also in this section of the exhibit is a stone from the southwest corner of The Temple of Jerusalem inscribed "to the place of trumpeting,” a testimony to the custom of signaling the beginning and end of Shabbat. The oldest representation of the menorah that stood in The Temple is displayed here.
A jewel of the exhibit is the never-before-seen section of the Dead Sea Scrolls; it is one of the most historically important, in that it calls for a new interpretation of the Torah.
"This was a pluralistic society, and these were turbulent times,” says Mevorah. "Jesus was not alone in his criticism of the priests and The Temple. There were others interested in creating a new Judaism; the religion was evolving.”
The second section of "Cradle of Christianity” explores the parallel development of formative Judaism and Christianity in the Holy Land in 4th-7th century C.E.
In this Byzantine period there was intensive building of churches, monasteries, shrines, and infrastructure to accommodate mass pilgrimages.
"Religious tourism in the country flourished,” says Mevorah. "It was the largest ever until the establishment of the modern state of Israel.”
One of the centerpieces of the exhibit is a full-scale reproduction of the chancel of a Byzantine-era church, constructed with authentic artifacts gathered from 15 different sites across Israel. The viewer can see its similarity of design to Jewish temples, with the notable addition of a reliquary for sanctified objects placed beneath the altar and a large baptismal font.
Also in this section are two of the largest three-dimensional menorahs ever found in excavation. Elsewhere in the exhibit menorahs appear as decorative elements, but these were actually designed for use with depressions for oil atop each branch.
The last section of the exhibit uses audiovisual effects to bring alive the story of pilgrimages. A huge mosaic "map,” an itinerary for pilgrims, has contemporary views of these same holy sites in Israel projected upon it. Dramatic readings from pilgrims' written accounts accompany this display.
Ask Mevorah what his favorite artifacts in the exhibit are, and you get a surprising reply. Bypassing the more decorative and monumental elements, he points to some small clay tokens which had holy scenes pressed on them. These sanctified items, perhaps souvenirs from pilgrimages, he calls "ancient aspirins” because of their supposed power to bring relief for life's ills. These tokens might be ground up or dipped in water, which was then drunk by someone who was ill or struggling with infertility.
"These appeal to me because they speak of the personal, how religious items address the most human requirements for support and protection.”
This, he says, is one of the lessons of the exhibit, that ancient people were very much like us. The other message Mevorah hopes visitors will take away from the exhibit is the understanding that "in a remote and small place, Jews, Christians, Samaritans and pagans all found a way to live together.”
For tickets to "Cradle of Christianity: Treasures from the Holy Land,” call 877-665-4849 or visit http://www.MaltzJewishMuseum.org. For more information about the exhibit, call 216-593-0575.
skahn@cjn.org
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