Published Books by Marc Michael Epstein
Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink : Jewish illuminated manuscripts, Apr 4, 2015
"There is simply no other book like this. Enlightening, accessible, and superbly written in a cle... more "There is simply no other book like this. Enlightening, accessible, and superbly written in a clear and jargon-free style, it makes a much-needed contribution to our knowledge of Jewish visual and literary cultures. It will no doubt be a coveted volume."--Maya Balakirsky Katz, Touro College
The love of books in the Jewish tradition extends back over many centuries, and the ways of interpreting those books are as myriad as the traditions themselves. Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink offers the first full survey of Jewish illuminated manuscripts, ranging from their origins in the Middle Ages to the present day. Featuring some of the most beautiful examples of Jewish art of all time--including hand-illustrated versions of the Bible, the Haggadah, the prayer book, marriage documents, and other beloved Jewish texts--the book introduces readers to the history of these manuscripts and their interpretation.
Edited by Marc Michael Epstein with contributions from leading experts, this sumptuous volume features a lively and informative text, showing how Jewish aesthetic tastes and iconography overlapped with and diverged from those of Christianity, Islam, and other traditions. Featured manuscripts were commissioned by Jews and produced by Jews and non-Jews over many centuries, and represent Eastern and Western perspectives and the views of both pietistic and liberal communities across the Diaspora, including Europe, Israel, the Middle East, and Africa.
Magnificently illustrated with pages from hundreds of manuscripts, many previously unpublished or rarely seen, Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink offers surprising new perspectives on Jewish life, presenting the books of the People of the Book as never before.
Marc Michael Epstein is the Mattie M. Paschall (1899) and Norman Davis Chair of Religion and Visual Culture at Vassar College. His most recent book, "The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative, and Religious Imagination", was named one of the best books of 2011 by the "Times Literary Supplement". Eva Frojmovic is lecturer in the history of art at the University of Leeds. Jenna Siman Jacobs is curatorial manager at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Hartley Lachter is the Berman Chair in Jewish Studies at Lehigh University. Shalom Sabar is professor of folklore and the arts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Raymond P. Scheindlin is professor of medieval Hebrew literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Ágnes Vet? teaches religion at Vassar College. Susan Vick is curator of Judaica at Goldsmith Museum of Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Baltimore and associate professor of art history at the University of Maryland. Barbara Wolff is a New York-based illuminator of manuscripts using medieval methods. Diane Wolfthal is the David and Caroline Minter Chair in the Humanities at Rice University.
" Shows with remarkable sophistication and an acute visual sense how [medieval haggadot] did much... more " Shows with remarkable sophistication and an acute visual sense how [medieval haggadot] did much more than illustrate the story of the Exodus, creating, rather complex statements about the role and place of Jews in the society of the time, as well as producing remarkable works of art."
—Gabriel Josipovici "BOOKS OF THE YEAR" Times of London
In this beautifully illustrated book, historian Marc Michael Epstein explores four magnificent and enigmatic illuminated haggadot—manuscripts created for use at home services on Passover. They include the earliest known surviving illuminated haggadah: the Birds' Head Haggadah, made in Mainz around 1300, in which many of the faces on the human figures depicted throughout are replaced with those of birds. Also presented is the Golden Haggadah from Barcelona, c. 1320-30, along with two Spanish "siblings," the Rylands Haggadah and its purported Brother, made between 1330 and 1340, which share similar iconography and style.
Though the importance of these manuscripts is universally acknowledged, Epstein examines them with fresh and creative eyes, offering insightful solutions to long-unresolved questions concerning the meaning of the art contained within them. In addition, he uses these treasured volumes as a springboard to address broader issues in the study of Jewish thought and culture."
"An exploration of the ways in which medieval Jews used art and literature as means of social and... more "An exploration of the ways in which medieval Jews used art and literature as means of social and political self-expression. Europe's Jewish minority culture was subjected to a barrage of public images proclaiming the dominance of the Christian majority. This book is the first to explore Jewish response to this assault in the development of a visual culture through which they could affirmatively construct their identity as a people. It demonstrates how medieval Jews gave voice to messages of protest and dreams of subversion by actively appropriating and transforming the quintessential symbols of the dominant culture. Using a variety of methodologies drawn from art history, cultural studies, and the history of mentalites, this work illuminates aspects of the inner landscape of medieval Jewry as reflected in animal symbolism in text and iconography, a very rich and hitherto undiscovered realm. Marc Michael Epstein examines the ubiquitous hare-hunt and the cryptic iconography of elephants flanking the ark in the synagogue, dragons straddling the line between the divine and the demonic worlds, and unicorns that seem to have leaped directly from the christological world of the illuminated bestiary into a universe of Jewish messianic symbolism. These images, often marginal in situation, tend to be regarded as derivative of Christian art or as mere decoration, yet they are illustrative of the manner in which Jews subversively recast various symbols from their own tradition and from Christian culture. An understanding of medieval Jewish self-definition through the "secret language" of their iconography is essential for analysis of the roots of intercultural conflict and collusion in the West.
This PDF is fully searchable, simply enter the desired keyword (or note number) in the SEARCH panel of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.""
Art by Yael Hershberg
Commentary volume by Marc Michael Epstein
Photography Oded Antman
Callig... more Art by Yael Hershberg
Commentary volume by Marc Michael Epstein
Photography Oded Antman
Calligraphy Izzy Pludwinsky
ISBN 8885033334, 9788885033337
The Jerusalem Haggadah is a stunning contemporary heirloom, preserving for generations to come subtle but powerful details of a city built as much of spirit as of stone. Acclaimed Jerusalem artist Yael Hershberg has drawn on a wide range of artistic, biblical and rabbinic sources, linking ancient lore and the modern city in new motifs that bring the Passover saga freshly to life.
The Haggadah was the inspiration of a Jerusalem family who originally commissioned the volume for themselves and their children. The project proved so exciting, the work so notable, that friends and collectors encouraged them to make the Haggadah available through a limited edition crafted to pre-eminent standards of exacting reproduction. The result, limited to 550 copies worldwide, is a unique contribution to the art of the Haggadah illumination, historically the focus of many of Judaica's most magnificent achievements.
The Jerusalem Haggadah, incorporating the full seder text as well as the Song of Songs, is one of the most ambitious Haggadah projects of our time. It is published with a unique companion volume by Judaica authority Dr. Marc Michael Epstein. Highlighting the companion volume are photographs by Jerusalem photographer Oded Antman of the actual buildings alongside plates of the extraordinary illuminations they inspired. The Haggadah thus provides a new way of seeing -- in a sense, a new way of walking through -- the city that embodies so much of the heritage and the hope conveyed by the Passover seder, culminating in its fervent, ageless prayer "Next year in Jerusalem."
Book Chapters by Marc Michael Epstein
The Medieval Haggadah, 2011
"" Shows with remarkable sophistication and an acute visual sense how [medieval haggadot] did muc... more "" Shows with remarkable sophistication and an acute visual sense how [medieval haggadot] did much more than illustrate the story of the Exodus, creating, rather complex statements about the role and place of Jews in the society of the time, as well as producing remarkable works of art."
—Gabriel Josipovici "BOOKS OF THE YEAR" Times of London
In this beautifully illustrated book, historian Marc Michael Epstein explores four magnificent and enigmatic illuminated haggadot—manuscripts created for use at home services on Passover. They include the earliest known surviving illuminated haggadah: the Birds' Head Haggadah, made in Mainz around 1300, in which many of the faces on the human figures depicted throughout are replaced with those of birds. Also presented is the Golden Haggadah from Barcelona, c. 1320-30, along with two Spanish "siblings," the Rylands Haggadah and its purported Brother, made between 1330 and 1340, which share similar iconography and style.
Though the importance of these manuscripts is universally acknowledged, Epstein examines them with fresh and creative eyes, offering insightful solutions to long-unresolved questions concerning the meaning of the art contained within them. In addition, he uses these treasured volumes as a springboard to address broader issues in the study of Jewish thought and culture.""
Saul in Story and Tradition (Series Forschungen Zum Alten Testament), 2006
Edited by Carl S. Ehrlich, Marsha C. White
ISBN 3161485696, 9783161485695
My contribution: "S... more Edited by Carl S. Ehrlich, Marsha C. White
ISBN 3161485696, 9783161485695
My contribution: "Seeing Saul," pp. 334-348."
Imagining the Self, Imagining the Other: Visual Representation and Jewish-Christian Dynamics in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, 2002
This collection revisits the complex subject of medieval visual representations of Jews and Judai... more This collection revisits the complex subject of medieval visual representations of Jews and Judaism by themselves and by Christians. The topics range from questions of Jewish identity in Iberian illuminated Hebrew manuscripts (13th-14th centuries) to representations of Synagoga and Judas in the Bible Moralisie and cathedral sculpture, to early modern Jewish self-images. The essays are prefaced by a critical study of the discovery of medieval Jewish art among art historians and cultural activists ca. 1900-35. The volume will be of value to art historians, as well as medieval and early modern historians with an interest in Jewish culture and Jewish-Christian relations.
My contribution: "Another Flight Into Egypt: Confluence, Coincidence, The Crosscultural Dialectics of Messianism
and Iconographic Appropriation In Medieval Jewish and Christian Culture," pp. 33-52
Edited by Eva Frojmovic
ISBN 9004125655, 9789004125650
Judaism In Practice, 2001
This collection of original materials provides a sweeping view of medieval and early modern Jewis... more This collection of original materials provides a sweeping view of medieval and early modern Jewish ritual and religious practice. Including such diverse texts as ritual manuals, legal codes, mystical books, autobiographical writings, folk literature, and liturgical poetry, it testifies to the enormous variety of practices that characterized Judaism in the twelve hundred years between 600 and 1800 C.E. Its focus on religious practice and experience--how Judaism was actually lived by people from day to day--makes this anthology unique among the few sourcebooks available. The volume encompasses the broad scope and complex texture of Jewish religious practice, taking into account many aspects of Jewish culture that have hitherto been relatively neglected: the religious life of ordinary people, the role and status of women, art and aesthetics, and marginalized as well as remote Jewish communities. It introduces such remarkable personalities as Moses Maimonides, Leon Modena, and Gluckel of Hameln, and presents extraordinary texts on festival practice, Torah study, mystical communities, meditation, exorcism, the practice of charity, and folk rites marking birth and death. Representing state-of-the-art scholarship by distinguished academics from around the world, the volume includes many materials never before translated into English. Each text is preceded by an accessible introduction, making this book suitable for college and university students as well as a general audience. Whether read as a deliberate course of study or dipped into selectively for a glimpse into fascinating Jewish lives and places, Judaism in Practice holds rich rewards for any reader.
Edited by Lawrence Fine
ISBN 0691057877, 9780691057873
My contribution:
"Illustrating History and Illluminating Identity in the Art of the Passover Haggadah", pp. 298- 317.
Myth and Method, 1996
Myth and Method is a significant contribution to the study of religion, culture, method, and comp... more Myth and Method is a significant contribution to the study of religion, culture, method, and comparison, summarizing, with fairness, the crisis in the study of mythology that has developed in the last ten years. The volume strives for a balance between two centrifugal forces in academic discourse: the exclusive focus on method and an exclusive focus on area studies, addressing their strengths without aligning itself to the provincialism of either.
Edited by Laurie L. Patton, Wendy Doniger
ISBN 0813916577, 9780813916576
My contribution: "Harnessing the Dragon: A Mythos Transformed in Medieval Jewish Literature and Art.", pp. 252-389"
Scholarly Articles by Marc Michael Epstein
The Art Bulletin, Sep 1, 1994
Programmatic Essays by Marc Michael Epstein
Conversations: A Journal of Jewish Ideas and Ideals, 2011
Journalistic Articles by Marc Michael Epstein
Jewish Review of Books, 2012
Encyclopedia Articles by Marc Michael Epstein
The Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism & Jewish Culture, edited by Judith R. Baskin, 2011
Book Reviews by Marc Michael Epstein
The London Times Literary Supplement, Jan 27, 2013
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Published Books by Marc Michael Epstein
The love of books in the Jewish tradition extends back over many centuries, and the ways of interpreting those books are as myriad as the traditions themselves. Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink offers the first full survey of Jewish illuminated manuscripts, ranging from their origins in the Middle Ages to the present day. Featuring some of the most beautiful examples of Jewish art of all time--including hand-illustrated versions of the Bible, the Haggadah, the prayer book, marriage documents, and other beloved Jewish texts--the book introduces readers to the history of these manuscripts and their interpretation.
Edited by Marc Michael Epstein with contributions from leading experts, this sumptuous volume features a lively and informative text, showing how Jewish aesthetic tastes and iconography overlapped with and diverged from those of Christianity, Islam, and other traditions. Featured manuscripts were commissioned by Jews and produced by Jews and non-Jews over many centuries, and represent Eastern and Western perspectives and the views of both pietistic and liberal communities across the Diaspora, including Europe, Israel, the Middle East, and Africa.
Magnificently illustrated with pages from hundreds of manuscripts, many previously unpublished or rarely seen, Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink offers surprising new perspectives on Jewish life, presenting the books of the People of the Book as never before.
Marc Michael Epstein is the Mattie M. Paschall (1899) and Norman Davis Chair of Religion and Visual Culture at Vassar College. His most recent book, "The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative, and Religious Imagination", was named one of the best books of 2011 by the "Times Literary Supplement". Eva Frojmovic is lecturer in the history of art at the University of Leeds. Jenna Siman Jacobs is curatorial manager at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Hartley Lachter is the Berman Chair in Jewish Studies at Lehigh University. Shalom Sabar is professor of folklore and the arts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Raymond P. Scheindlin is professor of medieval Hebrew literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Ágnes Vet? teaches religion at Vassar College. Susan Vick is curator of Judaica at Goldsmith Museum of Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Baltimore and associate professor of art history at the University of Maryland. Barbara Wolff is a New York-based illuminator of manuscripts using medieval methods. Diane Wolfthal is the David and Caroline Minter Chair in the Humanities at Rice University.
—Gabriel Josipovici "BOOKS OF THE YEAR" Times of London
In this beautifully illustrated book, historian Marc Michael Epstein explores four magnificent and enigmatic illuminated haggadot—manuscripts created for use at home services on Passover. They include the earliest known surviving illuminated haggadah: the Birds' Head Haggadah, made in Mainz around 1300, in which many of the faces on the human figures depicted throughout are replaced with those of birds. Also presented is the Golden Haggadah from Barcelona, c. 1320-30, along with two Spanish "siblings," the Rylands Haggadah and its purported Brother, made between 1330 and 1340, which share similar iconography and style.
Though the importance of these manuscripts is universally acknowledged, Epstein examines them with fresh and creative eyes, offering insightful solutions to long-unresolved questions concerning the meaning of the art contained within them. In addition, he uses these treasured volumes as a springboard to address broader issues in the study of Jewish thought and culture."
This PDF is fully searchable, simply enter the desired keyword (or note number) in the SEARCH panel of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.""
Commentary volume by Marc Michael Epstein
Photography Oded Antman
Calligraphy Izzy Pludwinsky
ISBN 8885033334, 9788885033337
The Jerusalem Haggadah is a stunning contemporary heirloom, preserving for generations to come subtle but powerful details of a city built as much of spirit as of stone. Acclaimed Jerusalem artist Yael Hershberg has drawn on a wide range of artistic, biblical and rabbinic sources, linking ancient lore and the modern city in new motifs that bring the Passover saga freshly to life.
The Haggadah was the inspiration of a Jerusalem family who originally commissioned the volume for themselves and their children. The project proved so exciting, the work so notable, that friends and collectors encouraged them to make the Haggadah available through a limited edition crafted to pre-eminent standards of exacting reproduction. The result, limited to 550 copies worldwide, is a unique contribution to the art of the Haggadah illumination, historically the focus of many of Judaica's most magnificent achievements.
The Jerusalem Haggadah, incorporating the full seder text as well as the Song of Songs, is one of the most ambitious Haggadah projects of our time. It is published with a unique companion volume by Judaica authority Dr. Marc Michael Epstein. Highlighting the companion volume are photographs by Jerusalem photographer Oded Antman of the actual buildings alongside plates of the extraordinary illuminations they inspired. The Haggadah thus provides a new way of seeing -- in a sense, a new way of walking through -- the city that embodies so much of the heritage and the hope conveyed by the Passover seder, culminating in its fervent, ageless prayer "Next year in Jerusalem."
Book Chapters by Marc Michael Epstein
—Gabriel Josipovici "BOOKS OF THE YEAR" Times of London
In this beautifully illustrated book, historian Marc Michael Epstein explores four magnificent and enigmatic illuminated haggadot—manuscripts created for use at home services on Passover. They include the earliest known surviving illuminated haggadah: the Birds' Head Haggadah, made in Mainz around 1300, in which many of the faces on the human figures depicted throughout are replaced with those of birds. Also presented is the Golden Haggadah from Barcelona, c. 1320-30, along with two Spanish "siblings," the Rylands Haggadah and its purported Brother, made between 1330 and 1340, which share similar iconography and style.
Though the importance of these manuscripts is universally acknowledged, Epstein examines them with fresh and creative eyes, offering insightful solutions to long-unresolved questions concerning the meaning of the art contained within them. In addition, he uses these treasured volumes as a springboard to address broader issues in the study of Jewish thought and culture.""
ISBN 3161485696, 9783161485695
My contribution: "Seeing Saul," pp. 334-348."
My contribution: "Another Flight Into Egypt: Confluence, Coincidence, The Crosscultural Dialectics of Messianism
and Iconographic Appropriation In Medieval Jewish and Christian Culture," pp. 33-52
Edited by Eva Frojmovic
ISBN 9004125655, 9789004125650
Edited by Lawrence Fine
ISBN 0691057877, 9780691057873
My contribution:
"Illustrating History and Illluminating Identity in the Art of the Passover Haggadah", pp. 298- 317.
Edited by Laurie L. Patton, Wendy Doniger
ISBN 0813916577, 9780813916576
My contribution: "Harnessing the Dragon: A Mythos Transformed in Medieval Jewish Literature and Art.", pp. 252-389"
Scholarly Articles by Marc Michael Epstein
Programmatic Essays by Marc Michael Epstein
Journalistic Articles by Marc Michael Epstein
Encyclopedia Articles by Marc Michael Epstein
Book Reviews by Marc Michael Epstein