Jacob the knight in Ezekiel's chariot: imagined identity in a micrography decoration of an Ashkenazic Bible

In an Ashkenazic Bible produced in the thirteenth century, we find a unique micrography decoration portraying Ezekiel's vision. On the bottom margin the Masorah micrography shows the full bodies of the four creatures: the lion facing the ox, and the man, in full armor and holding an object in e...

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Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:Research Article
Main Author: Ofenberg, Śarah 1978- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: University of Pennsylvania Press [2016]
In: AJS review
Year: 2016, Volume: 40, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-16
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Ashkenazim / Bible / Ezechiel, Prophet / Vision / Jacob
IxTheo Classification:BH Judaism
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:In an Ashkenazic Bible produced in the thirteenth century, we find a unique micrography decoration portraying Ezekiel's vision. On the bottom margin the Masorah micrography shows the full bodies of the four creatures: the lion facing the ox, and the man, in full armor and holding an object in each hand, facing the eagle. I suggest that the choice to portray the human figure in this micrography as an armored knight can be explained by reference to the tradition describing seeing Jacob's image engraved on the throne in Ezekiel's vision, as also reflected in the writings of Hasidei Ashkenaz. The decoration identifies the human figure as Jacob, which may illustrate the verse 'Avir Ya‘akov, meaning “mighty one of Jacob” or Jacob the Knight.
ISSN:1475-4541
Contains:Enthalten in: Association for Jewish Studies, AJS review
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S0364009416000015