The Mythological Figure of Moses in Light of Some Unpublished Midrashic Fragments
One of the most peculiar mythological elements in the portrayal of Moses is his possession of horns, based on Ex 34:29-30. Though most prominent in Christian literature and art, this motif also figures in Aramaic piyyuṭim such as ארכין ה׳ שמיא and לית אנא נחית. Of particular significance in this...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Published: |
Penn Press
1997
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| In: |
The Jewish quarterly review
Year: 1997, Volume: 88, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 19-42 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | One of the most peculiar mythological elements in the portrayal of Moses is his possession of horns, based on Ex 34:29-30. Though most prominent in Christian literature and art, this motif also figures in Aramaic piyyuṭim such as ארכין ה׳ שמיא and לית אנא נחית. Of particular significance in this tradition is a midrashic source in MS Oxford, Or. 135 (Neubauer Cat. 1466), which describes Moses with a crown on his head and horns on his face, battling the angels on Mount Sinai. The midrash of MS Oxford seems to reflect certain ancient traditions--such as found in the midrashic literature of amoraic Palestine that alludes occasionally to Moses fighting the angels with horns--but contains considerably more detail of this scene. Some of these elements are apparently unique, although at least one has a parallel in Sefer ha-Bahir. Another version of the midrash, in MS Cambridge, Add. 633/2, obscures and restricts Moses' mythological attributes, with the result that the text at times becomes entangled in inconsistencies and contradictions. It would seem that the mythological figure of Moses evolved through several stages, some of which will be described and analyzed in this article. |
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| ISSN: | 1553-0604 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The Jewish quarterly review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1455061 |