É. Apor (ed.): David Kaufmann Memorial Volume: Papers Presented at the David Kaufmann Memorial Conference, November 29, 1999, Budapest.
ORMOS, István: David Kaufmann and his Collection
ISTVÁN ORMOS Moses in the shape of an angel (?) in a cloud above Mount Sinai. 8 4 Of the two earliest Christian representations of this scene only that in the Grandval Bible (9th century) has God's hand reaching out of a cloud alluding to God's presence, while the Ashburnham Pentateuch (7th century) is already depicting God's face, with this anthropomorphic manner of representation later becoming characteristic of Christian art. In some cases we can see Christ in the Lord's figure. 8 5 The representation of God's presence by a hand can be regarded as exceptional in Jewish art. 86 God's presence is represented by a hand in the burning bush in the earliest version of this scene in the synagogue of Dura Europos (244-245). 8 7 The depiction of Ezekiel's vision (Ez 37) is remarkable in the Dura Europos synagogue, where in accordance with the Hebrew text we see God's hand reaching out of heaven: "The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out..." (Ez 37:1a). 8 8 It may be noted that there is an exceptionally fine representation of Ezechiel's vision on a pulpit in the cathedral of Zwiefalten, in the vicinity of the upper course of the Danube in Germany. 8 9 In the Kaufmann Collection there is another representation of this scene which is strictly in keeping with the traditional method of avoidance of the representation of God's presence. In the Ulm Mahzor (MS Kaufmann A 383, f.l77r) 9" the scene showing Moses receiving the Torah is depicted as follows: "Moses is kneeling on the slope of Mount Sinai, holding two Tables inscribed Torah. He is looking towards the arched dome of heaven, with rays above it, a star within it and clouds below it". 9 1 It may be noted that in his brief note on this manuscript Kaufmann himself explicitly mentions God's hands, out of which Moses is receiving the Tablets, although in fact no hand can be detected in this illustration. 9 2 In a Mahzor executed in 1450 and preserved in Parma God's hand is seen stretching out of a cloud in heaven and delivering the Tablets to Moses. 9 3 8 4 Ruth MELLINKOFF, Antisemitic Hate Signs in Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts from Medieval Germany. Jerusalem 1999. 111 [Fig. 40], 116 [Fig. 47], 8 5 METZGER 1973. 306-307. 8 6 METZGER 1973. 307. 8 7 METZGER 1973. 286. SCHEIBER 1957. 17. Gabrielle SED-RAJNA, L'Art juif. Orient et Occident. Paris 1975. 72. 8 8 Ibid. 76-77. 8 9 See Ursula KOSLOWSKY, Münster Zwiefalten. [PEDA-Kunstfiihrer Nr. 199.1/91]. Passau 1990. 33-35. 9 0 This manuscript is complemented by MS A 371. See Benjamin RICHLER'S contribution to this volume on p. 24 above. 9 1 NARKISS - SED-RAJNA 1988. Card No. 20 [ad fol. 177], 9 2 K AUFMANN 1898. 271 [ = W EISZ 1906. 123-124], 9 3 MUNKÁCSI C. 1938. Plate XXIV, ill. No. 71 [Parma, De Rossi 2895, p. 271], 146
