The Queen Mary Visual Cultures Forum is delighted to welcome

MIRI RUBIN (QMUL)

for the first talk in our 2018-2019 series:

'Sister, no longer - Continuity and Change in the Representation of Church and Synagogue'

Summary:
By the ninth century the relationship between Judaism and Christianity came to be represented on objects associated with liturgy at the altar as two young women very much alike, yet with distinctive differences. By the twelfth century the pair was habitually sculpted onto facades of cathedrals and tympana of religious houses, and in later centuries was incorporated into religious/devotional books in Latin and the vernaculars. It betokened a view of deep affinity between Judaism and Christianity, and the apocalyptic hope that Synagogue would see the light and convert at the End of Time.

A dramatic change in the representation occurs by 1400 and has hitherto been unnoticed. I hope to explore in this seminar this transformation, and to discuss with members of the VCF histories based on images without a clear textual source: Why do images change?

Miri Rubin is Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London.

6pm Tuesday 2nd October

Graduate Centre, Room 204

Queen Mary, University of London - Bancroft Road E1 4DH

@qmulvcf