Modern Ancient Art: Exodus

 This Renaissance masterpiece by the Italian artist was carved from a single block of white marble! The details are astonishing and the complete sculpture exudes an air of an Ancient Greek deity. The muscular Hebrew leader is seated on a throne, holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments in his left hand, while his right hand grasps his long beard. But the most famous part of this sculpture is the horns that sprout from his dome. It is unclear whether Michelangelo the horns were an artistic interpretation or the result of a mistranslation of Moses' radiant face, which has the same Hebrew root as horn (qeren קרן)

 The Dutch painter Rembrandt depicts one of the most dramatic twists in the Bible in general and Exodus in particular: Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with the two tabletsof the Ten Commandments, right before he sees the Hebrews worshiping the golden calf. Rembrandt had Moses thrust the tablets to the sky just as his face looks sad and puzzled at the breaking of the first commandment, to not worship any other god but him. This is like a freeze frame of the crucial mili-second that inhabits Moses when his euphoria meets his chagrin. Next up: breaking the tablets in a fit of rage.