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 right hand, while his left hand grasps his long beard. But the most famous part of this sculpture is the horns that sprout from Moses' dome. It is unclear whether the horns were an artistic interpretation or the result of a mistranslated Hebrew verse about Moses' "radiant face" (kar-nu קרנו) which has the same Hebrew root as "horn" (ke-ren קרן)

This Rembrandt masterpiece can be found today in Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. The Dutch great depicts here the dramatic moment that Moses, on his way down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of the Ten Commandments, sees the Hebrews worshiping a 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, thy shall not worship any other god but Yahweh. It seems like a freeze frame of the crucial mili-second when Moses' euphoria meets his chagrin. Let's hope Moses doesn't take his rage on these tablets.