91快活林

The Hebrew Bible in which this engraved frontispiece is found was printed in Venice in 1739 at the request of a physician named Isaac Foa. In addition to the Hebrew text, it contains Italian explanations of difficult passages. The engraver, Francesco Griselini (1717鈥�1787), illustrated many non-Jewish works as well as notable borders for megillot, and later became known for his scholarly writing on natural history.

This is the most elaborate of the four frontispieces in this Bible, with images from the story of the Akedah (Binding of Isaac) in this week鈥檚 parashah. The number of images from just a few verses鈥攖he 11 images illustrate Genesis 22:2鈥�12鈥攈ighlight the remarkable pace of this vignette, which is so rich in drama and theological significance.

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Captions, clockwise from top-right:

鈥淭ake your son, your favored one鈥� (v. 2)

鈥淪o early next morning, Abraham saddled his ass鈥� (v.3)

鈥淗e split the wood for the burnt offering鈥� (v.3)

鈥� . . . and he set out for the place鈥� (v.3)

鈥淸Abraham] put it on his son. He himself took the fire鈥� (v.6)

鈥淗e built an altar there鈥� (adapted from v.9)

鈥淗e laid him on the altar鈥� (v.9)

鈥淎nd Abraham put out his hand . . . to slaughter his son鈥� (adapted from v. 10)

[center image] 鈥淒o not raise your hand against the boy鈥� (v. 12)

鈥� . . . and his eye fell upon a ram鈥� v.13