Exhibition "Faithful Amazement - Biblical Traditions in the Islamic World"
Press release from 06/29/2017
A special exhibition of the Museum of Islamic Art of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Preußischer Kulturbesitz and the Oriental Department of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin Preußischer Kulturbesitz. From 14 July - 15 October 2017 at the Pergamonmuseum, Museum Island Berlin.
Using outstanding manuscripts, the exhibition shows the diversity of Christian traditions in the Middle East - from late antiquity to the 19th century. Bible manuscripts from Jewish and Oriental Christian religious communities are presented together with Islamic manuscripts reflecting biblical subjects. In addition to splendidly illuminated Armenian gospels, Syrian parchment Bibles and Coptic papyri, Indian miniatures with Christian motifs will also be on display.
We cordially invite you to the press tour (16:30) and opening (18:00) on 13 July 2017 in the Pergamonmuseum (Mschatta Hall).
Speaking at the opening:
- Stefan Weber, Director of the Museum of Islamic Art
- Barbara Schneider-Kempf, Director General of the Berlin State Library
- Christoph Rauch, Head of the Oriental Department, Berlin State Library
- Ronny Vollandt, Professor of Jewish Studies, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich: "The Bible in Arabic? A look at early manuscripts"
Cultural and artistic exchange between different religious communities was a frequent phenomenon in the eastern Mediterranean region. The Bible originated in the Orient - Judea, Egypt and Persia are some of its historical settings. Islam, on the other hand, emerged in an environment characterised by Judaism and Christianity; and the Koran refers to the biblical text in several places and assumes that these themes and figures are familiar.
In the exhibition, top-class manuscripts from the rich holdings of the State Library's Oriental Department will enter into dialogue for three months with Islamic book art from the Vollmer Private Collection and the Museum of Islamic Art of the National Museums in Berlin. Numerous examples will reveal the connections between Christian and Islamic book art: the illustrations in some Islamic illuminated manuscripts often bear striking similarities to contemporary Christian models from Byzantine, Armenian and Syrian manuscripts, especially illustrated Bibles. Conversely, the Christian Bible manuscripts also reflect centuries of cultural contact with their Muslim environment.
The exhibition begins with the origins of the Bible with Hebrew and Greek original texts: an early Coptic codex (4th century AD) from Egypt with the Proverbs of Solomon is the oldest object. A special feature is a Samaritan Torah, which is darkly coloured by the kisses of the faithful in the place of the Aaronic blessing. Very rare biblical testimonies from the once Christian Nubia of the 10th/11th century, the first texts of Nubian-Christian culture ever found, will be on display. Bright colours and direct imagery characterise the Ethiopian parchment manuscripts, witnesses to an unbroken deep religiosity that still characterises Christian Ethiopia today. A gospel book from 11th century Palestine and a wonderfully illuminated book of prophets from the early 14th century symbolise the rich Arab-Christian material and spiritual culture. In the Muslim manuscripts on display, familiar biblical figures and stories appear in a different form, so to speak, and yet are always recognisable. The Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ (Tales of the Prophets), for example, are dedicated to the numerous biblical figures found in the Koran and other Islamic traditions. The Indian miniatures with numerous depictions of saints and the Madonna from the Vollmer Collection bear witness to an intensive dialogue with European art that can be observed since the end of the 16th century.