Epstein, Dreams of Subversion INTRO ... - Dickinson Blogs

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"If lions could carve stones .
On Being a "Careful Reader"
Once a lion was journeying with a man, and each of
them was boasting about himself. Along the side of the
road they found a stone carving that showed a man
strangling a lion. "You see!" said the man. "That proves
that we men are stro nger than you lions, and more pow ­
erful than any animal."
The lion replied, "Images like this are all made by
you. If lions could carve stones, you would see all the
lions winning!"
- Aesop !
The centrality of medieval art as a medium for revealing the mentalites of its creators,
its patrons, and its intended audience is by now widely acknowledged in the
field of cultural studies. Yet, while Latin manuscripts, from their codicology to
their marginalia, have been analyzed at length as sources for the understanding
of the inner landscape of medieval people, the illumination of Hebrew manuscripts
remains relatively rich and undiscovered country,"
Jews were a demographic minority in the European Middle Ages, occasionally
envied, sometimes despised and persecuted, usually misunderstood. In a barrage
of public images, the pervasively Christian culture within which Jews lived proclaimed
the dominance of Christians and Christianity over Jews and Judaism. In
spite of constant reminders of their alterity, Jews created their own sense of belonging.
They persevered in preserving their dignity and a positive self-perception.
Their tradition, after all, continually reminded them that they were chosen by
God from among all the nations of the earth; that they were the Lions of judah.?
"