Shared Roots of Christianity, Judaism Explored in Major Exhibition at Emory's Carlos Museum

Emory University's Michael C. Carlos Museum will open a major traveling exhibition tracing the shared roots of Judaism and Christianity, bringing to the United States for the first time the most significant biblical artifacts ever found, including the Temple Scroll, among the most important of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

"Cradle of Christianity: Jewish and Christian Treasures from the Holy Land" explores aspects of early Jewish life and the concurrent birth of Christianity by presenting artifacts drawn from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which houses the foremost collection of biblical archeology in the world. Organized by the Israel Museum, the exhibition will be on view at the Carlos Museum from June 16 through Oct. 14, 2007. Groups (10 or more) can make reservations now; individual tickets go on sale April 1.

Using dramatic installations to incorporate original objects excavated in Israel over the last century, "Cradle of Christianity" offers an unprecedented opportunity to examine two periods of major consequence for modern religious history. The first era explores the final days of the Second Temple (the Herodian Period and the 1st century), the time when Jesus of Nazareth lived. The second period examines the concurrent development, side by side, of formative Judaism and Christianity in the Holy Land (4th - 7th centuries). All of the objects are from Israel, the majority of them unearthed in excavations, and some displayed publicly for the first time.

For the Atlanta presentation, Emory scholars in the Department of Religion and Candler School of Theology have come together to enhance the visitor's experience of these ancient treasures, offering their insights and commentary on the audio guide to the exhibition. An array of community educational programs, including lectures, panel discussions and family events featuring Emory experts and others from around the world is planned to inspire further discovery and dialogue. A calendar of these events will be available beginning April 2007 at http://www.carlos.emory.edu. Emory faculty members also are planning undergraduate- and graduate-level coursework in conjunction with the exhibition.

"The need to better understand our great religions has never been more important," says James W. Wagner, president of Emory. "We are proud to bring this pathbreaking exhibition to Atlanta, providing people throughout our region with the opportunity to explore Jewish and Christian traditions and their common roots through ancient works of art. Both the exhibition and the educational opportunities it provides are part of Emory's commitment to build bridges of understanding that will make a difference in the world."

"The very foundation of the Carlos Museum, reaching back to the 1920s, grew from the work of Emory theology faculty and their interests in building resources for teaching biblical history," says Bonnie Speed, director of the Carlos Museum. "Cradle of Christianity renews the museum's early emphasis on the exploration of religious history through compelling works of art. We are thrilled to be able to share these magnificent artifacts with our audiences."

"The archaeological holdings of the Israel Museum represent the world's most significant treasures from the formative period of Judaism and Christianity in the Holy Land. We are pleased to have this opportunity to showcase our Biblical treasures at Emory University to promote intercultural understanding through the shared history of the Christian and Jewish faiths," said James S. Snyder, Anne and Jerome Fisher director of the Israel Museum.

"'Cradle of Christianity'" seeks to synthesize literary sources with finds that have been excavated in Israel, particularly over the past 50 years: architectural remains, liturgical objects from churches, personal belongings of the Christian inhabitants of this land, and souvenirs made for pilgrims.


In the Time of Jesus -- The Second Temple Period
The first section of the exhibition is devoted to the Holy Land at the time of Jesus, presenting important events of his life in the context of first century Jewish life. Unique archaeological finds excavated in Israel portray the world in which Jesus lived, as described by the scriptures and writings of Jewish historian Josephus Flavius. Extraordinary finds from the Temple in Jerusalem as well as stone ossuaries bearing the Hebrew names of Jesus and members of his family and circle will be featured in the exhibition, suggesting how commonplace these names were among the Jewish community in ancient Israel. Also included are artifacts characteristic of the period in which the Last Supper, trial and crucifixion are believed to have taken place, which will provide a new perspective on these events in the New Testament.

Artifacts will include:

+The Temple Scroll (Dead Sea Scroll)
Its scale and subject -- calling for a new legal interpretation of the Torah -- make the Temple Scroll one of the most historically important of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

+The burial ossuary of Caiaphas the High Priest, who, according to the New Testament, delivered Jesus to the Romans and a commemorative inscription bearing the name of Pontius Pilate, representing the only surviving physical testimony of these two prominent figures from the story of the trial of Jesus.

+A burial ossuary inscribed "Judah son of Jesus (Yeshua)" from the East Talpiot tomb in Jerusalem.

+Heel bone of Yehohanan son of Hagkol punctured by an iron nail (replication) -- the only tangible evidence of the practice of crucifixion to have been discovered in archaeological excavations.

+A Graffito of the Menorah, the oldest representation of the menorah that stood in the Temple of Jerusalem, found in the excavations of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem and dating to the first century BC (the Second Temple period).

+A stone inscription from the Temple Mount reading "To the place of trumpeting..."


The Rise of Christianity

Because of the scarcity of artifacts that can be firmly connected to Jesus and his activities associated with Christianity in the first centuries, knowledge of the first chapter in the history of Christianity is based primarily on sacred writings. However, there is a wealth of objects dating from the period in which Christianity developed -- the 4th through the 7th centuries. In telling the story of early Christianity and its emergence as a religion, the artifacts included in this section illustrate the religious activities of the Byzantine period: the intensive building of churches, the sanctification of holy shrines associated with Old and New Testament stories, mass pilgrimages. These objects, together with contemporary literary sources, present a rich picture of Christian life in the Holy Land during the Byzantine period, an important chapter in the history of Israel.


Artifacts will include:

+The remains of excavated churches, monasteries and other religious sites, including furnishings, dedicatory inscriptions, reliquaries and liturgical objects.

+Souvenirs and mementos from early Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land, including vessels for oil and water from holy sites and amulets and tokens bearing religious motifs.

+A full-scale reconstruction of the Chancel of a Byzantine Era church comprised of an original altar, chancel screens, Baptisterium, reliquary and pulpit, and adorned by mosaics.


Early Synagogues and Jewish Symbols

With the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E., the Jews lost their central place of worship and were forced to find alternatives. It took more than two centuries for synagogues to evolve into what people are familiar with today. These houses of prayer where people gathered to study and analyze the scriptures would become the center of the community's spiritual life. Dozens of synagogues, most of them dating from the 4th to the 7th centuries C.E., have been excavated in Galilee, in the Golan and in Judea.

Artifacts will include:

+The remains of excavated synagogues, including capitals, mosaics and marble furnishings, all adorned with Jewish symbols.

+Daily objects decorated with Jewish symbols.

+The two largest three-dimensional Menorahs ever found in excavation


Exhibition Organization
"Cradle of Christianity" is organized by the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Support for the exhibition in Atlanta was provided by Emory, the CF Foundation, Inc., a friend of the Michael C. Carlos Museum, an anonymous donor and Ferdinand and Monique Seefried.

Lenders to the exhibition include The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Israel Antiquities Authority; Staff Archaeological Officer in the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria; David Jeselsohn Collection, Zurich; Wolff Family Collection, Jerusalem; and Deutsches Evangelisches Institut fur Altertumswissenschaft des Heiligen Landes, Jerusalem.

The exhibition is presented in collaboration with The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Cleveland, the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale and the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory.

It is curated by David Mevorah, curator of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Archaeology, and Yael Israeli, senior curator (emeritus) for archaeology and ancient glass, with a contribution by Adolfo Roitman, head of the Shrine of the Book and curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls. All artifacts are on loan from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The Michael C. Carlos Museum brings visitors in contact with masterworks from Egypt, the Near East, Greece, Rome, the Americas, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as prints and drawings from the Middle Ages to the present day, all housed in the stunning spaces of a building by world-renowned architect Michael Graves. An exciting array of special exhibitions, lectures, concerts and programs for children and families make the Carlos Museum a dynamic destination to experience the world's great art.

Emory University is one of the nation's leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report.