EJP | News | Exploring the holy scriptures

	Tuesday, February 09, 2010 25 Shevat, 5770

News

France

Germany

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

EU-Israel affairs

US 2008 ELECTION

Iran - Holocaust

Conflict in Gaza

Voices

Culture

In Depth

Mideast Crisis

World Cup

On Anglo Jewry

Week at a glance

France Election

EU and Annapolis Summit

News from outside of Europe

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Mumbai Terror

DURBAN II

WILLIAMSON

The Calendar

Links

Exploring the holy scriptures

Updated: 06/Jan/2006 14:55

Haggadah, Passover ritual. Italy, 1583

Photo: BNF, Manuscrits, hebreu 1388 f. 7v

Page tools

	Email to friend
	Print this page
	Bookmark this page
	Add your view

An exhibition in Paris explores 3,000 years of history through the scriptures of the three monotheistic religions. “Books of words: Torah, Koran, Bible” shows how despite their common base, Judaism, Christianity and Islam developed original and different relationships to the texts.

The exhibition opens with the birth of monotheism and sets out to examine the holy books of the three religions that share the same origins.

The common text is the Old Testament or the Torah, a book written by the Jewish people.

Ancient documents

“With the advent of monotheism, the polytheistic, anthropomorphous divinities were replaced by a single God who could not be represented,” explained curator Annie Berthier.

“This Law or precept is common to the three founding texts and the languages that were originally used to spread the word of God were Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.”

Despite the common roots, each religion developed its own rites and rituals. “As they travelled around the world, the Hebrew Bibles continued to be influenced by local cultures, arts, and schools of thought,” said Berthier.

The exhibition aims to explain the relationship that Judaism, Christianity and Islam have to the Bible.

“We have gathered fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew manuscripts celebrating the exit from Egypt, illustrated Bibles from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, works by Gutenberg and Korans written in golden ink,” she added.

Young audience

Around 100 documents reveal the story of these books that have been passed on through generations, from owner to owner and across continents. Visitors can also listen to the various accounts of creation.

Berthier explains that the exhibition especially targets youngsters. “It is both educational and entertaining, combining text and image. We also wanted to help teachers who sometimes have trouble tackling the issue of religion. Pupils often question the issues raised through these complex topics,” she said.

The exhibition concludes with a phrase by the Persian poet Rumi: “God is the sound of water in the ears of the thirsty.”

“Books of the Word: Torah, Koran, Bible” runs until 30 April 2006 at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. For more information visit www.bnf.fr or phone : 01 53 79 59 59. Closed Mondays.

Daily quote

Ninety-seven saint days a year wouldn’t affect the theater, but two Yom Kippurs would ruin it

Brendan Behan, Irish author, who was born on 9 February 1923

Day in history

1994: Yugoslavia

Peace plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina announced (so called Vance-Owen peace plan)