Consider this Hebrew manuscript of the Book of Exodus from 10th century Egypt, now in the collection of the British Library: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/karaite-book-of-exodus-or-2540. (note: the text is written in Arabic rather than in Hebrew)
How does the illumination of the manuscript compare to the art of Qur’ans that we have studied so far (be specific)? Why do you think the Jewish community commissioned this biblical text in this way? If you had to select from the following headings – Islamic art or Jewish art – how would you classify this object? Why? What other categories or terminology might you use to describe it? Reflect on the task of categorization – what did you think about in trying to determine the most fitting category? What did you struggle with? What does this tell you about the nature of identity in the medieval period?
Sample Solution
