Samantha Burton, Elliott Wise, Art History

Historically, Jews have been cast as the demonic “Other” in Renaissance art. Depicted in gaudy apparel with grotesque faces, Jews are often portrayed as villains—perpetrators of Christ’s suffering in crucifixion scenes and defilers of the host, or sacramental bread, in scenes portraying the Eucharist. Immersed in an environment of intense artistic, ideological, and oppressive anti-­‐Semitism, Renaissance Jewish manuscripts become particularly loaded and pivotal in understanding a Jewish response to this anti-­‐Semitism and specifically to understanding a Jewish response to important doctrinal questions defining Catholicism, Protestantism, and Judaism.

The Darmstadt Haggadah (1430) represents a particularly interesting haggadah manuscript produced in an intellectual and theological hub of central Germany, rife with religious controversy. To the north, Gutenberg had just printed his first Bible with moveable type. In a few years, Martin Luther would post his 95 Theses. Central to this religious controversy was the question of the Eucharist as Christ’s true sacrament. Legends and images of the Eucharist often situate the Jews as defilers of the host just as they were the original villains demanding Christ’s blood and body. Haggadah manuscripts, like the Darmstadt Haggadah, become particularly relevant in the Jewish response to this issue because they contain the script for the prototype of the Eucharistic celebration—the Passover feast. The Jewish Seder celebrates the redemption of the Jews just as the Mass celebrates the redemption of the participants through Christ. The Passover’s focus on matzah and wine directly correspond to the Host and chalice in the Mass. The haggadah text itself actually represents a set compilation of homiletic verses, poetry, song, and readings from the scriptures, all largely concerned with the story of the Israelites. Because the text is set, the images become even more valuable in interpreting, expounding, and commenting on that text. Unlike other contemporary haggadahs, the Darmstadt Haggadah’s images not only totally depart from traditional imagery but they also appropriate Christian iconography.

Unlike typical haggadah imagery which includes rich scenes related to the Exodus story, the preparation of the Seder feast, and the Seder meal itself, the Darmstadt Haggadah’s images portray contemporary subjects, odd and often incomplete depictions of the Seder meal, and allusions to Christian iconography. For example, the haggadah’s folio 48v depicts a woman dressed in a deep blue garment, a bearded old man, and a young man with an open book in his lap. If this was a Christian scene, these figures would easily be interpreted as Mary, God the Father, and Christ.1 Many scholars, including prominent German scholar Bruno Italiener,2 argue that the images of the Darmstadt Haggadah seem to demonstrate such a strong Christian 1 influence that they must have been produced by Christian artists. As I began to research this specific haggadah, I hesitated to embrace this same conclusion specifically as I honed my focus on its folio 37v. Its image represents one of the only images clearly connected to the text with its curious portrayal of a Seder meal. Marked by vibrant colors, this image depicts a distinctive Seder meal with nine men sitting around a table on which only the matzah is present. The structure itself emphasizes a large Hebrew letter situated in the center of the composition that effectively functions as the missing Seder cup.

Rather than find that these images represent relative typological outliers, I found that folio 37v departs from Haggadah typological conventions and appropriates Christian typology as a way of both responding to contemporary religious controversy and also as an act of self-­‐preservation. As I looked closer at this image, I was intrigued by its highly unorthodox portrayal of nine men around the table instead of eight. As I performed more research, I found striking comparisons to a pervasive medieval motif: the Nine Worthies. The Nine Worthies represent a triad of triads: three ideal examples of chivalric virtue from paganism, Judaism, and Christianity. Instead of depicting an exclusive group of Jews, I found that the Darmstadt Haggadah actually portrays a group of pagans, Jews and Christians. Understanding that this group is religiously diverse brings important ramifications—the words that accompany this image state: “Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that do not know you and upon the kingdoms that did not call out in Your name.” At this Seder table, those who do know His name, drink a cup of redemption, but those that do not, will drink the cup of wrath.

As I was able to travel around Europe, I learned more about the anti-­‐Semitic culture that would have influenced the creation of this haggadah. Particularly, as I was able to perform research in the British Library, I was able to find a text describing and narrating the trial of a group of Jews who were spuriously charged of murdering a young boy, Simon of Trent, to use his blood in their Passover feast. Discovering this chilling narrative helped demonstrate just how pivotal this question of the true sacrament becomes in defining Jewish identity. If their Passover is the true sacrament, then Christianity’s claim is illegitimate. Understanding this blood libel gives significant added strength to an argument that the Darmstadt Haggadah not only rejects the Eucharist but also condemns both its practice as a false type of the Seder and its Christian worshippers as persecutors of the Jews. As I continued my research, I focused on the image’s depiction of the letter in the center of the image. In the image, I argue that the letter actually takes the form of a cup. As I was able to research in the British Library, I found images of early Jewish poetry that demonstrated images outlined from elaborate strings of text—these diagrams and images often embellish the meaning of the text, and in some cases provide the answers to questions posed. This specific finding helped cement an argument that this letter is supposed to symbolize the cup whereby either the wrath or redemption is “poured out” on the participants below.

As I progressed deeper into my research, I was able to see that this project needs even more work. I will continue to examine this haggadah and its ramifications, hopefully to extend my analysis to another one of its folios, folio 38v. I also plan to present and publish my current findings in the following year (I will be unable to present in 2018 because I will be on a mission).

Gutmann, Joseph. Hebrew Manuscript Painting. (1st ed. New York: George Braziller, Inc., 1978), 96. 2 Die Darmstädter Pessach-­‐Haggadah. Edited by Erich Zimmermann, Joseph Gutmann, Hermann Knaus et al., . 2 Die Darmstädter Pessach-­‐Haggadah. Edited by Erich Zimmermann, Joseph Gutmann, Hermann Knaus et al., . (Propyläen Verlag, Berlin, 1972), 90.