189k views
0 votes
What was weird about the Bible in the golden box?

User Jejuni
by
7.6k points

1 Answer

6 votes

Final answer:

The 'weird' aspect about the Bible in a golden box may refer to the use of ornate containers and illustrations for Biblical texts despite prohibitions against graven images. These objects often served educational, relic housing, or status-displaying purposes and were influenced by contemporary art styles, such as the Gothic period, while sometimes containing cryptic scripts related to secret or sacred knowledge.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question seems to refer to the peculiar practice of creating art that included Biblical scenes or texts stored in ornate containers, which could be considered 'weird' because of the religious prohibition against creating graven images. This practice is particularly noteworthy in the context of the iconoclastic controversies within Christianity and Judaism's interpretation of the Second Commandment. Some artifacts like golden boxes, ivory caskets, or illuminated manuscripts like the Golden Haggadah, contained illustrations of Biblical figures or scenes. Despite the Second Commandment forbidding such imagery, these objects were often produced either for educational purposes, to house relics, or to demonstrate wealth and status, as indicated by the elaborate embellishments and the use of precious materials.

Renaissance art, particularly during the Gothic period, also depicted Biblical characters in the style of contemporary royalty, indicating a cultural integration of religious imagery with prevailing artistic norms of the time. Moreover, books with secret or sacred knowledge, like the ones mentioned in Mithraic rituals or Egyptian temple rites, which could be written in cryptic scripts or languages, were stored in such ornate containers, increasing their aura of mystery and sanctity. Therefore, the 'weird' aspect of the Bible in the golden box could refer to the incongruity of sacred texts and prohibitions on imagery with the opulent and illustrated objects used to contain or represent them.

User Irobson
by
8.1k points