Someone asked me today why Michelangelo's statue of Moses had horns. I
believe this is a question which has come up in another newsgroup or
mailing list, so people may already have seen it.
I heard ages ago that the custom of depicting Moses with horns derives
from a mistaken reading of the OT. When Moses came down from Sinai with
the Ten Commandments, his face was described as radiant or 'shining'.
Because the two words are similar in Hebrew, early translators
mistakenly read this as 'horned' and sculptors followed their lead.
I can't remember where I picked up this idea. Can anyone confirm it, or
does anyone have a different explanation?
Regards,
--
Avril
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|