Food Metaphors for the Experience of the Divine in Jewish and Christian Tradition
Date of Lecture: March 20, 2014
About the Speaker: Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus, professor and chair of religion and coordinator of Jewish Studies at Wheaton College, has written extensively on meals in Jewish and early Christian tradition and contributes regularly to the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery. He is the author of the forthcoming book "More Than Kosher."
About the Talk: Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus analyzes biblical passages and religious rituals that are intended to create synaesthetic, or multi-sensory, experiences. He compares artistic interpretations by Rembrandt and Caravaggio of the meal at Emmaus, when Jesus appeared to two disciples after his resurrection and becomes "known to them in the breaking of the bread." He explores Jewish tradition of reading at the table as a way of elevating the meal, and the layers of meaning in juxtaposing bitter and sweet in the Hillel sandwich.
The event was supported by the Kraft-Hiatt Fund for Jewish-Christian Understanding.
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