Canon to Canvas: Biblical Texts in Art

How have artists across centuries interpreted the Bible's most iconic narratives? What do their visual choices reveal about how different eras understood sacred text? In this four-part series, renowned biblical scholars Robert Alter and Ron Hendel, in conversation with art historians, explore how scripture has been translated into visual art. Through close readings of biblical passages paired with careful analysis of masterworks by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and others, we'll examine how painters and sculptors have wrestled with the complexities of biblical stories and characters, from divine revelation to human frailty. Discover how the act of translation from text to image creates new meanings and interpretations across millennia.

Who this is for: This course is for anyone interested in the relationship between words and images, text and art. No prior expertise in Bible, Hebrew, or art history is required, just curiosity and a willingness to look closely. Whether you're drawn to great paintings, fascinated by biblical stories, or simply enjoy exploring big ideas through conversation, you'll find something here. If you've ever wondered what artists see when they read scripture, or what we might discover about a text by seeing how it's been visualized, this course is for you.

What you'll leave with: You'll gain new skills in reading biblical texts with attention to their narrative artistry and literary techniques, while developing a vocabulary for analyzing how visual artists interpret scriptural stories. You'll understand how the process of translation from text to canvas involves interpretive choices that reveal both the biblical source and the artist's historical moment. Most importantly, you'll be able to see both text and art with fresh eyes, recognizing how meaning shifts and deepens as stories move across mediums.