Rejecting the Image
Focussing on the word: a yad is used to follow the text during readings from the Torah, to avoid any damage to the delicate parchment.
A striking cobalt blue mosque lamp, from around 1570, shows an Islamic way of doing honour to the word - calligraphy. In Jewish religious ceremonies a yad - a small silver rod with a little hand and a pointing index finger - is used to follow the text during readings from the Torah, to avoid any damage to the delicate parchment. Neil MacGregor reflects on faiths which focus on the word rather than the image as an expression of beliefs.
Image: A yad, Credit: British Museum
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- Sun 18 Mar 2018 03:32GMT大象传媒 World Service except News Internet
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