The Image of the Jew in Byzantine Art is the first study of the relationship between the attitude to the Jews in contemporary texts and their corresponding representation in Eastern art. The analysis initially explores the documented antisemitic attitude of the Eastern Church and its pervasive influence on the role of the Byzantine Emperors. However, Dr Revel-Neher's discussion of the many illustrations of contemporary images (most seen in the West for the first time) shows that, unlike the Western art of the period, the Byzantine images aimed at an objective reflection of daily reality and were not subject to the antisemitic doctrines of the Church. The authenticity of the images is the hallmark of the Byzantine attitude to the Jews, in stark contrast to the grotesque and caricatural images in Western iconography.
