Research Catalog

Temptation transformed the story of how the forbidden fruit became an apple

Title
Temptation transformed [electronic resource] : the story of how the forbidden fruit became an apple / Azzan Yadin-Israel.
Author
Yadin-Israel, Azzan.
Publication
Chicago : University of Chicago Press, [2022]

Available Online

Available onsite at NYPL

Details

Description
1 online resource (xii, 181 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates) : chiefly color illustrations.
Summary
"Adam, Eve, the Serpent, the Garden of Eden...and the apple. That fruit is one of the most potent symbols in all of human history. It is so closely tied to temptation, knowledge, the "Fall of Man," and sin that it needs no explanation when deployed in everything from art to advertising to movies. It's no secret that the fruit in the Book of Genesis is never actually identified as an apple. So how did we get to this common association? The standard story, repeated since at least the seventeenth century, is that it is due to a Latin pun. But what if that story is wrong? In Temptation Transformed, scholar of religion Azzan Yadin-Israel offers a different story. He examines how the Fall of Man was represented in art form early Christianity through the Renaissance, revealing that the iconography of the apple emerged in twelfth-century France. From there it spread to England, Germany, and the Low Countries, while remaining only a marginal presence in Italy and Spain for centuries. Armed with the when and where, Yadin-Israel then explains why the apple tradition arose and circulated as it did. Surprisingly, the answer is found in the evolution of Europe's vernaculars. Three centuries is a long time to labor under a misconception, especially one that involves the most prominent biblical symbol other than the cross. Through an interdisciplinary engagement of scholastic commentary, Christian iconography, and Fall of Man narratives, Temptation Transformed offers a long-overdue corrective"--
Uniform Title
Temptation transformed (Online)
Alternative Title
Temptation transformed (Online)
Subject
  • Bible. > Criticism, interpretation, etc
  • Apples > Religious aspects
  • Temptation in the Bible
  • Eden
  • Apples in art
  • Temptation in art
Genre/Form
Electronic books.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access (note)
  • Access restricted to authorized users.
ISBN
  • 9780226820767
  • 9780226822129 (canceled/invalid)
LCCN
2022004670
OCLC
ssj0002717986
Author
Yadin-Israel, Azzan.
Title
Temptation transformed [electronic resource] : the story of how the forbidden fruit became an apple / Azzan Yadin-Israel.
Imprint
Chicago : University of Chicago Press, [2022]
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access
Access restricted to authorized users.
Connect to:
Available onsite at NYPL
View in Legacy Catalog