A Guarded Reunion

A Guarded Reunion Commentary by Brad Anderson Cite Share Show Bible Passage Read by Ben Quash Matthäus Merian the Elder (1593–1650) was an artist and publisher born in Basel who spent much of his working life in Frankfurt. One of Merian’s engravings depicts the reunion of Jacob and Esau as recounted in Genesis 33. Merian’s detail-filled rendition of the scene highlights the broader context of conflict between the two brothers (Genesis 25; 27; 32), while also pointing to themes that had emerged in the history of interpretation of these biblical passages. We read in Genesis 33:1 that Esau came to meet Jacob with 400 men. Merian portrays this group as coming from the direction of the high ground at upper right. This reflects Esau’s connection with the mountainous region of Edom and Seir (Obadiah 1). In depicting Esau and his cohort as fighting men with helmets, shields, swords, and spears, Merian draws on an interpretive tradition, known in both Judaism and Christianity, that Esau approached his brother prepared for battle, with a small militia in tow. Esau himself is depicted with a sheathed sword, echoing the blessing from his father Isaac that ‘by your sword you shall live’ (Genesis 27:40). On the other side of the composition, behind Jacob, there are several groups, suggestive of the ‘camps’ into which Jacob divided his family on the journey (Genesis 32). Jacob’s camp includes camels, alluding to his prosperity—an indication of wealth that is reiterated in the money pouch hanging from his belt. If we turn our attention to the centre of the image, we come to the crux of the story: the embrace and reconciliation of the brothers. A striking feature of their depiction here is the reminder of the fact that they are twins who have been at odds since the womb: their stance and posture are mirrored, and while they seem about to embrace, their tense bodies also point to the potential of further conflict. References Anderson, Bradford A. 2011. Brotherhood and Inheritance: A Canonical Reading of the Esau and Edom Traditions (London: T & T Clark) Wüthrich, Lucas Heinrich. 2007. Matthaeus Merian d. Ä – Eine Biogaphie (Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe)