Unforgettable Italy Contest. Moses by Michelangelo in Rome.

Michelangelo was a famous artist, sculptor, painter, architect and poet. He was at the forefront of the Italian Renaissance and created several masterpieces during his lifetime. Architectural and sculptural works are scattered in the churches and squares of Rome. Don't miss the marble sculpture of Moses he made for the tomb of Pope Julius II in San Pietro in Vincoli, a church near the Colosseum. The warrior Pope Julius II, Michelangelo's patron, commissioned the artist to build a tomb according to his ambitions for autonomy, a tomb which he would then place in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. At the age of 33, Michelangelo Buonarroti had painted only one painting before. Pope Julius II assumes the risk and entrusts the ceiling of the chapel. Michelangelo had read and reread the Bible hundreds of times and yet… How important is the correct translation of a text from one language to another and what huge mistakes can be made when some words are misinterpreted! Due to a mistranslation, the famous statue of Moses has horns, although it was designed for one of the most important churches of the papacy.

The confusion of the identical root of the two words was possible because, in the ancient Semitic writing, only the consonants were noted, and the vowels were intuited and pronounced according to the context. Starting with the sixth century AD, there is a reform of Hebrew writing that involves noting with specific signs usually under consonants the correct vowels. In our case, the Latin translator had only the unvocalized original under his eyes and misinterpreted the root ‘qrn’ being convinced of the validity of his version that he will be confronted with the same solution from Aquila's translation. Thus, the readers of the Vulgate persevered in reading this meaningless version, which is also due to the strange appearance of Moses in San Pietro in Vincoli. There is another explanation, namely that in medieval Europe, in Michelangelo's time, there was a strong current of anti-Semitism; Many Christian artists in Europe were required (especially by the Vatican) to represent Old Testament Jews with horns (to appear sold to the devil)! So, it would be nothing mystical, just political.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III
50mm ƒ/11 1/125s ISO 400
2018 San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome