Abraham: The first of the great Hebrew patriarchs of the Old Testament. Attribute is the knife. Popular subjects include: The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek; Abraham and the Three Angels; The Banishment of Hagar and Ishmael; The Sacrifice of Isaac; the Binding of Isaac.
Adam and Eve: God created Adam and Eve together with the plants and animals on the sixth day. Subjects include: Garden of Eden; The Naming of the animals; The Temptation – God warns Adam not to eat fruit of the “tree of knowledge of good and evil”; The Expulsion – Adam and Eve are cast out of the garden – often naked.
Cain and Abel: The first children of Adam and Eve. Cain was a farmer and Abel a nomadic shepherd. Subjects include: Their offerings to God; Cain Killing Abel.
Daniel: One of the four “greater prophets’ (others are Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah). Rose to influence in the Babylonian court in part due to his skill interpreting dreams. Subjects include: The three Hebrews in the fiery furnace; Daniel in the lions’ den.
David: Shepherd boy who became king of Israel. Attributes include: stringed instrument, usually a harp, and a crown. Subjects include: David anointed by Samuel; David Playing the Harp; David Slaying the lion and the bear; David and Goliath; The Offering of Abigail; David Dancing with the Ark; David and Bathsheba; David and Absalom .
Elijah: Hebrew prophet, a forceful character, who vigorously opposed the cult of Baal among the Israelites. Subjects include: Elijah fed by ravens; Elijah and the widow of Zarephath; Rival sacrifices of Elijah and the priests of Baal; Elijah visited by an angel; The Chariot of Fire.
Esther: Young Jew intercedes with Persian king, Ahasuerus, to prevent the massacre of her people. Mordecai is spared and Haman is sent to the gallows.
Ezekiel: One of the four “greater prophets”, exiled to Babylon. Often shown experiencing visions.
Isaac: The second of the great Hebrew patriarchs. As a child God commanded that he be sacrificed by his father Abraham (spared); in old age deceived into giving his blessing to Jacob instead by Esau by Rebecca his wife.
Isaiah: One of the four “greater prophets”. Attribute is a scroll. Often associated with the Annunciation, The Last Judgment, and The Coronation of the Virgin.
Jacob: The twin brother of Esau and the third of the great Hebrew patriarchs. His story represented in art as separate scenes or in cycles: Isaac Blessing Jacob; Jacob’s Ladder; Leah, Rachel and Laban; Jacob Wrestling with the Angel.
Jeremiah: One of the four “greater prophets”; often shown lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem.
Job: An upright man of Uz whose steadfast refusal to abandon his God in the face of misfortune epitomizes the problem of human suffering. Scenes include: Temptation; livestock stolen and destroyed; servants slain; children die in hurricane which razes his house; covered in boils from head to foot. Finally restored to his health and prosperity.
Jonah: Disobeys God, flees in boat and is threatened in tempest , thrown overboard into mouth of great fish (whale), repents and is disgorged unharmed from the mouth of the fish.
Joseph: Elder son of Jacob and Rachel; numerous older half brothers were sons of Jacob and Leah. Many scenes in his life are depicted: Joseph sold into slavery; Joseph and Potiphar’s wife; The Interpreter of Dreams; Joseph’s family in Egypt; Jacob Blessing Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph.
Joshua: Moses’ successor who captured Jericho.
Judith: Jewish patriotic heroine and a symbol of the Jews’ struggle against oppressors in the near east. Usually shown holding the head of Holofernes, the Assyrian general, whom she decapitated. Frequently accompanied by a maid who holds a sack.
Lot: The nephew of Abraham. The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot made drunk by his two daughters.
Moses: Great leader of the Jewish people, lawgiver and founder of their institutional religion, and brother of Aaron. Generally depicted with white beard and flowing hair. Sometimes depicted with horns (rays of light). Subjects include: The finding of Moses; The infant Moses; Moses Slaying the Egyptian; the Daughters of Jethro; Moses and the Burning Bush; The Passover and the death of the firstborn; The Crossing of the Red Sea; The Gathering of Manna; Moses Drawing Water form the Rock; Moses’ arms held up by Aaron and Hur; Moses Receives the Tablets of Law; The Israelites worship a Golden Calf ; The Brazen Serpent; Death of Moses.
Noah: Descended form Adam and Eve through son Seth. Usually shown as an aged white bearded man. Subjects: Building the Ark; The Flood; The Sacrifice of Noah; The Drunkenness of Noah.
Rebecca: Wife of Isaac – usually shown giving water to Eliezer at the well prior to her marriage to Isaac.
Samson: One of the Old Testament judges. Has great physical strength and a womanizer. Scenes include: Samson’s birth foretold; The Sacrifice of Manoah; Samson slays the lion; Samson smites the Philistine with the jawbone of an ass; Samson and Delilah; Death of Samson, ‘eyeless’ in Gaza.
Solomon: The son of David and Bathsheba and the third king of united Israel; wisdom was proverbial. His reign saw the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. Subjects: Solomon supervising the construction of the Temple; The Judgment of Solomon; Solomon and the Queen of Sheba; Solomon’s idolatry.
Susanna: A factional heroine whose innocent virtue triumphed in the end over villainy. She was desired by two elders who spy on her while she is bathing. She is accused of adultery but is saved by Daniel.
Tower of Babel: Tower built to the heavens, but God confused people’s language so building was never finished.
Vices: Lust, Avarice, Gluttony, Wrath, Pride, Envy, Sloth
Virtues: Faith, Hope, Charity, Justice, Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance