Join us as we explore Art and the Book of Esther! We’ll meet at the Study Center for teaching on Esther from Devin Moncada, then head to the NC Museum of Art!
The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt
Read on the annual Jewish holiday of Purim, the Book of Esther recounts the struggle and triumph of the Jewish people in exile under the Persian empire of Ahasuerus. Esther, who hides her Jewish identity as the new wife of the Persian king, speaks up against the king’s chief adviser, saving the Jews from annihilation. Popular representations of Esther’s story in 17th-century Dutch paintings, prints, drawings, and decorative arts came to embody the Netherland’s religious and political independence in the face of oppressive Spanish rule. Netherlanders, including Rembrandt and his contemporaries, embraced Esther as a personification of their emerging nation’s identity, crafting her into a new heroine for a new century. Charting this history through objects and artworks, The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt provides an original perspective on one of the most studied periods of Dutch prosperity.
Devin Moncada
Devin was born and raised in Louisiana, but he now lives in Wake Forest with his wife Evan and their children, time with whom he enjoys like cold, summer treats that always seem to melt too quickly. He graduated from Louisiana College (BA) and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv) and is pursuing a PhD in Old Testament at SEBTS. He joined Imago Dei in 2016 and started serving as a lay pastor in 2021. He enjoys sourdough bread, coffee, biking, and uncovering his buried feelings with a Fredrik Backman novel.