Serpent of Bronze
- DATABASE: see Category:Serpent of Bronze (subject)
- SOURCES: see Serpent of Bronze (sources)
The Serpent of Bronze refers to an episode in the narrative of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Numbers 21:4-9).
Overview
According to ancient Jewish tradition (Numbers 21), in the desert of Exodus the people of Israel murmured against God. As a punishment many died of the poisonous bites of "fiery serpents". Moses erected the bronze image of a serpent, so that the sufferers could look at it as an act of repentance and be healed.
According to the Books of Kings, the image was put in the Jerusalem Temple and became an object of adoration until it was destroyed by King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4).
The Gospel of John reinterpreted the image as a symbol of the cross, while the Mishnah would remind its readers that it was God not the serpent who brought salvation.
The Serpent of Bronze in the Arts
Following the interpretation of the Gospel of John, Christian art would often represent the episode as a prophecy of the death of Jesus on the cross.