SHALOM SABAR «The Right Path for an Artist»: the Approach of Leone da Modena to Visual Art UTSRQPONMLKJIHG Introduction: Ha/oklia and Art in Jewish Thought The development of the visual arts within Judaism was influenced mainly by the tension between the exegesis of the Second Commandment (Exodus 20: 4-5, Deuteronomy 5:8-9) and the approach of the general society to visual culture.' This can be illustrated clearly by the dramatic changes that occurred in the art of the synagogue in Eretz Israel during the transition from the late Roman rule and the Byzantine period to the Moslem period. Under the strong influence of Roman culture and sub - sequently the Christian - both of which supported and even encouraged the visual arts, including figurative, within their places of worship - Talmudic rabbis allowed, albeit not encouraged, the adornment and de - coration of synagogues with colourful mosaic floors and a variety of images drawn directly from general art.- However, following the Moslem con - quest and the introduction of new and stricter guidelines as to the place 'Much lileraiure has been published on Ihis topic. See, for example, Rolh (1961 and cols. 17-35); Gulinann (1970); Konikoff (1973). Other sources are quoted in the following footnote. ’ On the approach to visual art in the Pagan culture and the complex problems it posed to early Christianity, see. for instance, Bcvan (1940); Ladner (1953). For the reactions of our Sages to this issue, in light of the uncovered synagogue art of the Late Antique period, see the classic study of Urbach (1959). Other very important studies, dealing with this problem in Talmudic times: Baumgarten (1970); Prigent (1991). An example that encapsulates the rabbis ’ attitude to this topic is the famous saying in tractate 'Avoduh Zaru/i in the .lerusalem Talmud (3.b): «In the days of Rabbi .lohanan [Bar Nappha, died in 279 CE] they began to paint on walls, and he did not prevent them. In the days of Rabbi Abun [of Tiberias, first half of the 4"' Century] they began to make designs on [floor] mosaics and he did not prevent them». These lines are left out of the accepted printed texts, but can be found in a manuscript fragment of the .lerusalem Talmud first published and rightly evaluated by Epstein (1931-32: 15f., 20).