Sarcophagus with the scene of the Crossing of the Red Sea

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Sarcophagus with the scene of the Crossing of the Red Sea
Sarcophagus with the scene of the Crossing of the Red Sea
“Column” sarcophagi

Here there appears the scene of the crossing of the Red Sea, narrated in the biblical Book of Exodus: the Egyptian army, led by the Pharaoh on a chariot, follows the Jews across the dry seabed (represented by the semi-reclined personification of the Eritrean Sea); further ahead there is Moses, extending the divine stick (lost) to close the sea behind him over his pursuers. He is followed by his rescued people, with Mary, sister of Aaron, who sings a hymn of thanksgiving, while at the side there is the pillar of fire from the biblical text. The scene symbolically recalls the idea of the passage from death to life, principally referring to the Paschal story of Jesus but clearly implying, considering the funerary context, the hope of life after death for the faithful. The sarcophagus is of a type known in the times of the Emperor Theodosius (379-395 A.D.), called “of the Red Sea Crossing” for the exceptional prominence given to the biblical scene, which occupies the entire front part.