Rembrandt Reads Genesis

Abstract

Rembrandt emerges as a visual interpreter of Genesis whose biblical art reflects the Hebraism, Jewish presence, and religious diversity of seventeenth-century Amsterdam. Through scenes of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph’s sons, Rembrandt moved beyond narrow Christian typology toward psychologically rich, humanistic readings of biblical figures. While not a biblical commentator in the rabbinic or theological sense, Rembrandt gave Genesis characters vivid inner lives.