Artists as Authors:  How Paintings Have Influenced our Interpretation of the Bible 

Many biblical passages are silent when it comes to details regarding particular stories.  For example, the Hebrew text states that Adam and Eve ate a piece of fruit (not an apple).  Over the centuries, artists have frequently painted this scene with the fruit being an apple.  As we read the text of Genesis today, we find ourselves imagining the fruit as an apple because we have seen paintings representing the fruit as an apple. 

We will explore this and other biblical stories where artists have imagined (and painted) into their works details that are not explicitly stated in the biblical text.
What impact do these artistic innovations have on our reading and interpretation of biblical texts?

$15

 Now as an adjunct professor at Ursuline, George continues to teach Bioethics, a course required for all Ursuline nursing majors.  Because of his expertise in Bioethics, George has been appointed to and currently serves on the Ethics Committees of both St. Vincent Charity Medical Center and Jennings Center for Older Adults. 

George has a strong interest in the ethical dimension of human relationships with animals and has lectured at the National Animal Rights Conference several times.  He has published reviews of several books in the field of Animals and Ethics.  George has lectured at conferences at Oxford University, England, as well as at Yale University and Michigan State University.  Locally, George has offered conferences on biblical, ethical, and theological topics in parishes throughout the Diocese of Cleveland. 

George has served both as a faculty member and a Board member of the Cleveland Ecumenical Institute for Religious Studies for several years and presently serves as the Board President. George resides in Lyndhurst with his cats Jazzy and Sparky.