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Megillah
Megillah (plural: Megillat; Hebrew: ‘scroll’). A scroll containing any of five biblical texts appointed to be read on certain notable Jewish days; when the text is not specified, the term commonly refers to the scroll of the Old Testament Book of Esther, read during the feast of Purim, commemorating the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon. Esther scrolls read in synagogues are unornamented, but those for domestic use in prosperous families were often richly decorated—it is one of the few Jewish works with a consistent tradition of illumination. The earliest known illustrated Megillat are from 16th-century Italy, where the tradition flourished until the 18th century. They were also particularly popular in the Low Countries.
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IAN CHILVERS. "Megillah." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Megillah." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-Megillah.html IAN CHILVERS. "Megillah." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-Megillah.html |
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Megillah
Megillah a book of the Hebrew scriptures (the Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther) appointed to be read on certain Jewish notable days, especially the Book of Esther, read at the festival of Purim.
the whole megillah an informal expression for something in its entirety, especially a complicated set of arrangements or a long-winded story. The phrase, which represents Yiddish a gantse megile, alludes to the length of the Megillah. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Megillah." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Megillah." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Megillah.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Megillah." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Megillah.html |
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Megillah
Megillah (Heb., ‘scroll’). Each of the ‘five scrolls’ in the Hebrew Bible. The books of Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther are all referred to as ‘megillot’ (pl.), but later, Megillah came to refer to Esther alone. The term also refers to the tenth tractate in the Order Moʿed in the Mishnah.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Megillah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Megillah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Megillah.html JOHN BOWKER. "Megillah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Megillah.html |
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