As you walk across the Charles Bridge in Prague there are many sculptures lining the bridge, all religious in nature. But this one, of Christ on a Crucifix with Hebrew letters stopped us in our tracks. It just seemed such an odd combination.
Doing a little reseach we found the story behind this unusual statue.I learned that in 1696 a wealthy Jew, awlaking by the statue refused to take his hat off and pay his respects. His fine was to buy the letters which adorned the statue. It was adding insult to injury since the letters spell out a bit of the Jewish text, honring God. It was insulting to have it placed around the statue of Christ who they did not recognize.
After almost 400 years, the question in Prague is it still insurlting, or a matter of historical signficance. A footnote on a time long past?
