Mosaic of the Hospitality and Sacrifice of Abraham 547

This mosaic of the Hospitality and Sacrifice of Abraham was made by Byzantine artists in Ravenna, Italy, during the early medieval period. It depicts two scenes, Abraham welcoming three angels and then preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac. The Basilica of San Vitale, where this mosaic is found, was commissioned by the church and the Byzantine state, suggesting that the artwork was a product of the collaboration between religious and political institutions. In the mid-sixth century, Ravenna was under Byzantine rule. The depiction of Abraham’s hospitality towards the three angels highlights the Christian virtue of welcoming strangers and suggests how the church saw itself. The story of sacrifice is about obedience to God, another important element of Christian doctrine. Byzantine mosaics tell us about the society that made them, but also how the religious community wanted to see and represent itself. To understand the role of the church, the state, and the beliefs of this society, we need to do historical research, looking into surviving written records.