“[W]ere he only a con artist, Jacob would not be
worthy of our interest. But Jacob is a dreamer, a legacy he will pass on to his
son Joseph, and, in a supreme moment of self-transcendence, he wrestles with an
angel and is transformed into Israel—one who struggles with God. Faithful and
guileful, there is an unevenness to his character.”-- David Wolpe, “Patriarch of Identity: Who is Jacob, and What Does He Mean?” The Weekly
Standard, March 18, 2013
The portion of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel shown
here depicts The Ancestors of Christ:
Jacob, Joseph (1512).
