Moses Before Burning Bush

Moses Before Burning Bush is a 1960 bronze relief sculpture by Milton Horn. It depicts a scene from Abrahamic mythology where Moses encounters a flaming bush while climbing Mount Horeb. God speaks from the bush and appoints Moses to lead the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan. In Horn's version of the scene, Moses kneels before God and an angel, who appear in a radiant circle representing the bush. Two goats in front of Moses simultaneously recall his role as a shepherd while foreshadowing his future responsibility. This version was not the first depiction of the biblical scene that Milton Horn created, nor was it even the first version for Temple Israel in Charleston. Horn, who was a devoted Jew, who created several depictions of the Moses and Burning Bush myth for synagogues in Chicago. Additionally, he also created a version of this scene out of wood to be used for the doors of Temple Israel. Though this remained installed for many years, it is unclear why it was removed or where it is now. Perhaps it has to do with ideological shifts. Horn's wooden doors included a pointed message about the role of representational imagery and figures in the church. It suggested that worshipping images of the divine is crucial. The bronze Moses Before Burning Bush is far less controversial, and fits more easily into traditional Jewish narratives. During his lifetime, Horn worked with architect Frank Lloyd Wright, contributed hundreds of public sculptures to cities across the United States, and advocated for public art.