Growing up, my mom and I always sat in the South transept of this sanctuary. This meant that for an hour or so ever week I would stare at the windows in the north transept to try to amuse myself and pass the time until the service ended. Since I’ve spent so uch time staring at these windows already, I feel compelled to analyze them now.
Since it is so hard to convey depth or realistic space on stained glass windows, I think most of the meaning must be found and expressed in the symbols. I find it interesting that in the left most window in the North transept there is an image of Moses carrying both the commandments and the Stele of Hamurabi. The stele of Hamurabi is, I believe, the first example of codified law in a civilization. Perhaps the commandments themselves are older, but I think the stele takes the cake. Plus, it was created by a man, not God. It is undoubtedly significant that Moses is carrying both these things.
This window is in memory of Charles McCormick who was both a religious man and the Dean of the Law School. I believe that the fact that Moses is carrying these two different kinds of law symbolizes a desire to reconcile holy and secular law into a single code. This is a desire I do not share because I believe it would mean the end of separation of church and state.
Upon closer examination, I am mistaken. It appears that Moses is carrying the tablet from Sinai, and the stele of Hamurabi is separately depicted below. This clears up the issue of how Moses got a hold of the stele, and I believe the symbolic meaning of the window remains the same.