Description
Book SynopsisEven the briefest glance at an art museum's holdings or an introductory history textbook demonstrates the profound influence of Christian images and art. From Idols to Icons tells the fascinating history of the dramatic shift in Christian attitudes toward sacred images from the third through the early seventh century. From attacks on the cult images of polytheism to the emergence of Christian narrative iconography to the appearance of portrait-type representations of holy figures, this book examines the primary theological critiques and defenses of holy images in light of the surviving material evidence for early Christian visual art. Against the previous assumption that fourth- and fifth-century Christians simply forgot or ignored their predecessors' censure and reverted to more alluring pagan practices, Robin M. Jensen contends that each stage of this profound change was uniquely Christian. Through a careful consideration of the cults of saints' remains, devotional portraits, and pilgrimages to sacred sites, Jensen shows how the Christian devotion to holy images came to be rooted in their evolving conviction that the divine was accessible in and through visible objects.
Trade Review"Elegantly designed and replete with full-color illustrations (many photographs by the author),
From Idols to Icons…will ignite scholarly dialogue beyond traditional disciplinary categories and methodologies into the foreseeable future." * CHOICE *
"This richly illustrated and subtly argued account…commends itself, and the author’s commitment to, and, indeed, affection for, her subject illuminates the text as it does the images." * Reading Religion *
Table of ContentsContents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Preface
1. Early Christian Condemnation of Idols
2. Aniconism: In Defense of the Invisible God
3. Epiphanies: Encountering the Visible God
4. Early Christian Pictorial Art: From Sacred Narratives to Holy Portraits
5. Holy Portraits: Controversies and Commendation
6. The True Likeness
7. Miraculous and Mediating Portraits
8. Materiality, Visuality, and Spiritual Insight
Epilogue: The Idols’ Last Stand
List of Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
General Index
Index of Sources
