Description
Book SynopsisCharts the theological defense of icons during the Iconoclastic controversies of the eighth and ninth centuries, whose high point came in AD 787, when the Second Council of Nicaea restored the cult of images in the church. This title demonstrates how the dogmas of the Trinity and the Incarnation eventually provided the basic rationale for images.
Trade Review"[Pelikan's] extraordinary breadth as a historian, not to mention his mastery of the Christian theological traditions, enables him to establish a proper context and a necessary rhetoric for the exploration of Byzantine icons."--John Wesley Cook, Theology Today "[T]his book is genuine cause for celebration. I look forward to recommending it heartily to students and colleagues alike."--Alexander Golitzin, Patristics "The book is beautifully produced and lavishly illustrated. Instructive and pleasing, Imago Dei repays both close reading and close viewing."--Cross Currents "[L]ucid, crisp, inclusive, comprehensive, and articulate."--Daniel J. Sahas, History of Christianity "Pelikan clearly delineates the path the theological defense of icons took during the iconoclastic controversies of the eighth and ninth centuries ... Commendably Pelikan addresses the role played by the other senses in the defense of icons. The fact that touch, taste, audition and smell were acceptable made it easier to argue for the place of the visual."--Theological Studies
Table of ContentsForeword vii Preface xix Illustrations xxi Abbreviations xxiii Introduction: The Idea in the Image Chapter 1: The Context Religion and "Realpolitik" Byzantine Style 7 Chapter 2: Graven Images The Ambiguity of the Iconographic Tradition 41 Chapter 3: Divinity Made Human Aesthetic Implications of the Incarnation 67 Chapter 4: The Senses Sanctified The Rehabilitation of the Visual 99 Chapter 5: Humanity Made Divine Mary the Mother of God 121 Chapter 6: The Great Chain of Images A Cosmology of Icons 153 Bibliography 183 Index 194
