Noble is professor of history at the university of notre dame. Byzantine iconoclasm refers to two periods in the history of the byzantine empire when the use. The destruction and mutilation of images is often motivated by a blend of political and religious ideas and beliefs, and the distinction between various kinds of iconoclasms is not absolute. Iconoclasm and its impact on the byzantine empire or. Many historians believe that emperor leo iii was the culmination of this debate, sparking a movement that was known as the byzantine iconoclasm. Between the 720s and 760s, the mosaic floors in these buildings, which originally included depictions of humans and animals, were at least partially rearranged to depict. In the west, pope gregory iii held two synods at rome and condemned leos actions, and in. Buddhism and iconoclasm in east asia book also available for read online, mobi, docx and mobile and kindle reading.
The first iconoclasm, as it is sometimes called, lasted between about 730. Definition of icons icons from the greek eikones are sacred images representing the saints, christ, and the virgin, as well as narrative scenes such as christs baptism 20. Saint gregory of tours, bishop and writer whose ten books of histories is the major 6thcentury source for studying the merovingian kingdom of the franks. In the history of islam the act of removing idols from the kaba in mecca has great symbolic and historic importance. Images, iconoclasm, and the carolingians by thomas f. However, the byzantine iconoclasm refers to two periods in the history of the byzantine empire when the use of religious images or icons was opposed by religious and imperial authorities. The iconoclasts those who rejected images objected to icon veneration for several reasons, including the possibility of idolatry. Another important issue of tension was the role of images in worship. Images, iconoclasm, and the carolingians the middle ages series. Arguments relied mostly on the old testament prohibition quoted above.
But damage can also be invisible, and the actions of iconoclasm can be subtle and varying. Jstor is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students. An immensely scholarly and interesting book on the carolingian response to. The iconoclasm, in short, was a period in byzantine history where the use of religious images and icons were strongly opposed by both church figures and state officials within the empire. Sebalds book on the natural history of destruction, an. Iconoclasm in the southern provinces a number of churches and synagogues located in jordan and palestine show signs of apparent iconoclastic activity from the eighth century. Adaptation and developments in western buddhism examines the uk socially engaged buddhist experience captured through a series of five case studies of buddhist groups and a survey undertaken over two years in the field.
Icons and iconoclasm in byzantium on the metropolitan museum of arts heilbrunn timeline of art history the power of icons the triumph of images. The concept of iconoclasm entails a contestation over and destruction of images coinciding with a belief in the fallacious nature of their representation. An overview iconoclasm can be defined as the intentional desecration or destruction of works of art, especially those containing human figurations, on religious principles or beliefs. The word iconoclasm is most often used in relation to sculpture, because it is sculptures that most visibly bear witness to physical damage. The iconoclasm is the period in byzantine history when the validity of icons were debated. In the sixteenth century, western humanists gave this eastern roman.
This book focuses on iconoclastic controversies and, in particular, their impact on the creation of religious identities. The history of art is the history of iconoclasm, the history of some new voice saying that everything you know is wrong. Despite the many outbreaks of iconoclasm throughout history, deliberate and public destruction of historical cultural heritage seems to be an aspect of iconoclasm that has only occurred in the last fifty years. Iconoclasm byzantine as with other doctrinal issues in the byzantine period, the controversy over iconoclasm was by no means restricted to the clergy, or to arguments from theology. More general usage of the term signifies either the rejection, aversion, or regulation of images and imagery, regardless of the rationale or intent.
Some iconophiles, people who loved and supported icons, wanted the icons to remain. The objection to the representation can stem from any number of factors disagreement over the truth of the representations referent, with the manner in which the referent is depicted, etc. Iconoclasm is frequently a component of major domestic political or religious changes. Iconoclasm eikonoklasmos, imagebreaking is the name of the heresy that in the eighth and ninth centuries disturbed the peace of the eastern church, caused the last of the many breaches with rome that prepared the way for the schism of photius, and was echoed on a smaller scale in the frankish kingdom in the west. His writings demonstrate his concern with church legislation, and he was known for his promotion of the cults of numerous saints. By comparing arttexts with laws, letters, poems, and other sources, noble reveals the power and magnitude of the key discourses of the carolingian world during its most dynamic and creative decades. This volume explores iconoclasm and text destruction in ancient near eastern antiquity through examination of the anthropological, cultural, historical, and political aspects of these practices. In eighth and ninthcentury byzantium there arose a heated controversy over religious art, known as the iconoclastic controversy. This is the first book in english for over fifty years to survey this most elusive and fascinating period in medieval history. Analyzing hundreds of pages of arttexts, laws, letters, and poems, this book examines the wider context of the debate by providing the first comprehensive study of the western response to byzantine iconoclasm.
A short guide to iconoclasm in early history jstor daily. Berghahn books in association with the faculty of humanities, development and social sciences, university of. It was widely perceived in the western media as a result of the muslim prohibition against figural decoration. Iconoclasm, greek for imagebreaking, is the deliberate destruction within a culture of the cultures own religious icons and other symbols or monuments. Founded in 2006, historum is a history forum dedicated to history discussions and historical events. Stephen gero, byzantine iconoclasm during the reign of. The first iconoclasm, as it is sometimes called, existed. Iconoclasm literally means iconbreaking, which includes the religious as well as political destruction of images or monuments, usuallythough not alwaysthose of another religious group. Iconoclasm is the belief that there should not be religious pictures or. But it was clear that this prohibition was not absolute since god also instructs how to make three dimensional representations of the cherubim heavenly spirits or angels for the ark of the covenant, which is also quoted in the old testament, just a couple of. Davor dzalto, iconoclastic controversies, in smarthistory, august 8, 2015, accessed may 20, 2020, medieval. This book reinterprets the history of the period, challenges many traditional assumptions about iconoclasm, and sets it firmly in its broader political, cultural and. This book focuses on one important but neglected and misunderstood segment of those histories.
Eulogizing the propagation of the illustrious religion in china, with a preface, composed by a priest of the syriac church, 781 a. Iconoclasm article about iconoclasm by the free dictionary. Moreover, modern comprehension of iconoclasm is strongly influenced by its conception during the reformation. Iconoclasm is the social belief in the importance of the destruction of icons and other images or. Edward james martins a history of the iconoclastic controversy london, n. The history of iconoclasm, or image breaking, reveals much about our continuing and complex relationship to images, giving insight into larger questions concerning the sacred and the profane, materiality and spirituality, religion and modernity, says an art historian. Western christianity doesnt have an official equivalent. Iconoclasm in byzantium western civilization lumen learning. Early stages of revolution are always linked to iconoclasm. But cultural desecration is stitched into the wests history as well. The story in the east is divided into two separate persecutions of the. The forbidden image traces the dual strains of iconophilia and iconoclasm, the privileging and prohibition of religious images, over a span of two and a half millennia in. The church of england was torn asunder over disputes concerning polity, the meaning of the eucharist, and liturgy. This is a crosscultural study of the multifaceted relations between buddhism, its materiality, and instances of religious violence and destruction in east asia, which remains a vast and still largely unexplored field of inquiry.
Our community welcomes everyone from around the world to discuss world history, historical periods, and themes in history military history, archaeology, arts and culture, and history in books and movies. Iconoclastic controversy, a dispute over the use of religious images icons in the byzantine empire in the 8th and 9th centuries. Images, iconoclasm, and the carolingians is the first book to provide a comprehensive study of the western response to byzantine iconoclasm. Uses and abuses of the destruction of the national library of bosniaherzegovina as a western propaganda tool progressive librarian 40 20.
West, and in many different disciplines, including theology and art history as well as. Iconoclastic acts include the addition of objects and accessories, as well as their removal, or may be represented in text or imagery that never materially. Anthony julius has written a restless book, brief but bristling. The continuing cultural confrontation with, and military threat from, islam probably had a bearing on the attitudes of both sides. The phenomenon of iconoclasm, expressed through hostile actions towards images, has occurred in many different cultures throughout history.
And then i placed my whole palm on the dry, rumbling surface of the canvas, simply to prove to myself. Veneration of pictures and statues symbolizing sacred figures, christian doctrine, and biblical events was an early feature of christian worship see iconography iconography gr. Iconoclasm from antiquity to modernity by kristine kolrud. Images, iconoclasm, and the carolingians the middle ages. Leo next appointed a commission of monks to look into the old books and reach a decision on the veneration of images. The original theological basis for iconoclasm was fairly weak. In the history of jewish, christian and muslim culture, religious identity was not only formed through historical claims, but also through the use of certain images. Eric robert reinders this is a crosscultural study of the multifaceted relations between buddhism, its materiality, and instances of religious violence and destruction in east asia, which remains a vast and still. Images, iconoclasm, and the carolingians presents a rich detailed history of the.
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