Images Of The Divine

This book, newly revised and updated, examines the Eastern Church's theology of icons chiefly on the basis of the acta of the Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787. The political circumstances leading to the outbreak of the iconclast controversy in the eighth century are discussed in detail, but the main emphasis is on the theological arguments and assumptions of the council participants. Major themes include the nature of tradition, the relationship between image and reality, and the place of christology. Ultimately the argument over icons was about the accessibility of the divine. Icons were held by the iconophiles to communicate a deifying grace which raised the believer to participation in the life of God.

While biblical prophets ridiculed the notion of humans fashioning an idol that they would then worship, ancient Near Eastern theologians developed a sophisticated religious system in which divine beings could be physically manifest within the material of a cultic image without being limited by that embodiment. The four essays in this compact volume examine the intriguing subject of cultic images and divine iconography in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia and Syria-Palestine. This interesting and eclectic group of essays explores the textual and artifactual evidence for the creation and veneration of divine images in the ancient Near East. The recent resurgence of scholarly interest in the study of divine representation in ancient Israel and the Near East makes this comprehensive reexamination especially timely.

Based on the visual and textual evidence, this volume concentrates on the artistic, intellectual, religious, and socio-political importance of divine images as media of communication in the polytheistic cosmos of ancient Greece and Rome.

Although relatively obscure during his lifetime, William Blake has become one of the most popular English artists and writers, through poems such as “The Tyger” and “Jerusalem,” and images including The Ancient of Days. Less well-known is Blake’s radical religious and political temperament and that his visionary art was created to express a personal mythology that sought to recreate an entirely new approach to philosophy and art. This book examines both Blake’s visual and poetic work over his long career, from early engravings and poems to his final illustrations, to Dante and the Book of Job. Divine Images further explores Blake’s immense popular appeal and influence after his death, offering an inspirational look at a pioneering figure.

"This book examines the theology of icons in the eighth century, the most critical period in the evolution of the Eastern Church's teaching on images. The principal source is provided by the acta of the Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787." "The political circumstances which led to the outbreak of the controversy over icons are discussed in detail but the main emphasis is on the theological arguments and presuppositions of the participants in the council. Major themes include the nature of tradition, the relationship between image and reality and the place of christology." "Ultimately the argument over icons was about the accessibility of the divine. Icons were held by the iconophiles to communicate a deifying grace which raised the believer to participation in the life of God."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Over 150 exquisite color illustrations and text make this account of one of North America's finest South Asian art collections an invaluable guide.

In Augustine and Plotinus: the Human Mind as Image of the Divine Laela Zwollo explores the doctrines of the image of God (the human soul or intellect) of two of the most influential thinkers of late antiquity: the Christian Augustine of Hippo and the Neo-Platonist Plotinus.