It may be of interest, apropos of your topic regarding forbidden images, that an Islamic nation such as Iran also contains more esoteric streams of devotional spiritual life, especially that which is found in Sufism. I once met a young Persian man, someone who actively participated in a Sufi order but clandestinely, who instructed me that the Shi’ite way found in Iran (as opposed to the more strict Sunni sharia elsewhere) allowed for a much more public piety even in the exoteric religious expression, one which may have contributed over time to a more intense interior spiritual life — not just in the popular heartfelt reflection of poems by Rumi and Hafez, but in private devotions where certain inclinations might cross the line: reaching under the neckline of his shirt, he pulled out a silver medallion he wore daily, bearing an image of his beloved prophet Muhammad. God’s beauty will always appear in the way the heart desires.
This post instantly transported me back to the awe-inspiring Duomo in Milan. Witnessing those magnificent stained-glass windows firsthand, their vibrant colors illuminated by the sun's rays was an experience that will forever hold a special place in my heart. The artistry and profound emotion they evoke are genuinely breathtaking. Thank you for reigniting those cherished memories.
RFK Jr recently said that when we destroy nature we diminish our capacity to experience the divine. The same is true of art. Those who forbid artistic depictions of the divine wander in the wilderness of an ugly world. Western Art was the catalyst that propelled Western Civilization to its heights, and the current culture of ugliness was the pathway to our degradation.
What I love about your work is that it's always an accessible but un-patronising introduction to a topic that is educational in its own right but also an invite or a prompt to further digging. I've just spent my lunch break reading about the Iconoclastic Controversy of the 8th and 9th centuries in the Byzantine empire (interesting to note that the shift in Christian attitudes toward religious art, whilst dramatic, wasn't instant or uncontested) which I absolutely wouldn't have been doing had I not been prompted by your article. Keep them coming!!
There’s a fundamental error at play here. A change in the practice of professed Christians does not make true the conclusion that Christianity changed. Or, to state it another way: the belief system did not change, the practice of many its adherents did. Some who profess to hold to Christianity today still do not approve of images of the Godhead.
Art is a gateway to so much including the divine. Art and it's meaning is in the eye of the beholder! Art speaks for itself. Art is personal. How churches view art is a matter for each church. To counsel how people are to view art is absolutely absurd! Art appreciation is good. Icon worship is idolatry and is done massively. An icon can also be used as an inspiring focal point for a deeper reflection as in a public church setting or a private location/collection.
Art as the expression of a transcendent ideal is always the best art, an attempt to capture something divine in the world of matter is the most human of all endeavours. We long to be reunited with God and attempt to do so through our works. To create is to engage in secondary creation, God engages in primary creation, to paraphrase Tolkien, we assist God with our efforts, so let them be the best efforts that we can muster.
I would imagine that differences in literacy rate + focus on education (which I believe to be much higher in the Arab than Western world, overall) during that period would influence this as well. Images were necessary to tell the story since the vast majority of the Western world did not speak Latin nor could they read.
*Full disclosure, I am not an expert or credentialed historian for this period, but all of my reading of the period in works of nonfiction history during that period and in my general studies for a B.A. in History (focusing on 17th-20th century Atlantic world).*
It may be of interest, apropos of your topic regarding forbidden images, that an Islamic nation such as Iran also contains more esoteric streams of devotional spiritual life, especially that which is found in Sufism. I once met a young Persian man, someone who actively participated in a Sufi order but clandestinely, who instructed me that the Shi’ite way found in Iran (as opposed to the more strict Sunni sharia elsewhere) allowed for a much more public piety even in the exoteric religious expression, one which may have contributed over time to a more intense interior spiritual life — not just in the popular heartfelt reflection of poems by Rumi and Hafez, but in private devotions where certain inclinations might cross the line: reaching under the neckline of his shirt, he pulled out a silver medallion he wore daily, bearing an image of his beloved prophet Muhammad. God’s beauty will always appear in the way the heart desires.
This post instantly transported me back to the awe-inspiring Duomo in Milan. Witnessing those magnificent stained-glass windows firsthand, their vibrant colors illuminated by the sun's rays was an experience that will forever hold a special place in my heart. The artistry and profound emotion they evoke are genuinely breathtaking. Thank you for reigniting those cherished memories.
RFK Jr recently said that when we destroy nature we diminish our capacity to experience the divine. The same is true of art. Those who forbid artistic depictions of the divine wander in the wilderness of an ugly world. Western Art was the catalyst that propelled Western Civilization to its heights, and the current culture of ugliness was the pathway to our degradation.
Art is such a spiritual connecting point for me in my own faith. Beauty from the created is powerful
What I love about your work is that it's always an accessible but un-patronising introduction to a topic that is educational in its own right but also an invite or a prompt to further digging. I've just spent my lunch break reading about the Iconoclastic Controversy of the 8th and 9th centuries in the Byzantine empire (interesting to note that the shift in Christian attitudes toward religious art, whilst dramatic, wasn't instant or uncontested) which I absolutely wouldn't have been doing had I not been prompted by your article. Keep them coming!!
There’s a fundamental error at play here. A change in the practice of professed Christians does not make true the conclusion that Christianity changed. Or, to state it another way: the belief system did not change, the practice of many its adherents did. Some who profess to hold to Christianity today still do not approve of images of the Godhead.
Art is a gateway to so much including the divine. Art and it's meaning is in the eye of the beholder! Art speaks for itself. Art is personal. How churches view art is a matter for each church. To counsel how people are to view art is absolutely absurd! Art appreciation is good. Icon worship is idolatry and is done massively. An icon can also be used as an inspiring focal point for a deeper reflection as in a public church setting or a private location/collection.
Art as the expression of a transcendent ideal is always the best art, an attempt to capture something divine in the world of matter is the most human of all endeavours. We long to be reunited with God and attempt to do so through our works. To create is to engage in secondary creation, God engages in primary creation, to paraphrase Tolkien, we assist God with our efforts, so let them be the best efforts that we can muster.
I would imagine that differences in literacy rate + focus on education (which I believe to be much higher in the Arab than Western world, overall) during that period would influence this as well. Images were necessary to tell the story since the vast majority of the Western world did not speak Latin nor could they read.
*Full disclosure, I am not an expert or credentialed historian for this period, but all of my reading of the period in works of nonfiction history during that period and in my general studies for a B.A. in History (focusing on 17th-20th century Atlantic world).*
would love to see your sources for further reading!!