Words and Images Serving Christianity
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 519
Special Issue Editors
Interests: medieval studies; metaphysic
Interests: philosophy of religion and ethics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Throughout history, Christianity has drawn upon words and images that compose a sacral worldview. From the expressions found in the first book of Genesis to the Gospel of John—known as the "Gospel of the Word" par excellence—Christian thought has been interwoven with language and imagery. This is reflected in everything from the early frescoes of the Roman catacombs to the magnificent stained-glass windows of Gothic cathedrals. Time and again, words and images converge to serve as vehicles for expressing the Christian faith, often pointing towards theosis or henosis.
Christian imagery has played a central role in creating a spiritual vision that seeks to unite heaven and earth. It invites believers to contemplate the mysteries of the sacred, acting as a bridge between the human and the divine. Similarly, words have expressed the Christian sense of the sacred. For instance, the notion of meaning (sensus) in Medieval exegesis conveys the intimate connection between human life and the created world, preparing the way for the contemporary "meaning of life." In Eastern Christianity, the concept of Panaghia (all-holy) carries deep significance.
Words and images such as logos, light (light of light, the binomial light-darkness), manifestation, vision, the good and its diffusive nature, beauty, and the controversial notions processio and emanatio are key features in the Christian sacral worldview. Likewise, the concept of imago (image), the dynamics of similarity between humanity and God, the tradition of the mirror (speculum), or the idea of the soul as a steed also figure prominently. They aim to make the invisible visible through a thought process that could be described as "brilliant", as it often employs visual colors or igneous elements.
These artistic and visual manifestations have served not only to narrate sacred history but also to form a bridge between the human and the divine. Through words and images, the Christian tradition seeks to express the inexpressible, render the unseen tangible, and bring spiritual truths into human understanding.
We invite papers that explore these themes in various fields, such as theology, philosophy, religious studies, literature, and art.
Prof. Dr. María Jesús Soto-Bruna
Prof. Dr. Mirela Oliva
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- word—verbum
- meaning—sensus
- processio—emanatio
- creation
- mirror—speculum
- light
- darkness
- visio
- colors
- image—imago
- soul
- sacred
- spirituality
- Christianity
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