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21 pages, 3231 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Christian Iconography on Ming and Qing Chinese Porcelain: Religious Influence and Artistic Hybridization

by Mo Guo

Religions 2024, 15(4), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15040472 - 11 Apr 2024

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Since the arrival of Christian missionaries in China through maritime trade networks, missionary activities have been changing from the 16th century to the 18th century. Christian missionaries faced numerous challenges stemming from cultural context and religious policies in China. Throughout history, various religious [...] Read more.

Since the arrival of Christian missionaries in China through maritime trade networks, missionary activities have been changing from the 16th century to the 18th century. Christian missionaries faced numerous challenges stemming from cultural context and religious policies in China. Throughout history, various religious strategies have been employed to address these challenges. The use of Chinese porcelain to depict Christian imagery holds significant importance. The present study is focused on four representative Chinese porcelains dating from the Ming to Qing dynasties, each associated with specific phases of Christianity in China. Examining the connections between the Christian mission in China and Christian iconography on Chinese porcelain leads to the conclusion that the visual culture associated with the Christian mission in China is influenced by and reflects intercultural or interreligious dialogue with mutual understanding. In the meantime, it signifies an intricate process of interaction, appropriation, hybridization, and adaptation, through which Christian iconography gained new significance on Chinese porcelain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ideas and Images Serving Christianity: Words Illustrated by Forms and Forms Explained by Words)

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10 pages, 264 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Philosophical Reflection on Beauty in the Late Middle Ages: The Case of Jean Gerson

by David Torrijos-Castrillejo

Religions 2024, 15(4), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15040434 - 30 Mar 2024

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Abstract

The late Middle Ages witnessed a recapitulation of medieval reflection on beauty. Jean Gerson is an important representative of these philosophical and theological contributions, although he has been largely neglected up to this time. A first dimension of his ideas on beauty is [...] Read more.

The late Middle Ages witnessed a recapitulation of medieval reflection on beauty. Jean Gerson is an important representative of these philosophical and theological contributions, although he has been largely neglected up to this time. A first dimension of his ideas on beauty is the incorporation of beauty (pulchrum) into the number of transcendentals, i.e., the concepts “convertible” with the notion of being (ens), that is, unity, truth, and goodness (unum, verum and bonum). This article revisits Monica Calma’s study on Gerson’s theory of beauty and suggests new hypothetical sources that may have inspired this aspect of his thought. The second aspect emphasised here is Gerson’s classification of beauty, which entails some similarities to the one of Ulrich of Strasbourg, but also differs from it. Moreover, its incorporation of a division entirely devoted to artistic beauty is highly remarkable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ideas and Images Serving Christianity: Words Illustrated by Forms and Forms Explained by Words)

16 pages, 5001 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Visual Exegesis of Herodias and Salome from Feminist Rhetorical Criticism: The Construction of a Myth

by Cristina Expósito de Vicente

Religions 2024, 15(3), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15030328 - 08 Mar 2024

Viewed by 1325

Abstract

The biblical account of Salome has been marked throughout history by two main themes: on the one hand, the princess’s dance in front of the main rulers of Galilee, and on the other hand, the request for the head of John the Baptist [...] Read more.

The biblical account of Salome has been marked throughout history by two main themes: on the one hand, the princess’s dance in front of the main rulers of Galilee, and on the other hand, the request for the head of John the Baptist to King Herod, instigated by his mother Herodias. The reading of this passage has been strongly marked by the different patriarchal exegetical approaches, which have modulated the reception of both female characters being traceable through the visual and literary arts, to the point of taking on the concept of femme fatale. Really, in both moments Salome is the executor of the actions, not as a result of her capacity for agency, but due to her influenceable character. Through a critical–historical analysis of the biblical passage, Herodias and Salome emerge with characteristics quite different from what 19th-century Art History inherited. The methodology of feminist rhetorical criticism allows for an approach to the visual re-imaginings of this biblical passage that have shaped the iconography of these two figures. The field of visual arts, particularly the production of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, will be the great receptacle for the genesis of the fatality and assimilation of these female biblical figures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ideas and Images Serving Christianity: Words Illustrated by Forms and Forms Explained by Words)

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25 pages, 8451 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Perfect Sphere: The Preference for Circular Compositions for Depicting the Universe in Medieval and Early Modern Art

by Roger Ferrer-Ventosa

Religions 2024, 15(2), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15020171 - 30 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1076

Abstract

This essay explores circular compositions in medieval and early modern art. Delving into the intersection of religious, philosophical, and scientific ideas, the text examines the prevalence of circular depictions in medieval and early modern aesthetics. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, the author draws from [...] Read more.

This essay explores circular compositions in medieval and early modern art. Delving into the intersection of religious, philosophical, and scientific ideas, the text examines the prevalence of circular depictions in medieval and early modern aesthetics. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, the author draws from primary Hermetic and Neoplatonic sources, providing four reasons for this preference. Firstly, this essay explores the scientific understanding of the shape of the universe, planets, and stars. The second reason delves into the psychological, symbolic, and geometric aspects associated with circular compositions, connecting them to Christian cosmological diagrams and symbolism in the visual arts. Furthermore, the essay investigates the conceptualisation of the universe as a mirror reflecting the divine, emphasising the role of beauty in religious art. The essay concludes by examining the visual culture of medieval and early modern periods, tracing the evolution of circular representations from Roman coins and shields to illuminated manuscripts and paintings. The article sheds light on a hitherto underexplored aspect of medieval and early modern cultures, despite its significance in shaping symbolism and organizing iconographic programs within these periods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ideas and Images Serving Christianity: Words Illustrated by Forms and Forms Explained by Words)

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17 pages, 2894 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hortus Conclusus: A Mariological Symbol in Some Quattrocento Annunciations, According to Church Fathers and Medieval Theologians

by José María Salvador-González

Religions 2024, 15(2), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15020143 - 23 Jan 2024

Viewed by 837

Abstract

This paper seeks to interpret the biblical metaphor of the hortus conclusus (closed garden) according to a Mariological projection, as presented iconographically in various Quattrocentro Annunciations. The author bases his interpretations on the exegesis developed by many Latin and Greek-Eastern Church Fathers and [...] Read more.

This paper seeks to interpret the biblical metaphor of the hortus conclusus (closed garden) according to a Mariological projection, as presented iconographically in various Quattrocentro Annunciations. The author bases his interpretations on the exegesis developed by many Latin and Greek-Eastern Church Fathers and theologians, who considered this metaphorical expression of the Song of Songs to symbolize Mary’s virginal divine motherhood and perpetual virginity. Their textual interpretations of this doctrine helps elucidate the Mariological meaning in six Quattrocento paintings that include a more or less explicit “closed garden.” These six paintings present a closed garden as a visual metaphor illustrating the Mariological dogmas unveiled by the Church Fathers and theologians when explaining this biblical metaphor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ideas and Images Serving Christianity: Words Illustrated by Forms and Forms Explained by Words)

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23 pages, 1886 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Importance of Literary Sources in the Pictorial Tradition of the Beatus Manuscripts: The Case of Percussion Musical Instruments

by José María Diago Jiménez

Religions 2024, 15(1), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15010040 - 26 Dec 2023

Viewed by 657

Abstract

This work carries out a detailed analysis of the context and the reasons that led the illustrators of the Beatus manuscripts to select and represent the two percussion instruments that appear in the illustration of Visio III of the Commentary on the Book [...] Read more.

This work carries out a detailed analysis of the context and the reasons that led the illustrators of the Beatus manuscripts to select and represent the two percussion instruments that appear in the illustration of Visio III of the Commentary on the Book of Daniel by Jerome transmitted in some manuscripts since the number of percussion instruments drawn and their typology do not correspond to what can be read in Jerome’s text, in the biblical text, and in the existing bibliography on the subject. This fact cannot be explained solely on the basis of the preceding pictorial tradition or the organological reality of the time, as the absence of sources does not allow for this. However, the literary sources of that period may have influenced the illustrators of this scene to draw these two percussion instruments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ideas and Images Serving Christianity: Words Illustrated by Forms and Forms Explained by Words)

9 pages, 265 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Is a Theological Synthesis Still Possible? The Paradigm of Objective Mariology

by Sławomir Jerzy Kunka

Religions 2023, 14(7), 831; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14070831 - 25 Jun 2023

Viewed by 745

Abstract

As a “doctrinal synthesis of the Christian faith” (St. John Paul II), the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God could serve as a focal point that brings together various theological concepts and approaches pertaining to salvation history. For that [...] Read more.

As a “doctrinal synthesis of the Christian faith” (St. John Paul II), the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God could serve as a focal point that brings together various theological concepts and approaches pertaining to salvation history. For that to happen, however, it is necessary to delve into and discover the richness of Mariology. Often regarded as a secondary discipline, as a context for other disciplines or even as a source of difficulties in ecumenical dialogue, Mariology nowadays needs a revival of its own. The call for constructing an “objective Mariology” presumes that the autonomy of theology as an academic discipline will be preserved and that theological reflection on the Virgin Mary will be objectivized in terms of both form and content. To meet these demands, one must strive to respect the supernatural purpose and sources of theology as such, and strengthen and develop biblical Mariology as well as the reflection of the Church Fathers. Furthermore, there is a need to draw from the rich legacy of the Franciscan school when reflecting on the unity of God’s plan of creation and Redemption in His eternal reasons. Finally, one must not accept a departure from the “hermeneutic of continuity” in the Catholic doctrine on the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Immaculate and Assumed. The article sets out to describe the essence of the above assumptions and proposes specific conditions that would foster the development of an “objective Mariology”. In that respect, it is important to establish the First Person of the Holy Trinity as the starting point for any reflection on the plan of salvation—of which the Immaculate Conception is the ultimate origin and ultimate goal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ideas and Images Serving Christianity: Words Illustrated by Forms and Forms Explained by Words)

54 pages, 7786 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Regina Coeli—Doctrine and Iconography of the Virgin Mary’s Heavenly Royalty

by José María Salvador-González

Religions 2023, 14(6), 815; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14060815 - 20 Jun 2023

Viewed by 2786

Abstract

This article aims to highlight the privileged status granted by Christianity to the Virgin Mary when considering her the Queen of Heaven. From the very early centuries of our era, this sublime title was assigned to the Virgin Mary, for her condition of [...] Read more.

This article aims to highlight the privileged status granted by Christianity to the Virgin Mary when considering her the Queen of Heaven. From the very early centuries of our era, this sublime title was assigned to the Virgin Mary, for her condition of Mother of God, by an increasing number of Church Fathers and theologians. Later, it was expounded by an uncountable number of medieval liturgical hymns. Finally, from the 12th century onwards, these textual proclamations were shaped in sculptures and paintings according to various iconographic types. The author will proceed by first analyzing a large corpus of texts by many Church Fathers, theologians, and hymnographers. Then, he will consider twenty sculptures and paintings which reflect the heavenly royalty of Mary according to five iconographic types. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ideas and Images Serving Christianity: Words Illustrated by Forms and Forms Explained by Words)

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