Subtle Bodies: Representing Angels in Byzantium (The Transformation of the Classical Heritage) (Volume 32)

"Peers' insightful and wide-ranging study supplies a clear and comprehensive history of the angelic image in cosmology and cult during the formative period prior to Iconoclasm. The paradoxes of the angelic body provide the proving ground for fiercely contested and incompatible claims for text and image as authoritative representations of the holy."Jeffrey F. Hamburger, author of Nuns as Artists: The Visual Culture of a Medieval Convent "[Peers takes] the angelic experience as an instance of the problems inherent in Christian representation. But both astutely and elegantly, he treats angels not simply as an example but as the most enlightening case if we wish to understand these problems."Anthony Cutler, author of Imagery and Ideology in Byzantine Art Throughout the course of Byzantine history, Christian doctrine taught that angels have a powerful place in cosmology. It also taught that angels were immaterial, bodiless, invisible beings. But if that were the case, how could they be visualized and depicted in icons and other works of art? This book describes the strategies used by Byzantine artists to represent the incorporeal forms of angels and the rationalizations in defense of their representations mustered by theologians in the face of iconoclastic opposition. Glenn Peers demonstrates that these problems of representation provide a unique window on Late Antique thought in general. "Peers makes excellent use of primary sources in considering this intellectually challenging question. He looks at icons of angels, saints' lives, legends and hagiographic narratives of angelic apparitions, the writings of Greek church fathers, and other texts to show how strategies were devised to cope with these representational difficulties. Many of these sources have never been brought together into one account, and Peers elicits novel and striking connections across the texts, as well as between the texts and images." "Peers brings to bear modern approaches - including Michael Foucault's ideas concerning Rene Magritte - on questions of representation in Byzantium. In showing how this culture sought to represent the unrepresentable, Peers sheds much light on early Christian theology, aesthetics, and popular devotion as he unravels the complex interplay among biblical texts, theological thought, church doctrine, and artistic creativity."--BOOK JACKET "Throughout the course of Byzantine history, Christian doctrine taught that angels have a powerful place in cosmology. It also taught that angels were immaterial, bodiless, invisible beings. But if that were the case, how could they be visualized and depicted in icons and other works of art? This book describes the strategies used by Byzantine artists to represent the incorporeal forms of angels and the rationalizations in defense of their representations mustered by theologians in the face of iconoclastic opposition. Glenn Peers demonstrates that these problems of representation provide a unique window on Late Antique thought in general. He also provides an intriguing look at the history of angels as they emerged from the Hebrew Bible, moved into Judaism and early Christianity, and finally were given shape and form."

Throughout the course of Byzantine history, Christian doctrine taught that angels have a powerful place in cosmology. It also taught that angels were immaterial, bodiless, invisible beings. But if that were the case, how could they be visualized and depicted in icons and other works of art? This book describes the strategies used by Byzantine artists to represent the incorporeal forms of angels and the rationalizations in defense of their representations mustered by theologians in the face of iconoclastic opposition. Glenn Peers demonstrates that these problems of representation provide a unique window on Late Antique thought in general.

Illustrations......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Abbreviations......Page 14 Introduction: On the Tension between Theology and Cult......Page 18 1. .Issues in Representing Angels......Page 30 2. Arguments Against Images of Angels......Page 78 3. Representing Angels: Images and Theory......Page 106 4. The Veneration of Angels and Their Images......Page 143 5. Apprehending the Archangel Michael......Page 174 Conclusion......Page 211 Bibliography......Page 226 Index......Page 248 Explores the strategies used by Byzantine artists to represent the incorporeal forms of angels and the rationalizations in defence of their representations mustered by theologians in the face of iconoclastic opposition. These problems of representation provide a window on Late Antique thought. Angel, literally "messenger" can designated all manner of negotiation between heaven and earth and refer to any member of God's spiritual host.