Literary Circles in Byzantine Iconoclasm

Literary Circles in Byzantine Iconoclasm PDF Author: Óscar Prieto Domínguez
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108491308
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 557

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Book Description
Explores the literary texts produced during Byzantine Iconoclasm and their use as ideological tools by the main political circles.

Literary Circles in Byzantine Iconoclasm

Literary Circles in Byzantine Iconoclasm PDF Author: Óscar Prieto Domínguez
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108491308
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 557

Get Book Here

Book Description
Explores the literary texts produced during Byzantine Iconoclasm and their use as ideological tools by the main political circles.

Literary Circles in Byzantine Iconoclasm

Literary Circles in Byzantine Iconoclasm PDF Author: Óscar Prieto Domínguez
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108865216
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 557

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Book Description
Iconoclasm was the name given to the stance of that portion of Eastern Christianity that rejected worshipping God through images (eikones) representing Christ, the Virgin or the saints and was the official doctrine of the Byzantine Empire for most of the period between 726 and 843. It was a period marked by violent passions on either side. This is the first comprehensive account of the extant contemporary texts relating to this phenomenon and their impact on society, politics and identity. By examining the literary circles emerging both during the time of persecution and immediately after the restoration of icons in 843, the volume casts new light on the striking (re)construction of Byzantine society, whose iconophile identity was biasedly redefined by the political parties led by Theodoros Stoudites, Gregorios Dekapolites and Empress Theodora or the patriarchs Methodios, Ignatios and Photios. It thereby offers an innovative paradigm for approaching Byzantine literature.

The Chronographia of George the Synkellos and Theophanes

The Chronographia of George the Synkellos and Theophanes PDF Author: Jesse W. Torgerson
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004516859
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 476

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Book Description
The ninth-century Chronographia of George the Synkellos and Theophanes is the most influential historical text ever written in medieval Constantinople. Yet modern historians have never explained its popularity and power. This interdisciplinary study draws on new manuscript evidence to finally animate the Chronographia’s promise to show attentive readers the present meaning of the past. Begun by one of the Roman emperor’s most trusted and powerful officials in order to justify a failed revolt, the project became a shockingly ambitious re-writing of time itself—a synthesis of contemporary history, philosophy, and religious practice into a politicized retelling of the human story. Even through radical upheavals of the Byzantine political landscape, the Chronographia’s unique historical vision again and again compelled new readers to chase after the elusive Ends of Time.

Narrative, Imagination and Concepts of Fiction in Late Antique Hagiography

Narrative, Imagination and Concepts of Fiction in Late Antique Hagiography PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004685758
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
This volume explores concepts of fiction in late antique hagiographical narrative in different cultural and literary traditions. It includes Greek, Latin, Syriac, Armenian, Persian and Arabic material. Whereas scholarship in these texts has traditionally focussed on historical questions, this book approaches imaginative narrative as an inherent element of the genre of hagiography that deserves to be studied in its own right. The chapters explore narrative complexities related to fiction, such as invention, authentication, intertextuality, imagination and fictionality. Together, they represent an innovative exploration of how these concepts relate to hagiographical discourses of truth and the religious notion of belief, while paying due attention to the various factors and contexts that impact readers’ responses.

A Short History of the Byzantine Empire

A Short History of the Byzantine Empire PDF Author: Dionysios Stathakopoulos
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350233439
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
Incorporating the latest scholarly developments to offer an in-depth account of the history of the Byzantine Empire, this revised edition sheds new light on the Empire's culture, theology, and economic and socio-political spheres. Charting from the Empire's origins, to its expansion and influence over the Mediterranean, later revival, and eventual fall – this book covers more than 1,000 years of history. With analysis of the Empire's changing social infrastructure, key events, and the broader cultural environment, Stathakopoulos expertly analyses how and why it became a powerhouse of literature, art, theology and learning, whilst also examining its aftermath and afterlife – and enduring significance today. Drawing on a variety of English and non-English sources, in addition to a plethora of visual and textual materials, this book is an invaluable resource for scholars, students, and general readers alike.

Emperor Leo III the Isaurian

Emperor Leo III the Isaurian PDF Author: Peter Crawford
Publisher: Pen and Sword History
ISBN: 1399072862
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
The Roman Empire (long since ruled from Constantinople) was in a perilous and tumultuous position in the early eighth century. Surrounded by expansionist enemies, most notably the Muslim Arab Umayyad Caliphate but also the Khazars, Slavs, Avars, Bulgars and Lombards, it was also riven by religious controversy and internal political instability. When a plot brought Leo III to the throne in 717, he was the fourth Emperor since Justinian II’s assassination six years earlier. Within weeks of his accession he was faced with the year-long siege of his capital by the Arabs. The siege was eventually broken (with the help of the secret weapon, Greek fire) but was only the first of many crises Leo faced in his twenty-four-year reign. His tenure saw a number of rebellions, and Peter Crawford considers how Leo dealt with these (and the extent to which his own policies caused them). Space is given to the great religious development of his reign, the initiation of Iconoclasm, its impact on the empire and its tainting of the reputation of Leo and much of his dynasty. He also considers various aspects of Leo’s administration: coinage, provincial infrastructure, civil law and foreign policy. This is a thorough and fascinating reassessment of a ruler who brought the Empire from the brink of extinction and maintained it through a time of real crisis.

The Cambridge History of Ancient Christianity

The Cambridge History of Ancient Christianity PDF Author: Bruce W. Longenecker
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108671292
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 864

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Book Description
The first three hundred years of the common era witnessed critical developments that would become foundational for Christianity itself, as well as for the societies and later history that emerged thereafter. The concept of 'ancient Christianity,' however, along with the content that the category represents, has raised much debate. This is, in part, because within this category lie multiple forms of devotion to Jesus Christ, multiple phenomena, and multiple permutations in the formative period of Christian history. Within those multiples lie numerous contests, as varieties of Christian identity laid claim to authority and authenticity in different ways. The Cambridge History of Ancient Christianity addresses these contested areas with both nuance and clarity by reviewing, synthesizing, and critically engaging recent scholarly developments. The 27 thematic chapters, specially commissioned for this volume from an international team of scholars, also offer constructive ways forward for future research.

Images, Iconoclasm, and the Carolingians

Images, Iconoclasm, and the Carolingians PDF Author: Thomas F. X. Noble
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812202961
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 497

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Book Description
In the year 726 C.E., the Byzantine emperor Leo III issued an edict declaring images to be idols, forbidden by Exodus, and ordering all such images in churches to be destroyed. Thus commenced the first wave of Byzantine iconoclasm, which ran its violent course until 787, when the underlying issues were temporarily resolved at the Second Council of Nicaea. In 815, a second great wave of iconoclasm was set off, only to end in 842 when the icons were restored to the churches of the East and the iconoclasts excommunicated. The iconoclast controversies have long been understood as marking major fissures between the Western and Eastern churches. Thomas F. X. Noble reveals that the lines of division were not so clear. It is traditionally maintained that the Carolingians in the 790s did not understand the basic issues involved in the Byzantine dispute. Noble contends that there was, in fact, a significant Carolingian controversy about visual art and, if its ties to Byzantine iconoclasm were tenuous, they were also complex and deeply rooted in central concerns of the Carolingian court. Furthermore, he asserts that the Carolingians made distinctive and original contributions to the whole debate over religious art. Images, Iconoclasm, and the Carolingians is the first book to provide a comprehensive study of the Western response to Byzantine iconoclasm. By comparing art-texts with laws, letters, poems, and other sources, Noble reveals the power and magnitude of the key discourses of the Carolingian world during its most dynamic and creative decades.

Imagining the Byzantine Past

Imagining the Byzantine Past PDF Author: Elena N. Boeck
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107085810
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
The first comparative, cross-cultural study of medieval illustrated histories that engages in a direct, confrontational dialogue with Byzantine historical memory.

Devotion to St. Anne in Texts and Images

Devotion to St. Anne in Texts and Images PDF Author: Elena Ene D-Vasilescu
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319893998
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description
St. Anne was popular with representatives of various segments of society – from monks, nuns, members of the clergy, royal patrons, to church-goers of every rank. This book looks into both the public and private worship of this holy woman and brings to the surface some under-exposed aspects of it. It does so through the examination of manuscripts, monumental art, relics, sculpture, and texts of various genres. The contributors employ a historical as well as a theological perspective on how the cult of St. Anne (sometimes also with glimpses concerning that of Joachim) established itself, referring to areas in Europe which are not frequently discussed in English-language scholarship. This new contribution to the field of hagiography will be of interest to academics from a variety of research fields, including theologians, Byzantinists, art and church historians, and historians of a larger scope.