Aesthetics as a Religious Factor in Eastern and Western Christianity
Selected Papers of the International Conference Held at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, in June 2004
edited by W. van den Bercken and J. Sutton
This volume contains selected papers of a conference in 2004 at Utrecht University on aesthetics as a religious factor in Eastern and Western Christianity. They discuss the role of aesthetics in the presentation and expression of Christian faith in Catholic and Orthodox tradition. During its history Christianity has produced many works of art: church architecture, iconography, painting, music and literary texts. And in Orthodoxy beauty has always been the main form of religious expression, more than verbal presentation of Christian teaching, which is embedded in the aesthetic context of liturgy. In Christian theology beauty has often been seen as a form of divine revelation, related to the mystery of incarnation. The relation between aesthetics and religious belief has acquired new relevance in our secularised world. Today the visible products of Catholic and Orthodox aesthetics are for many people the main means through which they come into contact with Christianity and many people without affinity to religion are attracted by the beauty of Christian art, inside and outside the church. In modern religious studies the experience of beauty is recognised as a factor in explaining religious feelings. The papers are divided in four sections: 1. Comparative aspects of Orthodox and Catholic aesthetics, 2. Religious aesthetics in Russian literary culture, 3. Applied aesthetics in church art, 4. Art-theoretical, ideological and religious-philosophical aspects.
This volume contains selected papers of a conference in 2004 at Utrecht University on aesthetics as a religious factor in Eastern and Western Christianity. They discuss the role of aesthetics in the presentation and expression of Christian faith in Catholic and Orthodox tradition. During its history Christianity has produced many works of art: church architecture, iconography, painting, music and literary texts. And in Orthodoxy beauty has always been the main form of religious expression, more than verbal presentation of Christian teaching, which is embedded in the aesthetic context of liturgy. In Christian theology beauty has often been seen as a form of divine revelation, related to the mystery of incarnation. The relation between aesthetics and religious belief has acquired new relevance in our secularised world. Today the visible products of Catholic and Orthodox aesthetics are for many people the main means through which they come into contact with Christianity and many people without affinity to religion are attracted by the beauty of Christian art, inside and outside the church. In modern religious studies the experience of beauty is recognised as a factor in explaining religious feelings. The papers are divided in four sections: 1. Comparative aspects of Orthodox and Catholic aesthetics, 2. Religious aesthetics in Russian literary culture, 3. Applied aesthetics in church art, 4. Art-theoretical, ideological and religious-philosophical aspects.
- Edited by J Sutton
- Edited by W van den Bercken
Other Titles in this Series
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Volume 7
Rites and Rituals of the Christian East
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Volume 22
The “Description of the Times” by Mor Michael the Great (1126-1199)
A Study on its Historical and its Historiographical Context
Volume 27
Heretics and Heresies in the Ancient Church and in Eastern Christianity
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Volume 10
Studies in Oriental Liturgy
Proceedings of the Fifth International Congress of the Society of Oriental Liturgy, New York, 10-15 June 2014
Volume 28
Inquiries into Eastern Christian Worship
Selected Papers of the Second International Congress of the Society of Oriental Liturgies, Rome, 17-21 September 2008
Volume 12
Syriac in its Multi-cultural Context
First International Syriac Studies Symposium, Mardin Artuklu University, Institute of Living Languages, 20-22 April 2012, Mardin
Volume 23
Syriac Encounters
Papers from the Sixth North American Syriac Symposium, Duke University, 26-29 June 2011
Volume 20
Scribes and Scriptures
The Church of the East in the Eastern Ottoman Provinces (1500-1850)
Volume 21
Tradition and Innovation in Late- and Postbyzantine Liturgical Chant II
Proceedings of the Congress held at Hernen Castle, the Netherlands, 30 October - 3 November 2008
Volume 17
Tradition and Innovation in Late- and Postbyzantine Liturgical Chant
Acta of the Congress Held at Hernen Castle, the Netherlands, in April 2005
Volume 8
Studies on the Liturgies of the Christian East
Selected Papers from the Third International Congress of the Society of Oriental Liturgy, Volos, May 26-30, 2010
Volume 18
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