Responding Icons and Miraculous Images? Is There a Theology for Mosaics?

Mosaic, Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. Photo: Liz James

Date: Feb 9, 2023 Time: 12:00 PM–1:30 PM Location: Zoom

Liz James, University of Sussex, considers the theology of mosaics.

The ‘theology of icons’ is well-discussed in Byzantine Studies: the role that religious images played in Byzantine life; the relationships between the icon, the worshipper and the divine; debates about the representation of the divine. How do these ideas play out with mosaics however, which are not easy to understand as live lines of communication with the divine in the same way that icons (when understood as panel paintings) are? How can we think about mosaics as icons, or is this the wrong question?

This lecture will take place live on Zoom, followed by a question and answer period. Please register to receive the Zoom link.

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Sponsored by the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture and Harvard University Standing Committee on Medieval Studies.

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