CURE 1124/ UGED 1502: STUDY OF CHRISTIANITY
2013, April, 5, FridayGuest speaker: Louis Ha
on Material Dimension of Christianity
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Ninian Smart: Dimensions of the Sacred: An Anatomy of the World's Beliefs. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998.
Colleen McDannell: Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America, Yale University Press, 1998.
David Morgan: Visual Piety - A History and Theory of Popular Religious Images. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.
Ninian Smart's Seven Dimensions or Religions
Material Christianity (Colleen McDannell)
material -> spatial and physical
material -> sensual:seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling
material -> cultural:particular, concrete, signs, symbols v. universals
material -> behavioral:praxis, rites v. orthodoxy
Material dimension of religion is needed:
- for the cultural expression,
- for making religious meanings,
- for experiencing faith.
Christ and body
incarnation: water, bread, wine
Between resurrection and ascension
disciples at Emmaus: between eating and disappearing. Luke 24:30-31
[A Master in Transition: Caravaggio's second Supper at Emmaus and its legacy
Continuity & Creativity: Inspirations from the Classics ]
Between touching and eating. Luke 24:40-43
Thomas: between doubting and touching. John 20:27
*representation:
cross, crucifix, painting, relief, sculpture statue, mosaic, stained glass, icon, medals, rosary beats
idolatry(Ex. 20:4) -
iconoclasm,
2 or 3-dimensional figures
Theotokos
Notre Dame Cathedrals
*Physical proximity:
hierarchy of sacredness: believers, saints, Theotokos, Christ, Trinity
shrine, relics, pilgrimage
Chartres - Stained glass Windows
*protecton/ornament:
building, altar, vestments
Romanesque, Gothic architecture
St. Lazare Cathedral, Autun, France