Face to Face - Aidan Hart

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Résumé :
'And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory' (John 1.14) In Christian icons people can behold the face of the Word become flesh and the faces of his saints. This is an encounter with divine beauty, an encounter which is a profound mystery and yet one whose depths are better appreciated through the written word of the Church's theology. Such knowledge is especially useful in the Western world, where interest in icons is experiencing such a revival. Face to Face provides a unique and concise introduction to the Orthodox Church's theology of the icon. Written both for the general reader and, with its plentiful references, for scholars seeking further avenues of exploration, the book covers the essential areas of the icon's theology from its Scriptural basis, through the writings of the saints who defended the icon against the Byzantine iconoclasts, right up to some of the most recent scholarship. It discusses current areas of interest, including the relationship between the icon's form and its theology, how icons are used, and the reception by the Western world of the Byzantine icon tradition. It is written with the authority of an author who has been a professional iconographer for over forty years....

Biographie:
Aidan Hart, a Research Associate of The Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge, has gained a reputation as one of the leading iconographers in the West. He works not only as a painter of panel icons but also a carver, wall painter, and mosaicist. He is well known for his numerous articles, his previous three books-most recently Festal Icons-his lecturing, and teaching of the craft through the King's Foundation School of Traditional Arts. He lives and works in Shrewsbury....

Sommaire:
'And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory' (John 1.14) In Christian icons people can behold the face of the Word become flesh and the faces of his saints. This is an encounter with divine beauty, an encounter which is a profound mystery and yet one whose depths are better appreciated through the written word of the Church's theology. Such knowledge is especially useful in the Western world, where interest in icons is experiencing such a revival. Face to Face provides a unique and concise introduction to the Orthodox Church's theology of the icon. Written both for the general reader and, with its plentiful references, for scholars seeking further avenues of exploration, the book covers the essential areas of the icon's theology from its Scriptural basis, through the writings of the saints who defended the icon against the Byzantine iconoclasts, right up to some of the most recent scholarship. It discusses current areas of interest, including the relationship between the icon's form and its theology, how icons are used, and the reception by the Western world of the Byzantine icon tradition. It is written with the authority of an author who has been a professional iconographer for over forty years....