14 XI 2024: Basemah Hamarneh (Universität Wien), Iconophobia in the Churches of the Levant: (Re)inventing images or seeking salvation?
Abstract
Excavations carried out in the Levant have yielded a wealth of archaeological documentation, which has demonstrated the extent of censorship, alteration, and intentional damage, particularly to images of living creatures in church mosaic floors. In recent decades, the examination of this intricate phenomenon known as iconophobia has played a significant role in academic debate. Scholars in the fields of history, art history, theology and archaeology have examined a wide range of sources and conjectured about the potential influences or orientations of the political and religious contexts during the 8th and 9th centuries on such phenomena. Even though the arguments were varied and occasionally very well-spoken, they didn’t significantly advance our understanding of the reasons behind the phenomenon and the intentions of their perpetrators. Based on the available evidence, it can be concluded that iconophobia is purely regional in nature and is not related to the Byzantine iconoclasm controversy, which is a more profoundly political-religious phenomenon. The most well-known justification for censuring images is the desire to destroy the belief system that the image is thought to represent, thus narrowing the debate to two main theological and political perspectives. However, can the causes of iconophobia be concealed in an uncharted territory? Is iconophobia a way for Christian communities to simplify the visual environment in order to better meet expectations and address other challenges during the turbulent eighth century?
Image: The Lion’s Church Umm al-Rasas (courtesy Studium Biblicum Franciscanum)