A Magnificent Faith

Art and Identity in Lutheran Germany

Nonfiction, History, Germany, Religion & Spirituality
Cover of the book A Magnificent Faith by Bridget Heal, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bridget Heal ISBN: 9780192522405
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: August 4, 2017
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Bridget Heal
ISBN: 9780192522405
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: August 4, 2017
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

A Magnificent Faith explains how and why Lutheranism - a confession that derived its significance from the promulgation of God's Word - became a visually magnificent faith, a faith whose adherents sought to captivate Christians' hearts and minds through seeing as well as through hearing. Although Protestantism is no longer understood as an exclusively word-based religion, the paradigm of evangelical ambivalence towards images retains its power. This is the first study to offer an account of the Reformation origins and subsequent flourishing of the Lutheran baroque, of the rich visual culture that developed in parts of the Holy Roman Empire during the later seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The volume opens with a discussion of the legacy of the Wittenberg Reformation. Three sections then focus on the confessional, devotional, and magnificent image, exploring turning points in Lutherans' attitudes towards religious art. Drawing on a wide variety of archival, printed, and visual sources from two of the Empire's most important Protestant territories - Saxony, the heartland of the Reformation, and Brandenburg - A Magnificent Faith shows the extent to which Lutheran culture was shaped by territorial divisions. It traces the development of a theologically-grounded aesthetic, and argues that images became prominent vehicles for the articulation of Lutheran identity not only amongst theologians but also amongst laymen and women. By examining the role of images in the Lutheran tradition as it developed over the course of two centuries, A Magnificent Faith offers a new understanding of the relationship between Protestantism and the visual arts.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A Magnificent Faith explains how and why Lutheranism - a confession that derived its significance from the promulgation of God's Word - became a visually magnificent faith, a faith whose adherents sought to captivate Christians' hearts and minds through seeing as well as through hearing. Although Protestantism is no longer understood as an exclusively word-based religion, the paradigm of evangelical ambivalence towards images retains its power. This is the first study to offer an account of the Reformation origins and subsequent flourishing of the Lutheran baroque, of the rich visual culture that developed in parts of the Holy Roman Empire during the later seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The volume opens with a discussion of the legacy of the Wittenberg Reformation. Three sections then focus on the confessional, devotional, and magnificent image, exploring turning points in Lutherans' attitudes towards religious art. Drawing on a wide variety of archival, printed, and visual sources from two of the Empire's most important Protestant territories - Saxony, the heartland of the Reformation, and Brandenburg - A Magnificent Faith shows the extent to which Lutheran culture was shaped by territorial divisions. It traces the development of a theologically-grounded aesthetic, and argues that images became prominent vehicles for the articulation of Lutheran identity not only amongst theologians but also amongst laymen and women. By examining the role of images in the Lutheran tradition as it developed over the course of two centuries, A Magnificent Faith offers a new understanding of the relationship between Protestantism and the visual arts.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book The European Court's Political Power by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book Defensive Killing by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book The Continental Shelf Beyond 200 Nautical Miles by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book Oxford Guide to Metaphors in CBT by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of International Investment Law by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book Pragmatism and Organization Studies by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Publishing by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book The Ancient Celts, Second Edition by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book Giant Molecules by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book Forensic Psychiatry by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book Prudentius and the Landscapes of Late Antiquity by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book Wittgenstein on Logic as the Method of Philosophy by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book Re-Forming Capitalism by Bridget Heal
Cover of the book Jesus as Philosopher by Bridget Heal
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy