Moravians
- - Jan Hus
- - Moravian community in NC in Winston Salem
- - Known for their simplicity…like the cookies we
ate today!
- - Known for their “Love Feast” that includes the
agape meal around Christmas time
Imaging Christ
-
Image of Jesus imagined by scientists, Popular Mechanic
o
Raises a lot of questions and reactions – Angry?
Confused? Should I look like that?
o
In so many contexts Jesus is presented as white,
flowy and light hair . . . this conflicts with that typical image
- - One of the earliest images of Christ depicts
Jesus as light, young, with a “short and sassy” haircut, no beard (tells us he’s
young), wearing a Roman toga . . . the story of the women at the well
- - Another similar image depicts Jesus in the same
way…raising Lazarus from the dead…Jesus uses a stick which makes a connection to
Moses…Lazarus is not as big as Jesus because size shows importance
- - Another image of Jesus from the same time period
shows him with a halo, an alpha and omega near him “beginning” and “end,” long
flowy hair and beard
- - Why different???
o
Artists’ perspectives
o
Message image contains
Myths about the imaging of Christ
in America
1. People simply imagine Christ in their own image
More images
-
Painting by William Blake in 19th century
o
God with beasts bowing down before him,
radiating light, long beard (wisdom?) and age, center of the image sitting on a
throne
o
Painting from his collection of painting from
the Book of Revelation
o
Images God in a traditional way – male, white,
bearded
-
Image from a manuscript from Ethiopia
o
Depicting the same scene
o
Also very traditional
o
Reflects Ethiopian context
-
Image by M. West
o
Drawing of a marriage scene
o
Depicts herself in all of her images, often
marring Christ
o
Had a vision in which she was engaged to Christ who
is wearing pants and bow tie
o
Chapter 19 of Revelation is written
o
Giving flowers to God who is seated in the sky
MORE MYTHS:
2. People in the Americas simply
replicated European art and iconography
- not necessarily true
says these people were not creative nor
imaginative
3. Liberation ways of thinking about
and imagining Christ only began in the 1960s
-
before then people were imaging Christ in this
way
-
since the beginning of Christianity and America
(North America – US)
4. The US was always and is a
Christian/Jesus-centered nation
WHAT ARE THE IMAGES AND COLORS OF
CHRIST IN 18TH CENTURY AMERICA?
Imaging Christ in the 17th
century Americas: Two Impulses
French and Spanish Jesuits and Franciscans:
Jesus came to be imaged as warrior, chief, Master of the Hunt
English Puritans: Jesus as fire and
blinding light. They are iconoclasts (anti-image). See the difference between
material and non-material culture. Don’t want material images of Christ.
Imaging Christ in the 18th
century
First Great Awakening 1730s-40s
o
revival movement, outpouring of the Holy Spirit
o
Johnathan Edwards - "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"
Second Great Awakening, late 18th
– mid 19th century
o
Religious enthusiasm, rejection of Deism,
appeals to the supernatural
o
“Burned Over District” of NY
o
Influence over women, African-Americans, slaves
Indian Great Awakening
- Moravians
are a group of Protestants who convert Indians
- Samuel
Occom – indigenous American, missionizes and converts, becomes writer, a pastor
and theologian and a fundraiser for Dartmouth in CT that is supposed to be a
school for Indians however it didn’t turn out that way – he was let down L
18th Century American Hymns
lots of metaphors
themes? Images? Show Christ as:
- king / royalty
- life-giver
- controller of life and death
- healer
- redeemer / purchaser
- sacrifice
- high up
- dove
- liberator
- host
MORE:
Color associated with Christ is red... why? BLOOD.
Side wound images from Moravians - symbolize new life
Penitents image of "crucifying" one of their own
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