The Word Became Flesh: Christological Imagery in Orthodox Devotional Objects

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30 August 2014

19 December 2014

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, icons function as sacred images that render visible the invisible presence of God. In the opening chapter of the Book of John in the Christian Bible, John characterizes Jesus Christ as the word of God that has taken on human form. The Biblical New Testament, written in Greek, employs two different terms for the English “word”: rhema refers to the spoken word, while logos refers to one’s thoughts or insights. Thus, John’s discussion of Christ as logos takes on particular significance in the Orthodox Church, where icon artists are said to “write” their works.
This exhibition examines the dual nature of Christ as both word and flesh, divine and human, by featuring works that show narrative scenes of his birth, life, death, and resurrection, as well as symbolic images that illustrate significant theological points. It was organized by Meredith Lancaster, a second year graduate student in the Department of the History of Art and Architecture, under the guidance of Associate Curator June Black and Senior Curator of Western Art Johanna G. Seasonwein.