Theological Aesthetics: Art and Theory of Art in the Christian Tradition

Art and theology have always been intertwined. This course provides
historical and contemporary perspectives on theological aesthetics, in
relation both to concrete artistic expression and to the formulation of
theory. Several historically significant issues are dealt with, such as
the prohibition against images and early iconography, the Byzantine
iconoclasm and the theology of icons, naturalism’s understanding of
religious art, and the return of theological aesthetics in the twentieth
century. The course also deals with contemporary topics, such as the
limits of a didactic understanding of art, the relation between
religious iconography and religious art, and the relation between
aesthetic experience and religious experience. This is intended to
facilitate an ability to relate aesthetics and theology with a view to
their mutual dependence.