Icons

The present study investigates the spread of the ho Ôn (ὁ ὤν) inscription in Christ's halo. Developed in the early Palaiologan period, the inscription originates with the liturgy for the Feast of the Transfiguration and was popularized through the theology of light elucidated by Hesychasts. Contextualizing the epigraphic innovation within the wider debates over Hesychast theology, this essay pursues lines of inquiry first proposed by Titos Papamastorakis, who drew attention to the proliferation of this inscription in dome ensembles. The study concludes by discussing the reception of the ho Ôn inscription in the Post-Byzantine Greek and Slavic worlds.

ICONS  DEPICTING  ST  CYRIL  AND  ST  METHODIUS  FROM  THE  STRANDZHA MOUNTAINS (SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH – EARLY 20TH CENTURY).

During the time of the Bulgarians’struggle  for ecclesiastical  emancipation  from the Constantinople patriarchy  in  the  1850s – 1870s, the cult of theSlavic enlighteners St Cyril and St Methodius spread widely across the northern slopes of the Strandzha Mountains,whose population was predominantly Bulgarian.  This could explain why even  prior to the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War, icons of the two saints began to appear in the vicinity of the towns of Sredets and Malko Tarnovo.These were painted by Socrates Georgiou, a Greek icon painter from Sozopol who skillfully exploited the patrioticsentiments of the local Bulgarian church communities. A similar approach was adopted by the less gifted Greek iconpainter Stavros from Lozengrad, who was particularly active in the area around Malko Tarnovo, which remainedunder Turkish control between 1878 and 1912. During the early decades after the 1878, on the northern side of theBulgarian –  Turkish  border,  in  the  region of  Sredets and  the adjacent  villages belonging  to  the  municipalities ofSozopol and Primorsko, there were several icon painters from Tryavna (Dimitar Minev, his son Hristo Dimitrov,and others) who were working tirelessly in the local churches, painting icons of the Slavic enlighteners in the besttraditions of the Tryavna Art School. In some of the Strandzha churches a clear manifestation of the veneration of StCyril and St Methodius was the placement of their icon on the  bishop’s throne, an curious novel practice, alsoevident in a number  of  other places  across  Bulgaria, the reason for  which  was the conviction  shared by thecontemporaries that the contribution of the Thessaloniki brothers provided a solid spiritual and cultural basis for theautocephaly of the Bulgarian Church, which was restored on May 11th, 1872.

Inscriptions on altar tables from Strandzha
Summary

The paper examines the restoration of the church network in the Strandzha Mountains region around the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, tracing the interaction between builders and icon painters from the vicinity of Gabrovo and Tryavna within the context of this process. The study is based on fieldwork and archival research under the project entitled Comprehensive and Innovative Methods for Identification and Study of the Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Central and Eastern Strandzha against the Backdrop of Migration and Demographic Decline, funded by the National Science Fund of Bulgaria. Here, published for the first time, are the inscriptions on the altar tables of the churches in that area. The historical records available testify to a large-scale, targeted policy aimed at reviving and fostering local church/religious life in the decades following the Russo-Turkish Liberation War of 1877-1878 in the territory of the Municipality of Sredets (as opposed to the Municipality of Malko Turnovo, which remained within the borders of the Ottoman Empire up until 1912). Under the authority and supervision of Seraphim, Metropolitan of Sliven, and his Vicar Bishop and successor Gervasius of Leuke, the local church municipalities attracted builder teams from the vicinity of Gabrovo, which over time renovated the war-damaged temples in the town of Sredets and the village of Svetlina and built new churches in the villages of Gorno and Dolno Yabalkovo, Bistrets, Momina Tsarkva and, most probably also the churches in the villages of Fakia, Valchanovo and Varovnik. Active participants in this process were Dimitar Minev and Georgi Dimitrov, master icon painters from the town of Tryavna who painted icons for most of the abovementioned churches.

This article focuses on a significant and hitherto unpublished icon painted around the  mid-fifteenth  century  by  the  Master  of  the  Amber-Spotted  Tunic.  By  analysing its style and  iconography, it  furthers our  understanding of  history of panel  painting in  Ethiopia  during  this  period.  The  study  shows  that Fǝre Ṣǝyon was  not  the  only talented artist  who created  works in compliance  with the  policies of Zär’a Ya‛әqob and that the Master of the Amber-Spotted Tunic was an equally accomplished painter. The latter’s work was in fact capable of conveying complex theological ideas in a visually accessible manner.

This is a paper on "Iconic Places in Motion: Rachel Tomb as Territorial Borderland" written for the The Biennale Architettura 2018 titled FREESPACE. The paper was published in Statu Quo: Structures of Negotiation Edited by: Ifat Finkelman, Deborah Pinto Fdeda, Oren Sagiv, Tania Coen-Uzzielli. The Venice Biannale Book.

Expression of faith through art (painting, sculpture and others) for Christians is not an optional but obligatory thing, because it expresses their faith in the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. For such a statement, the Church came through several centuries. In the end, he formulated his position at the Councils, in the teaching of popes and theologians, also under the influence of political disputes. However, the teaching of the Church about the importance and the function of sacred liturgical art has not received its reception until today. For this to happen, artists must explore the faith of the Church, and the faithful must learn the “language” of art with which they profess their faith, learn about it, remember the presence of saints in their lives, move their feelings towards faith and decorate sacred space.

What are the myths of Europe? This article provides the conceptual framework through which this question may be approached. It begins by defining myth in such a way as to distinguish it from other forms of political myths. From here, the relationship between mythical and historical narratives is analyzed via a study of how the main narrative cores through which Europeans have perceived themselves have worked in different periods and contexts as both. It concludes with a more detailed analysis of some of the icons that convey the myths of Europe.

Max Imdahl is situated on the border between the theory and practice of visual arts. His life is an experience of combining academic art history with cutting-edge art criticism. His ‘ikonik’ was intended as a continuation and completion of the methodological development of art history from iconography to iconology. Instead of the hermeneutics of the immanent meaning of an artwork, the semantics of an act of vision becomes the object of his interpretation, and criticism of cognitive capacities of language as a means of articulating artistic experience becomes his purpose. Imdahl juxtaposes his ‘ikonik’ as a theologised variant of receptive aesthetics with Hans Sedlmayr’s structural analysis. For Imdahl, Sedlmayr falls under suspicion for his all too static picture of the semantic element of an artwork, which, according to Sedlmayr, is divided into layers of meaning, unified by a single irrational (“endothymic”) basis. By contrast, ‘ikonik’ refers to the semantics emerging as simultaneous affects of the act of vision, which embraces dynamic oppositions of meaning, having a scenographic and choreographic character. Thus, the interaction with an artwork is equated to a performative act, which ensures the apophatic growth of meaning and the approach to the Revelation. The tropological decomposition of the structures of the contemplative mind (Sedlmayr) is continued by the eschatological deconstruction of the verbal discourse in the form of art history (Imdahl).

Макс Имдаль располагается на границе между теорией и практикой визуальных искусств. Его жизненный путь – это опыт совмещения академической истории искусства и актуальной художественной критики. Его иконика задумывалась как продолжение и завершение методологического развития искусствознания от иконографии к иконологии. Вместо герменевтики имманентного произведению смысла объектом толкования становится семантика акта зрения, а целью – критика когнитивных возможностей языка как средства артикуляции творческого опыта. Свою иконику как теологизированный (с помощью неотомизма) вариант рецептивной эстетики Имдаль противопоставляет структурному анализу Зедльмайра, подозревая последнего в слишком статичной картине семантического устройства художественного произведения, якобы разделённого на смысловые слои, объединённые единым иррациональным («эндотимическим») основанием. Иконике же подвластны смыслы, возникающие как симультанные аффекты акта зрения, охватывающего динамически взаимодействующие смысловые противоположности сценографически-хореографического свойства. Тем самым взаимодействие с произведением искусства приравнивается к перформативному акту, что обеспечивает апофатический прирост смысла и приближение к собственно Откровению. Тропологическая декомпозиция структур созерцающего сознания (Зедльмайр) продолжается эсхатологической де-конструкцией самого вербального дискурса, имеющего вид истории искусства (Имдаль).

As the first full-length article on the ballet "Liturgie," this study  examines the extent to which Ballets Russes collaborators—Natalia Goncharova in particular—explored Orthodox liturgy, iconography, and theology for a Russian vision of the Gesamtkuntswerk as both transformative theatrical experience and avant-garde platform for artistic renewal. The charged nature of staging a living ritual act may have prevented the final realization of the project, especially given increasing religious sympathies among Ballets Russes collaborators. Stravinsky, for example, renounced "Liturgie" amid growing Catholic and Orthodox sympathies, even though he collaborated on early stages of the project. Although the work was still expected as late as 1921, the changing cultural and religious climate of post-war Paris made Goncharova’s vision for the ballet especially untenable.

The photojournalistic icons of the Vietnam War result from a cultural construction and a process of iconization that took place over several decades. With every reprint and remediation, these pictures lost some of their historical context and came to be read as purely symbolic images. Their meaning has been simplified over time to bend them to a media discourse focused on the writing of history. This article presents a detailed examination of the reprints of these images in the American press since the end of the war and shows how they came to be chosen as representatives of the war but also of the work of photojournalists. Iconic photographs are now used as illustrations of the notion of media influence and represent its most popular incarnation.

The competing theories of state recognition and their failings actively demonstrate that recognition of a state does not have any normative content per se, but rather, that the rules of state recognition, although legal rules, are legal vehicles for political choices. We have the dilemma of concurrently wanting the right cases to result in independent states while prohibiting the wrong ones from becoming so, and so we sail between political choices, using the language of law. The state is neither truly free to recognize another entity nor entirely bound. Differing cases require different legal criteria and different legal results. This flexibility in state recognition theory though, while depriving the act of any inherent legal meaning, has value in its utility for establishing lawful relationships.

This paper will argue that the reason we find it difficult to resolve the controversy over state recognition theory is because the international legal system translates political controversies into legal questions that can then be addressed through legal means. Legal actors, by announcing preference for one side of the question, often reveal certain legal and moral choices they are making about the nature of the state and the legitimacy of the international legal system - law and politics. In the area of state recognition, no theory of recognition has extinguished competition because no political choice has gained universal acceptance. The predominant political choice is most frequently deliberate indeterminacy, a co-existence of mutually opposing arguments. This indeterminacy is most likely deliberate because it permits the underlying rationale for the legal actor’s policies to change and evolve to suit the situation.

Święte wizerunki w przekazie Dobrej Nowiny Opolska Biblioteka Teologiczna 161 ks. Dariusz klejnowski-różycki Wydział Teologiczny, Uniwersytet Opolski Nauka Addaja i legenda edeska o świętym Wizerunku Streszczenie Wśród acheiropitów szczególną pozycję ma Święty Mandylion związany z legendą edeską o królu Abgarze. Różne warianty tej legendy funkcjonują w kulturze chrześcijańskiego Wschodu dzięki kilku pismom apokryficznym poświęconym działalności ewangelizacyjnej św. Judy Tadeusza. Są to teksty greckie: Dzieje św. Apostoła Tadeusza, jednego z Dwunastu, armeńskie Dzieje św. Tadeusza, a przede wszystkim Nauka Addaja, która jest syryjską kroniką z przełomu IV i V w. opowiadającą o działalności jednego z siedemdziesięciu dwóch uczniów Pana Jezusa. Opowiada ona o historii korespondencji Chry-stusa i Abgara, cytuje trzy mowy Addaja (do dworu królewskiego, misyjną i do kleru), prezentuje także korespondencję Abgara z Tyberiuszem oraz dal-sze losy gminy w Edessie. Nauka Addaja opowiada także o pierwszym portre-cie Jezusa wykonanym przez Annasza-archiwistę królewskiego. Legenda ta została rozwinięta w Historii Ewagriusza w VI w. Słowa kluczowe: Święty Mandylion, legenda edeska, Święty Wizerunek, Edessa, Abgar. W tradycji chrześcijańskiej od starożytności krążą legendy o cudownym, nie ręką ludzką uczynionym, wizerunku Oblicza Chrystusa. Legendy te mają znaczenie nie tylko dla historyków, patrologów, ale wywierają ciągle wpływ

This article examines the implications of two distinct phases of international engagement in Kosovo. We argue that a number of flaws developed during UNMIK’s administration (1999 – 2008), which continue to undermine Kosovo’s stability. We then disentangle the complex inter-institutional relations between ICO, EULEX, UNMIK and the OSCE. Indeed, their incompatible positions towards Kosovo’s status results in a lack of clarity, coordination and coherence that weaken Kosovo within four policy areas: Kosovo’s international recognition and participation, the rule of law, inter- ethnic relations and the fate of North Kosovo. While these shortcomings could be viewed as ‘unintended consequences’, we argue more broadly that the Kosovo case illustrates the limits of liberal peacebuilding and the tensions and implications of strategic peacebuilding.

The speed, scale, and shape of digital circulation pose numerous challenges for rhetorical analysis that seeks to analyze image-texts in context  This paper develops a framework for the rhetorical analysis of Internet memes through the concept of modes.  Analyzing memes requires a shift in focus from the actual (texts and contexts) to the virtual (the capacities for affect and affection structuring an encounter). What makes such memes recognizable and, hence, circulable is a shared, virtual mode structuring all subsequent actualizations. The examination of Fail/Win demonstrates that the analysis of modes can be assisted by a number of rhetorical concepts as long as modes are understood as collective, emergent expressions. It also shows that the Fail/Win mode is better understood not as the representation of specific rhetors but, instead, as an expression of control society that advances both a dystopian view of humans reduced to performing rote operations and a utopian, ideological gesture promising that success remains possible nevertheless.

«РОЛЬ ИСТОЧНИКОВ ВИЗУАЛЬНОЙ ИНФОРМАЦИИ В ИНФОРМАЦИОННОМ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИИ ИСТОРИЧЕСКОЙ НАУКИ». НАУЧНАЯ КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ С МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫМ УЧАСТИЕМ В ИНСТИТУТЕ ВСЕОБЩЕЙ ИСТОРИИ РАН 4 апреля 2019 г.

Организатор конференции: Институт всеобщей истории РАН (отдел новой и новейшей истории, Центр интеллектуальной истории), при участии: Российского общества интеллектуальной истории (РОИИ), Ассоциации «История и компьютер»

Партнер конференции: проект «Музеи – библиотеки – архивы в информационном обеспечении исторической науки»

Информационные партнеры – журналы:
«Новая и новейшая история»
«Диалог со временем»
«Историческая информатика»

Программный комитет: д.и.н., профессор, директор ИВИ РАН М.А. Липкин (председатель); д.и.н., профессор В.С. Мирзеханов; к.и.н. Е.А. Воронцова

Организационный комитет: д.и.н., профессор В.С. Мирзеханов (председатель); член-корреспондент РАН, д.и.н., профессор, президент РОИИ Л.П. Репина (сопредседатель); член-корреспондент РАН, д.и.н., профессор Л.И. Бородкин; к.и.н. Е.А. Воронцова, к.и.н. А.О. Хорошева, к.и.н. М.М. Горелов.

Icons are a necessary feature of Byzantine architecture, with several of them being displayed in each Church on the screen (iconostasis) separating the nave from the sanctuary, and in the homes of faithfuls. They embody symbolically the presence of God and Saints on this Earth, creating a veritable link between the human and the Eternal.

Russian icons are an interesting class in the wider group of Byzantine iconography. Stemming originally from the canons of the Palaeologan Renaissance at the core of the Byzantine tradition (Constantinople and Mount Athos in particular), the Russian style incorporates a number of external inputs, especially from the 18th century onwards, when Saint Petersburg attracted artists from all around Europe as one of the main cultural centres of the Old Continent. These artists influenced the style and craft of Russian icon painters, who developed harmonious and elaborate iconographies.

Who is the Ancient of Days in the book of Daniel 7: 9 ff? Is he a manifestation of God the Father, as some say, thus justifying images of the Father by the principle of what is visible is representable? This study seeks to show that the Ancient of Days is a theophany of Christ the Logos, the Eschatological Judge. He is an Old Testament prefiguration of Christ's Second Coming. This interpretation upholds the Orthodox and patristic iconology which says that the only acceptable image of God is the Incarnate Christ.

Доклад «’’Звенигородский чин” прп. Андрея Рублева: современные проблемы изучения» на III Чтениях памяти В.А. Плугина на историческом факультете МГУ 14 ноября 2017 г.  В докладе полностью доказана по данным всего комплекса источников неоспоримая принадлежность знаменитого «Звенигородского чина» кисти великого иконописца прп. Андрея Рублева († 17.10.1428). Тем самым начисто развенчаны легковесные мнения молодых сотрудников ГТГ Л.В. Нерсесяна и С.В. Свердловой (поддержанных только А.М. Лидовым), прозвучавшие на круглом столе в Третьяковской галерее 21 июня 2017 г., что «Звенигородский чин» 1396 г. якобы не был написан прп. Андреем Рублевым и отличается от его общепризнанных икон, таких, как чудотворная икона «Живоначальная Троица». Такие незрелые суждения не соответствуют уровню современного научного знания об этих шедеврах и обусловлены недостаточной осведомленностью авторов «сенсации» о творческой биографии всемирно известного иконописца Древней Руси, которая взята ими для корреляции: «получается, что Рублев, будучи еще совсем молодым мастером, создал одно из самых совершенных и сложных по технике произведений древнерусской живописи, но через четверть века по какой-то неизвестной причине радикальным образом изменил свою манеру» (Софья Свердлова).
Доклад проф. О.Г. Ульянова, заведующего Сектором церковной археологии ФГБУК «Центральный музей древнерусской культуры и искусства имени прп. Андрея Рублева», подготовлен на базе научно-исследовательского проекта «Преподобный Андрей Рублев в Спасо-Андрониковом монастыре».

Celem ninejszej pracy jest analiza sytuacji politycznej w Republice Kosowa po 17 lutego 2008 roku, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem problemów wewnętrznych i zewnętrznych tego państwa. Zastanawiam się również nad stopniem suwerenności i niepodległości Republiki Kosowa oraz nad najważniejszymi wyzwaniami jakie przed nią stoją.

Jednym z najważniejszych problemów, z jakimi boryka się aktualnie Kosowo jest niemożność określenia jego ostatecznego statusu międzynarodowego. Problem ten nadal istnieje, nawet jeżeli Republika Kosowa ogłosiła niepodległość i konstytucyjnie określiła swój status jako suwerenne państwo, a MTS nie uznał tego za nielegalne. Budzi on w dalszym ciągu kontrowersje i dzieli społeczność międzynarodową. Trudno dociekać jego legalności na podstawie prawa do samostanowieniu narodów, gdy w opozycji staje prawo do poszanowania integralności terytorium państwa. Niemożliwym jest też stwierdzenie państwowości Republiki Kosowa na podstawie obiektywnych przesłanek prawa międzynarodowego, gdyż ich ocena należy do indywidualnych podmiotów prawa międzynarodowego. Dodatkowo, sam status prawny przyznany Kosowu przez Konstytucję Republiki Kosowa jest negowany przez część jego obywateli, a terytorium podzielone jest pod względem administracyjno-prawnym na dwie części. Zaistniała sytuacja nie tylko przyczynia się do osłabienia efektywności władz Republiki Kosowa na arenie wewnętrznej i międzynarodowej, ale implikuje również negatywne konsekwencje społeczno-ekonomiczne. To zaś niekorzystnie wpływa na zakres działania Republiki Kosowa jako państwa będącego podmiotem prawa międzynarodowego, w ten sposób Kosowo tylko w ograniczonym zakresie może spełniać wynikające z tego tytułu zobowiązania.

Nie ulega jednak wątpliwości, że ustanowienie protektoratu międzynarodowego i budowa autonomicznych instytucji zarządzających de facto przyczyniły się do separacji i niezależności politycznej Kosowa od Republiki Serbii uniemożliwiając ponowne połączenie się tych dwóch organizmów, czego punktem kulminacyjnym było proklamowanie przez kosowskie władze niepodległości oraz przyjęcie Kostytucji Republiki Kosowa. W związku z powyższym, trzeba zastanowić się nie nad tym, czy Kosowo to państwo, ale nad tym w jaki sposób należy stymulować jego dalszy rozwój, by rozwiązać jego największe problemy.

Od 17 lutego 2008 roku do września 2012 roku Republika Kosowa jako twór państwowy intensywnie ewoluowała tak, by z nowopowstałego podmiotu prawa międzynarodowego walczącego o swoje istnienie, stać się państwem, które pewne swojego bytu stara się zapewnić sobie jak najlepsze warunki rozwoju. Zauważymy to zarówno na arenie wewnętrznej, jak i międzynarodowej.

Jako punkt wyjścia dla analizy ww. problemów posłużyła mi charakterystyka sytuacji demograficznej i gospodarczej Kosowa oraz historyczny zarys dziejów tego obszaru. Problem Republiki Kosowa jest wart uwagi, ponieważ w sposób pośredni lub bezpośredni rzutuje na sytuację międzynarodową, wpływając nie tylko na kwestie regionalne obszaru bałkańskiego (perspektywa akcesji do Unii Europejskiej Bałkanów Zachodnich czy stosunki na linii Prisztina - Belgrad), ale również ponadregionalne (m.in. separatyzm abchaski i południoosetyński, sam w sobie stanowiąc przykład dla innych ruchów separatystycznych). Różne stanowiska głównych aktorów międzynarodowych (Stany Zjednoczone, Unia Europejska, Federacja Rosyjska, Chińska Republika Ludowa, Republika Serbii) na kwestię niepodległości Republiki Kosowa odzwierciedlają ich własne interesy oraz prowadzą do sytuacji, gdzie problem międzynarodowego uznania nowopowstałego państwa jest nierozstrzygnięty. Przypadek kosowski jest też interesujący jako model badań nad tworzeniem się, funkcjonowaniem i ograniczeniami systemu instytucjonalnego nowego państwa oraz w związku z zastosowaniem tu mechanizmów nadzoru międzynarodowego.



"The primary objective of this thesis is the analysis of political situation in the Republic of Kosovo after 17 february 2008, taking into consideration the internal and external problems of this country. I also focused on the level of sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Kosovo and all the challenges that it must overcome.

One of the main problems that Kosovo is struggling with at the moment is the inability to determine it's international status. The problem still exists, even after Kosovo gained independence, and it's constitution describes it as sovergain country (which wasn't considered illegal by MTS). The status of Kosovo is controversial and divides the international community. It is hard to determinate the legitimacy of Kosovo on the basis of the right of nations to self-determination, because in oposition exists the principle to respect the country's territorial integrity. It is also impossible to determine the statehood of the Republic of Kosovo by basing it on the prerequisites of international law, because the evaluation lies in the hands of individual subjects of international law. Additionally, part of the citizens denies the legal status of the country granted by the Constitution of Republic of Kosovo. It devides the country in two administrative parts. The difficult situation that arised weakens the efficiency of the authorities of the Republic of Kosovo on both international and internal areas, and implies negative social and economic consequences. All the factors impair the range of actions that the Republic of Kosovo, as the subject of the international law, can take.

There's no doubt that the international protectorate and the autonomous administrative institutions contributed to separation and independence of the Republic of Kosovo from the Republic of Serbia, making it impossible for the two body politics to rejoin. The culminative point was the proclamation of the independence and the acceptance of the Constitution of Republic of Kosovo. Taking all the facts into consideration, it is not necessary to argue if Kosovo is a country or not. It is necessary to stimulate the country's development and find the solutions to it's most difficult problems.

From 17 february 2008 to september 2012 the Republic of Kosovo was evolving intensely, with objective to become a strong, self-sufficient country that can assure for itself ideal conditions for further development. It can be seen in both international and internal areas.

The starting point for the analysis of the mentioned problems was the characteristics of the demographic and economic situation in Kosovo and the history of this area. The situation in Kosovo is worth analysing, because it affects the whole international situation, not only the questions of the Balkan region (the perspective of Western Balkans to join the European Union or relations Pristina- Belgrad), but also the over-regional problems such as Abkhaz separatism – an example for other separatist movements.

The different aproaches of main international political actors (USA, European Union, Russian Federation, People's Republic of China, Republic of Serbia) to the fact of Kosovo's independence show their own political matters leading to inability to decide on the status of the newborn country. The case of Kosovo is also interesting because it shows the model of analyzing the formation, functioning and limitations of the institutional system of the new country when the mechanism of the international protectorate is being used."

The article investigates the theological implications that various Trinity icons have in past and present, starting from the very famous and popular one of Andrei Rubljov. This investigation consists in three “considerations”, which are based on the iconographic-iconological interpretation following Erwin Panofsky and at the same time go beyond this methodology. A description of Rubljov’s icon is followed by the reconstruction of the development of the iconographic motif of “Philoxenia” from late antiquity to the 15th century. In light of this tradition it is striking that Rubljov presents the visit of the three men in Mamre (cf. Gen 18:1–12) without depicting the hosts, Abraham and Sara. In the third “consideration”, the iconographic tradition – as well as Rubljovs break with it – is brought into dialogue with reflections on the relation between human hospitality and knowledge of God in Christian theology. On that basis, two “outlooks” ask what kind of Trinity/Philoxeny icon would be the most appropriate within the context of the Western world in the 21st century, focusing on the paradigm of “hospitality” in modern theology and philosophy, esp. Emanuel Lévinas, as well as on the role and position of women (Sara) therein.

Die Dreifaltigkeitsikone von Andrej Rubljov (Abb. 1) ist das wohl populärste Bild der christlichen Ökumene. In den 1420er-Jahren im russischorthodoxen Dreifaltigkeitskloster des Sergij von Radonesh gemalt, oder besser gesagt: geschrieben (denn im Selbstverständnis der Ikonenmalerei werden diese Bilder nicht gemalt, sondern geschrieben), wurde diese Ikone im Jahr 1551 von der Hundertkapitelsynode in Moskau als dogmatisch vorbildliche und verbindliche Darstellung der Trinität bezeichnet. 1 Seit 1929 befindet sich die restaurierte Ikone in der Moskauer Tretjakov-Galerie, wo ihr ein eigener Raum gewidmet ist. Unzählige Kopien schmücken orthodoxe Räume ebenso wie katholische und evangelische und werden von Angehörigen aller christlichen Konfessionen betrachtet und ausgelegt.

The relations between tsar Alexis and patriarch Nikon between 1652–1658 can be seen as
the realization of the Byzantine idea of symphony, but there was a sharp break from 1658 on
which finally led to the deposition of Nikon. It means that by the time Fedor Griboedov set
out to write his work in the 1660s, the symphony between the tsar and the patriarch had
already been over. The ideological struggle between the tsar and the patriarch exerted a
great influence on the chronicle which must be interpreted in the context of this conflict.
Griboedov’s chronicle completely abandoned the idea of symphony apparent in the Book of
Degrees, though its structure closely resembled the latter and it quoted extensively from the
Book of Degrees. The icon called The Planting of the Tree of the Muscovite State painted by
Ushakov was a visual representation of the symphony existing only during Moscow’s
historical past, and it also connected the salvation of Russia to the piety of the tsar and his
family.

Amongst the vast human population lies one common fear – the fear of the unknown. As a result, most progressions made by humans are in pursuit of a source of explanation. In earlier days a cosmological presence was created to soften the blow of the existential reality that humanity cannot bear to face. Throughout the centuries, religions have been formed based on ancient myths and rituals, creating idols, gods, and an overall higher cosmos – all of which seem unreachable but somehow comfort humans by diminishing their existential fear. Although in modern times science has paved the way towards the future, casting a shadow over any cosmological accounts, I found that music has managed to keep these mythological roots. I would argue that the rise of celebrity culture within the world of music is not something new, but rather a modern reinterpretation of previous beliefs and ritualistic practises: the shaman and their role within society; mythic frameworks that contemporary celebrity figures can be placed within e.g. the Dying God, sacrifice and resurrection, worshipping self-made (or society-made) idols etc. By analysing old interpretations of celebrity function within myth and rituals of the past and cross-referencing them with the reinterpretations of celebrity within music, I have found certain ties that show myth has not been completely forgotten. I delve into the world of celebrity culture, concentrating on superstar Taylor Swift and her constant reinventions, placing her within certain mythological frameworks of the past.

By writing this dissertation, I hope to form a stronger tie between modern celebrity culture and the present “belief system”, that being any major world religion. Focusing on the musical side of celebrity culture allows me to cross-reference celebrity functions now and compare them to their functions of the past within a cosmological context.