This course explores the changing definition of the concept of an image in the medieval Mediterranean brought about by the rise of Islam as a new religion in the seventh century. By the eight century four political entities - the Umayyads, the Byzantines, the Carolingians, and the papacy - competed for power and influence, insisting that their legitimacy issued from their correct understanding of the manifestation of the divine. Their orthodoxy was tied to the acceptance or rejection of the material image in devotion. This course explores the many and varied definitions of what constitutes an image for the Byzantine East, the Latin West and Islam. We will engage with the phenomena of performative iconicity tied to the exhalation of breath in chant and the recitation of the Qur'an; the Eucharist as an image of God; and the concepts of the textual icons; figurative poems; and the magical power of script. The course will engage with the reading and analysis of primary sources and the close-looking of facsimiles of medieval manuscripts.
5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
This course explores the changing definition of the concept of an image in the medieval Mediterranean brought about by the rise of Islam as a new religion in the seventh century. By the eight century four political entities - the Umayyads, the Byzantines, the Carolingians, and the papacy - competed for power and influence, insisting that their legitimacy issued from their correct understanding of the manifestation of the divine. Their orthodoxy was tied to the acceptance or rejection of the material image in devotion. This course explores the many and varied definitions of what constitutes an image for the Byzantine East, the Latin West and Islam. We will engage with the phenomena of performative iconicity tied to the exhalation of breath in chant and the recitation of the Qur'an; the Eucharist as an image of God; and the concepts of the textual icons; figurative poems; and the magical power of script. The course will engage with the reading and analysis of primary sources and the close-looking of facsimiles of medieval manuscripts.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.