Saint John of Damascus expresses himself in remarkably scientific terms when addressing decidedly unscientific popular legends found in the two short treatises/ fragments below, translated here from the original Greek. The modern reader may still find fault with his easy deference to written authority, but Saint John’s dispassionate application of Scripture, theological principles, and objective[…..]
Section: Fantastic Beasts
The Tetramorph: Sources and Development of a Medieval Iconographic Motif
This study aims to shed light on the emergence of a recurrent medieval iconographic motif: the representation of the four “Holy Animals” or “Living Creatures”, also known as the Tetramorph. Biblical and literary texts are brought together with images to determine the reasons and circumstances surrounding the birth of this imagery. This article will retrace[…..]