Beauty Spirit Matter: Icons in the Modern World

Sacred Icons, images of God made man and man made God, have never ceased to be an integral part of Orthodox Christian cultures, but it is only now, after centuries of absence, that they are becoming understood again in the west. The attraction of their strange beauty and mystery is ultimately rooted in the fact that icons resonate with our innermost being as creatures of both spirit and matter. As there are numerous excellent books about the theology and the liturgical use of icons, this volume concentrates on the broader implications of the icon’s theology for our lives in the twenty-first century; exploring the insight that icons give to such contemporary issues as ecology, the relationship between sacred art and culture or that between scientific knowledge and spiritual knowledge, the role of our bodies in the spiritual life and the nature of beauty. ‘In this astonishing book Aidan Hart takes us through the icon to the very heart and mind of God and thus ourselves. Read this and the world will never appear the same again - thank God!’ Martin Palmer, Secretary General of Alliance of Religion and Conservation

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