ARTH 401(F) The Word-Made-Flesh (Same as Religion 222)

Why did the physical presentation of Scripture change so radically during the course of the first millennium? What motivated the transformation of the earliest type of biblical books-comprising words inscribed in ink on fragile papyrus leaves or parchment rolls-into splendid codices written in gold on stained vellum, adorned with elaborated initials and charts, expanded with prologues and poetry, and embellished with icons inside and on magnificent treasure bindings? Examining such issues as the origin of the codex as the characteristic form of the Christian book, the effect of eighth/ninth-century image debates on the concept of the ornamented manuscripts, and the function(s) of the Bible in church and court, The Word-Made-Flesh will explore the ways in which books containing sacred scripture were figured as actual embodiments of God. Students will visit the exhibition Bible and Book at the Freer Gallery in Washington, which the Croghan Visiting Professor Herbert Kessler helped to organize, and they will prepare research papers based on the precious objects displayed there or available for study elsewhere.
Format: seminar.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15 (expected: 12). Preference given to art majors.
Satisfies the seminar requirement in art history.

Hour: KESSLER