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when christianity 1st arose it was without a midge's it had only words only script images were 1st introduced into the christian's assembly rooms where they were concentrated at the far end of the simple hole cold the clays yet but once the walls were adorned with images they told a story. how did these images arise how did these stories come up baggage and what role did angels play in the stories of conflict between power and order heaven and earth.

angels on the messengers of the one god of whom no image exists and upon who know schuman will have a set of eyes people worship god's words words that were brought by angels who were closest to him. they are spiritual beings just like him beams of light. the angels proclaim what god wishes to tell people. they're cold and they were

imagined to be all new present always talking guiding advising and judging people and so they became a central theme of the pictorial history that week old west and. christianity became the state religion of the roman empire at a time when it was already beginning to collapse the city of rome the capital was a civilized metropolis of millions whose standards of living and represented the pinnacle of human history.

the roman emperor has placed themselves on the same level as the gods even today we talk of their buildings and legacies as monumental which also means overwhelming. different baptists cause 2 of the christianity whether it likes it or not is also an add to the roman empire they were temporally contingents the roman empire had a claim to universality christianity also claimed universality and translated it into the commandment to go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation because the india. the 1st images the 1st picture oriel symbols arose alongside the script when the christian or a trees in rome was still hidden underground in the catholic or. these pictures

were different from those of pre-christian am ticketing and portrayed angels wearing halos instead of winged messengers with laurel reeds but in the beginning there were very few specifically christian images. i think all measure well your hats can dogmatically antique roman religion didn't develop any dogma and for that reason provided no order to order 1st becomes apparent in christianity for instance in the hierarchy of the angels who we can see as the successor to the mynah functional gods of the romans one of the best but continuity and transformation volatile. but what were the models for the superhuman images in christendom were they the heroes of antiquity early christian imagery has its roots in the assyrian babylonian period with its anthropomorphic creatures for example the firy and winged chair of.

the distant because if let's take. the concept of demons which in a greek hero were neither good nor bad the morning demons were only intermediaries between the debt is and humanity in christianity they are rico defined as unclean spirits the new testament teaches us that they are the repudiated and resentful gods of the greeks for rick give us and then i'm delighted to get a declaration. instead of adopting the pictorial world of antiquity christianity chose to take a detour through demonic beings which took on an idealized human form copied from the n.t. god's angels are based on models taken from antiquity and the babylonian demons

even their name reflects these roots anger loss is greek for messenger and the chair of bears a resemblance to the early demons. certain you see as is the pseudo dionysius is the ideal author because he imagines the angels heaven as a world organized according to 3 sets of 3 it's made up of spheres nested in each other until they reach the highest mystery caught him is that he's got. one from the same person behind and trump is highest mystery received only as a sea of light divine glory is radiated to the world below so now it consists not just of visible light but also of the knowledge of who god actually is this is based on the 1st level of angels the seris from them to the cherubs who pass it on via an almost visible spiritual connection to the throne the political masters and silva and so vital. and thus the portrayal of angels in the late middle ages is

above all an indication of the primary thing communicated by christian images order . doesn't leslie through one of these or reflections on. asked jensen how can i portray god how can i portray what is holy and purely spiritual without it becoming sensible and being dragged down to the level of antiquity which the christians termed paganism. thus and because now are going on. the picture of a hierarchical order in heaven is the key to christian imagery order is the prerequisite for perfection. the 1st step towards a self-contained christian iconography of angels didn't take place in rome in the

4th century a.d. the roman empire collapsed into 2 hobs rome and the western part of the empire was overrun by the goths then reconquered by eastern roman by xantia in the mid 6th century rome became a provincial city of the buys and time empire with rivera as its capital. this is where the 1st systematic pictorial history of the still young christendom as a synthesis of greek philosophy and the christian doctrine of salvation was developed. did drive that model of a citizen gets as good a simple as look at this chart of the high number 3 is normally reserved as a symbol of the day it is this but in the old testament we also have angel often easily when the prophet is a kilo isiah allowed to look up to heaven they see being surrounding god all the things they are either ordered in groups of 4 or have 4 facets for example the

eagle like a lion like all human like beings and all of vegas and. it is something that was imported from the babylonian iconography and integrated into christendom god is surrounded by groups of 4 figures when seated on. his throne and that's why alongside the number 3 which symbolizes gaunt there is a number for an extension symbolizing his rule in all 4 well at least he has and eras so i figure since that's also why the derivatives of 341224 or so in doubt with a wholly systematic significance systematically toy to. the oldest mosaics of christian iconography out to be found in the sacred buildings of ravenna opposite a series of martyrs there's a series of holy virgins that individual expressions are not important but the series and the number. 16 prophet stand above them which signifies 12

plus 4 and the fact that they are placed above the virgins and the martyrs expresses their place in the hierarchy and they're all foraging within christendom . even higher up scenes portraying christ's passion even this position denotes hierarchy order here in revenge of the hierarchy is formulated and translated into a system of images. the beginning and the end of this mural are reserved for the key figures of holy scripture mary and christ they are positioned formally alongside each of them are 2 angels that look out directly on the viewer. the angels are the courtiers whole body guards of mary and jesus christ. her.

this simple picture oriel system became a canon upon which everything else was based from then on the churches became larger and the at ces and jones expressed the unity and perfection of the christian cosmonauts. in the way it. ranged it's images the christian pictorial system took over and transcended the bar exam time court order and its core trail of power and representation. if you read the 38 jubilee unity on constantine the great we can discern a formula for order in the art one god one empire one emperor constantine was an advocate of an eagle a tarion god made a clear hierarchy order this system of subservience this reflected socio political relationships and. inspired the.

revenue was where the synthesis between the systematic thinking of the greeks and the christian doctrine of salvation became translated into imagery. amidst the ruins of rome new churches were built and the ancient roman buildings repurposed by christians the pictorial canon over a banner made itself felt in santa maria in trust there where the larger the church was the more imagery could be depicted. here for the 1st time mary was depicted directly alongside jesus christ as his companion the mosaic still expresses representation directly but the angels are

missing. thus the picture clearly indicates that the central figure of the new testament jesus christ the redeemer is superior to the angels in the hierarchy even though he was a human being. the basilica of san clemente in rome was built at the beginning of the 12th century in it the by exam time court order is abandoned the christian cross dominates the ordering of the spheres still expresses numba and order but more important is the concentration on the christian visual symbols they signify the opposite of power christ as the holy land the center of his flock. love this is god as the angel of peace among us a full god it's a different pictorial message from those of antiquity all the buys and time empires

. will. around the turn of the millennium the church order as expressed in images went through a profound crisis of increasing worldliness and corruption the authority of the pope and with it the message of salvation through the one church was substantially shaken. the radical return of the liturgy to the original message of salvation took place not initially not in france i am in a small chapel now only on the founding motifs of that message of salvation are represented on it's by san timer sanders. above 2 small 6 winged cherubs 2 other angels dominate the done. they represent the old and the new testament which in the language of the mosaic were

delivered by angels to humankind. the suggestion of a hand tells us that they have delivered the scripture upon god's command and that the path to salvation can only lie in following god's will. this new system of christian liturgy and message of salvation comes from cluny abbey founded in 1910 by the jew go back retain as a benedictine abbey clooney was not only the center of the christian cosmos during the middle ages but the largest and most powerful church of the christian world it was only supposed later by st peter's basilica during the french revolution almost 900 years later clooney was destroyed as being a symbol of an absolute monarchy that claimed divine legitimation. but today

even amid the ruins the pattern significance of this order with its many of the churches and monasteries throughout burgundy is still palpable it's no accident that burgundy was home to the most significant monastic orders and of the biggest cathedrals of the 11th and 12th centuries the most important pilgrims way to santiago de compostela took them through here. tun cathedral house is the most significant pictorial example of the transformation of christian iconography joining that period it was carved in stone by give back to a spittoon 11201135. the main portal through which millions of pilgrims enter the church no longer depicted the power of god but the last judgment christ and the elders the angels

that god's throne sits and judge over human souls which in line with the general understanding of this period threatened by evil more than ever. in order to uphold order and the perfection of salvation christ and the angels have to demonstrate that they can differentiate between good and evil from this point on the rank of the angels changes dramatically in the imagery from now on they become the most important representatives of the ruler of old things a god that rewards good behavior. as christ companions the angels are a lot at the role of completing salvation the angels are once again the mediators between god and humanity they fight for god for humanity against evil. the pilgrims moved within the great knaves as though they were in

a parade and looked up into the capitals with a vivid illustrations of the evil in all its incarnations. the 2nd temptation of christ taken from the gospel of luke makes it clear what's happening here christ's determination to resist heresy and down to. the suicide of judas shows what happens when someone turns away from god the monumentally impressive knave signified to the believers that only god's word could help against old lease temptations and human weaknesses. getting at all oh my. oh my oh my god heading southwards with the mountains just visible on the horizon lies one of the most important cities of the middle ages the peace of the modern

day said a mere rock only was originally a burial place beyond the city wools the whole complex with its cathedral baptistry and compost some toll was bigger. in 1300. 41 to have the campo sunchild was the not just symmetry of the christian middle ages and that's a place where death damnation and redemption played a prominent rome here we find a monumental representation of the last judgment. this powerful fresco must have shocked its contemporaries it begins with the last judgment on the ruffle christ who reveals his wounds and flings his outrage like lightning in the direction of how. this anger is offset by the gentle virgin mary to his left. beneath them is an angel with 2 scroll at high level with the viewer is the warrior archangel michael with his soul

. another an angel herds frightened citizens of towards damnation the faces up terrified and pleading but no one can escape divine judgment this is a recurring motif in christendom in the face of the might of the last judgment the wealth and grant of bishops and even the power of mana all to no avail. in the frescoes pictorial arrangement the artist has paid tribute to social status the kings occupy the top 2. even one of the angels reveals its fear in the face of the past and unavoidable ity of the last judgment announced by trumpets on the left we can see the saved these 2 are portraits of real life citizens of pisa their

facial expressions are calm and they all look up to the must a full figure of the virgin mary. before the judge their body language is relaxed the face is a clear although their expressions reveal intense concentration. pease's pious citizens are expressing their heartfelt gratitude for the victory of good over evil . the struggle. these angels receive the souls who have already been saved. it's as if in addition to the widely understood concepts of the apocalypse in the last judgment a new orientation is taking place towards the end of the 20th century not far from the russian pass on the edge of the southern alps the monastery of muddy and back

was established to this day the benedictine monks there assemble in a narrow vaults that are a tree. where all that is. the. marion barry ministry is famous for its roman frescoes in a symbolic series of images they reinterpret human beings path to salvation they are brought closer to the angels by pursuing their battle against evil. the more. humans can rise in the heavenly hierarchy by successfully overcoming evil that is the message of these frescoes. we see the end jet except sin cherubs recognizable by their 6 wings that. alongside them is the apostle peter who holds the key to heaven in paradise and on his right is a protective angel. this constellation indicates

a new link between apostle and heavenly beings man and angel again come closer to one another despite the evil in the world. or the. who. is the most important message those communicated in the arrangement of angels above the almighty in the mandorla in jesus christ appears to be standing on his hand. the real focus is this small angel smaller than all the other heavenly figures it represents the new human who out of fighting a lifelong battle against evil is seen by christ to be deserving of redemption and thus as a small angel is taken into the communion of the big angels human beings can rise into the sphere of the heavenly beings and can be redeemed heaven awaits them

that's what this fresco expresses the small angel is both messenger and message a new era in the relationship between humanity in the heavenly sphere has begun hope. further southwards we reach a place of great importance in christian iconography assisi. in burgundy joining the 12th century monasteries have adopted a strictly organized liturgy and had almost completely rejected imagery. in the 13th century new waters arose in central italy this one in assisi was to be a purely mendicant olga completely dedicated to charity and neighborly love as the most direct path to redemption. the building of the lower church began in the early 13th century together with thomas aquinas francis of assisi was considered the main renewal of the christian doctrine

of salvation no building from the late middle ages bad as great a testament to the spirit of renewal as that of the highest church of assisi. its name is dominated by jaw tows world famous francisco's but the real secret is to be found in the older decorated transepts of the name of what is here translated pictorially is the virgin mary is bodily ascension to heaven and her final exaltation of the angels. in one of the men dollars held up by 4 angels jesus and mary are in friend in loving devotion one of the angels is said to have called out who is she she who is

raised up from the desert nestling on her love on. pain jules profits on the saints assemble around the heavenly throne on which the virgin mary sits alongside has sung as an intercessor on behalf of humanity. what is important here oh a protagonist stands st francis whose face can no longer be recognized plates for redemption on behalf of his brothers is conveyed by mary to her son who listens and gives his blessing to the franciscans. the virgin mary's role in the heavenly hierarchy is in this franciscan church newly defined. she is jesus' companion and on par with the angels at the same time she remains a human being that signifies that she is the 1st human being to be redeemed and raised to heaven.

the rose window in the outer world is like a final symbol of this new order. the shape of the sun can be construed as referring to jesus the rose to the virgin mary both forms are united as part of a circle that has only one center god. at the close of the middle ages towards the end of the 14th century tuscany became a european stronghold of progress the dominican monk from and jellicoe came from the area around florence and achieved world renown with his portrayals of angels. there's. than in the conspicuous chapel newco tona is home to the

annunciation a popular motif. the messages depicted in the fall most visible was the virgin mary is face still has a generic madonna like quality but is also individually defined and this image symbolizes not only the metaphorical line between the middle ages and the modern era it also makes clear what mood become more and more important. human samantha represented as emotional and individual beings in the story of salvation. 'd 'd the lower part of the painting depicts the marriage between mary and joseph what is grand breaking in this weather and jenny co is the expression with which he has endowed the figure of mary reason of being the archangel gabriel she is his equal

she represents the human striving for salvation the face expresses humility and dignity yet is still powerful she remains self-conscious and had gesture expresses not subservience but surprise and also knowledge awareness of what is happening she has been endowed with an individual soul and it is for that reason that we still describe her as beautiful. the impact of from the angelic o's would remained basically limited to tuscany he traveled little his main ambition was to embellish the sacred places of worship for the brothers of his own order. once again the relationship between the history of god. salvation in the world of the profane changed dramatically. the renaissance emerged 1st in tuscany then in wrong

it was a blossoming of trade and dot and since the downfall of the classical world had been so prosperous that of course also influenced the depiction of the angel. the vilified in rome was commissioned by the banker i go steen no cheap and built by. sea which is seen as the ultimate expression of the high renaissance and with its perspectives hole it features a room of tom boy painting. 6 the walls are covered with scenes from the life of an example of a great book 1st catches the eye is a writing messenger with flowing cloaks in the form of

a white fan giving the impression of wings. the messenger is part of a historical allegorical depiction of the wedding of alexander to the persian princess ra sama of the center alexander appears and hands the princess the crowd the real focus that was the heavenly messenger half and half an archangel gabriel. alexander is typical of the newly awakened interest in mythical historical figures during the 16th century the small angels which look like cupid's a borrowed from the pagan classical era. in classical times cupid's when love calls depicted a small voice. the author of christendom. makes them into anonymous angels and and celery figures they reveal the meaning and intention of the mural its aim is to

move the view ascension is not spiritual. the villa fan a siena is the high point of the renaissance this work shows how far images from the classical era survived into christendom the godlike figures in the hero's return in allegorical form complementing the christian image each. at the beginning of the 16th century the foundation was laid for the new st peter's basilica in rome it was intended as a proof that christendom support the classical era. in the mid 17th century a sculpture was made for the church of santa vittoria it had the same aim to

illustrate the ultimate triumph of christendom. the sculpture. was a successor. whose late work marked the end of the renaissance and the beginning of the baroque. the motif of the ecstasy of saint teresa is a variation of the enunciation also depicted by frau angelica but with me there was a decisive transformation. to rezone is portrayed in dramatic film many attempts to make the ecstasy tangible the mits a groan her eyes are twisted her body is open. from now on the story of salvation and the motifs derived from it were presented theatrically utilizing old visual tools available. that included classical heroes and an agrees.

precisely at the moment when st peter's basilica symbolized the victory of christian imagery of a pagan antiquity the latter returned in full force into the christian world. in the immense scope of st peter's we find the legend of its foundation expressed in the sentence and so i say to you you peter and upon this rock i will build my church. a new building claim to be nothing less than the greatest monument in the history of the world time and again the builders dishpan it and down to it whether the immense vault would be capable of bearing the enormous. but will. the spirit of the age demanded a massive triumphant.

as an old man received a commission from pope clement the 9th to design the entrance to the cast as some tangent of. the building was the most a limb of emperor hadrian and the triumphant entrance way over the bridge was lined with statues of the classical gods of victory many replace these with angels converting a pagan monument into a christian. the angels hones the instruments of the passion. in their hands the road becomes a symbolic way of the cross or via dolorosa like the one walked by the pilgrims in jerusalem many converted it into a triumphal procession and the angels bear with. as to it with the symbols of christ's passion. the angel with

a crown of forms was sculpted by many me himself the newly sculpted angel stood in the sequence of statues with the apostles peter and paul who were on it as martyrs and to hear to proclaim the victory of christendom. the more easily i'm of cast out sometimes a low but always dominated the entranceway to rome if people look around now they saw the miracle of st peter dedicated to the triumph of the holy roman church but this triumph was soon called into question by knowledge and science. the battle began for the right to interpret imagery and after bernie's death it was no longer afford in italy but in the hapsburg empire on the other side of the house . and. then sit and write

a representation of how austria ruled the world's oceans and lots of the world order that the great didn't behalf don since they are going to see it as a plagiarized version of the fall of the rebel angles associated with michael for it seemed as if this is all personified defeating the enemy forces with the lance exactly as we know it from my clients this was the frosts lucifer into the jaws of hell and nowhere is this triumph as clear as in the michael motif of the christian tradition the church is celebrating its own triumph that's why the church directly adjoining the hoff org is dedicated not just to any old saint but to michael the hero the general of the angels with his soldierly demeanor i am hesitant. in any skin that i like. this full of the rebel angels was completed in 726 during the reign of the austrian emperor col the 6. the michael

motif had become much more than merely a central christian motif it also signified gone's forgiveness and the emperor's grand. the church of st paul as the most significant baroque edifice in vienna makes that very clear. it is a sacred building with imperial aspirations the church was intended to symbolize the connection between rome and buys and him between the west and the east roman churches that is why it looks rather like the haga sophia in istanbul and contains its imitation trojan columns this too has to be understood in an allegorical way the absolute monarchs of the modern era wanted to appear as glorious as the roman emperors. in the coppola is the ecclesia with an allegorical figure representing the one true church she wears a gorgeous cloak as the holy grail in her hand and holds the eucharist over the

grand having the last supper positioned at the center of the coca-cola in the patron church of emperor charles the 6 was intended to signify that his empire would uphold the supremacy of the christian world view. as an borg abbey is only one journey away from vienna towards the end of the reign of kala 6 the baroque painter paolo. was commissioned to decorate the central rooms of the abbey with frescos. even the architecture of the imperial stack case has symbolic significance 2 flights of steps merge into a single one that implies that 2 separate spheres can be seen as a unity. religion with ha loz sits alongside science as allegorical figures on the heavenly

coppola and they are reconciled with one another. all figures on the arched roof have both allegorical and sacred meaning the heavenly virtues of love and hope are depicted as symbolic female figures faith is shown as masculine and posing victoriously. the angels fill this heaven and serve as an order and they seem as though they're about to applaud the harmonious order the happy dancing. the painting a bump the imperial stack ace tries to illustrate to the viewer the reconciliation between the sacred and the scientific worlds angels have no significant role anymore in this harmony.

that's the end of this history of angels more than one and a half 1000 years of a dominant religious interpretation of the world with a single center god gave way to an age of absolutism succeeded by the age of reason and the era of industrialization. the angels as messengers of an inscrutable god lost their significance but as advocates for and counselors to humanity they are an eternal reminder of humans jani not to be alone and as a perpetual changing motif of alt they are a central aspect of western religious culture.

in india breathing easily is considered a privilege. millions of the nation's city and rule residents suffer from air pollution. but necessity is the mother of invention scientists and ordinary people are fighting the air pollution with surprisingly simple ideas. 30 minutes d.w. . every christmas time you can hear it in dozens of languages. and countries all over the world. where good this song come from and how did it

become such a part of christmas. song for the world. in 75 minutes on d w. well i subscribe to do you know where your books are simply more in the world than what we made her our character flaws. are known to.

mrs d. w. news wife from berlin pope francis leaves christmas eve mass as christians around the world celebrates the birth of jesus after a hear that soon the catholic church rocked by scandals francis uses his address at the vatican to urge christians not to lose faith also coming up tens of thousands of people are forced to flee their homes of the syrian province of. the un warrens of a humanitarian catastrophe as the assad regime steps off its offensive in.