When christianity 1st arose it was without images it had only words a rescript images were 1st introduced into the Christians Assembly rooms where they were concentrated at the far end of the simple hole cold the clays yeah but once the walls were adorned with images they told a story. How did these images arise out of these stories come up by which and what role did angels play in the stories of conflict between power and old a coven. Angels on the messengers of the won gold of who no image exists and upon whom no human will have a set eyes people worship gods words words that were brought by angels who were closest to him. They are spiritual beings like him beams of light. The angels proclaim what god wishes to tell people that is their calling. They were imagined to be on the present always talking guiding advising and judging people and so they became a central theme of the pictorial history of the week old western alt. 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 ops represented the pinnacle of human history. The roman emperors place 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 close to a christianity whether it likes it or not is also an add to the roman empire they were temporally considers the roman empire had a claim to universality in christianity also claims universality and translated it into the commandment to go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation because the condition. Of the 1st images the 1st pictures oriel symbols arose alongside the scriptures when the christian or a trees in rome was still Hidden Underground in the catacombs. These pictures were different from those of prechristian i 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. And take all measures well your hats can dogmatically antique roman religion didnt 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 those by a continuity and transformation volatile. But what were the models for the superhuman images in christendom where 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 cherub. But decent because if lets take a. Concept of demons which in the greek hero were neither good nor bad they mornings and 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 davis and then im delighted to get at a commission. 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. Gods angels are based on models taken from antiquity and the babylonian demons even their name reflects these roots anger loss is greek for messengers and the chair of bears a resemblance to the early demons. Certain uses is the suited dionysius is the ideal author because he imagines the angels heaven as a world organized according to 3 sets of 3 its made up of spheres nested in each other until they reach the highest mystery in the god times that hes got. One from decent person to hand from his highest ministry 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 southside of items. 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. Thats exactly throw one of these a 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. Doesnt because now are not. The picture of a hierarchical order in heaven is the keynote a christian imagery order is the prerequisite for perfection. The 1st step towards a selfcontained christian iconography of angels didnt 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 goddess then reconquered by eastern roman by xantia in the mid 6 century rome became a provincial city of the buys an time empire with 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 private love as it is of youth i was just a simple with a goodish height above you are a number 3 is normally reserved as a symbol of the day it is it is not in the Old Testament we also have angel often it is silent and the prophet is a kilo isiah allowed to look up to heaven they see being surrounding god a few they are either ordered in groups of 4 or have 4 facets for example eagle like a lion like all human like beings and old figures are equal but i feel 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. As throne and thats why alongside the number 3 which symbolizes gaunt there is a number for an extension symbolizing his rule in all 4 worldly speeches and eras why the fia since thats also why the derivatives of 341224 were also endowed with a holy systematic significance heights systematically toy to. The oldest mosaics of christian iconography out to be found in the sacred buildings of ravenna opposite a series of martyrs theres a series of holy Virgin Islands 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 theyre all foraging within christendom. Even higher up scenes portraying christs 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 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. Are here. 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 cosmos. In the way it. Rangely its image of the christian pictorial system took over and transcended the buys and time court order and its portrayal of power and representation. Of. The guys you know you read the 38 jubilee eulogy on constantine and great we can discern a formula for order in the world one god one empire one Emperor Constantine was an advocate of an eeg on a tarion god made a clear hierarchy order this system of subservience this reflected socio political relationships this. And. The. 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 of ravenna made itself felt in some time out here in trust their bearing 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 upper basilica of san clemente in rome was built at the beginning of the 12th century in it the by exam time courtly 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 opposites 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 its a different pictorial message from those of antiquity all the buys and time empire. All. 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 but in france i am in a small chapel now only on the founding motifs of that message of salvation are represented on its by centime or savage. Above 2 small 6 winged chariots 2 of the 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 gods command and that the path to salvation can only lie in following gods will. This new system of christian liturgy and message of salvation comes from cluny abbey founded in 910 by the juco back with tang as a benedictine Abbey Clooney was not only the center of the christian cause most joining the middle ages but the largest and most powerful church of the christian world it was only supposed later by st peters 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 ministries throughout burgundy is still palpable its 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. Ton cathedral houses the most significant pictorial example of the transformation of christian iconography joining that period it was carved in stone by gessler 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 gods 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 lot at the role of completing salvation the angels are once again the mediators between god and humanity they fight for god and full 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 whats happening here christ determination to resist heresy and backed. The suicide of judas shows what happens when someone turns away from god the monumentally impressive knave signified to the believers that only gaunts words could help against old least temptations and human weaknesses. Better at all oh my. Oh my god have heading southwards with the mantons just visible on the horizon lies one of the most important cities of the middle ages peace of the modern day p. Out said day miraki was originally a burial place beyond the city wools the whole complex with its cathedral baptistry and campo some toll was bigger. In 1300. The campo son toll has been not just cemetery of the christian middle ages and thats a place where death damnation and redemption played a prominent role here we find a monumental representation of the last judgment. This powerful fresco must have shocked its contemporaries it begins with the last judgment and to ruffle christ reveals his wounds and flings his outrage like lightning in the direction of hell his 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 hurts frightened citizens of peace it towards damnation the faces of 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 grand of bishops and even the power of mana us all to no avail. In the frescoes pictorial arrangement the artist has paid tribute to social status the kings occupy the top 10 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 merciful figure of the virgin mary into seso before the judge their body language is relaxed the face is a clear although their expressions reveal intense concentration. Peases pious citizens are expressing their heartfelt gratitude for the victory of good over evil. Only above the struggle trying. These angels receive the souls who have already been same. Its as if in addition to the wind be 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 money and back was established to this day the benedictine monks there assemble in a narrow vaults that are a tree. All of that is. The. Marion barry monastery 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. 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. 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. Who. Is the most Important Message there is communicated in the arrangement of angels above the almighty in the mandorla and 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 thats what this fresco expresses the small angel is both messenger and message a new era in the relationship between humanity and the heavenly smear has begun home. Further southwards we reach a place of great importance in christian iconography assisi. In burgundy joining the 12th century monasteries had adopted a strict the organized liturgy and had almost completely rejected imagery. In the 13th century new orders arose in central italy this one in assisi was to be a purely mendicant older 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 toes world famous franciscos 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 marys bodily ascension to heaven and her final exaltation of the angels. In one of the man dollars held up by for an 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 jewels profits on the saints assemble around the heavenly throne on which the virgin mary sits alongside her son as an intercessor on behalf of humanity. What is important here overprotectiveness hammes sent francis whose face can no longer be recognized plates for redemption on behalf of his brothers is please convey by mary to her son who listens and gives his blessing to the francisco. The virgin marys 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 an jellicoe came from the area around florence and achieved world renown with his portrayals of angels. There. Than in the conspicuous chapel nicko tona is home to the annunciation a popular motif. The messages depicted in the form of visible words 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 plan what will become more and more and. Humans are now represented as emotional and individual beings in the story of salvation. d d d the lower part of the painting depicts the marriage between mary and joseph what is graeme breaking in this web and jellicoe is the expression with which he has endowed the figure of mary reserve the Archangel Gabriel she is hes a cool she represents the human striving for salvation the face expresses humility and dignity yet is still powerful she remained selfconscious 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 an jellicoe zwerg remained basically limited to tuscany he travelled little his main ambition was to embellish the Sacred Places of worship for the brothers of his own order d. Once again the relationship between the history of god. Salvation and the world of the profane changed dramatically. The renaissance emerged 1st in tuscany then in rome 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 bank i go steen no cheap and built by. It is seen as the ultimate expression of the high renaissance and with its Perspective School it features a room of tom boy painting. The walls of colors with scenes from the life of an example of the great what 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 at the Center Alexander appears and hands the princess the crowd the real focus that was the heavenly messenger half and half Archangel Gabriel. Alexander is typical of the newly awakened interest in mythical historical figures during the 16th century the small angels which look like cupids a borrowed from the pagan classical era. In classical times cupids when love calls to picture the 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 not spiritual. The villa finest siena is the high point of the renaissance this work shows have images from the classical era survived into christendom the godlike figures in the heroes return an allegorical form complementing the christian images. There. At the beginning of the 16th century the foundation was laid for the new st peters basilica in rome it was intended as a proof that christendom suppose the classical era. In the mid 17th century a sculpture was made for the church of santa maria. It had the same aim to illustrate the ultimate triumph of christendom. The sculpture. Was a successor to me. 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 annunciation also depicted by frog angelical but with there was a decisive transformation. To rezone is portrayed in dramatic film many attempts to make the ecstasy tangible the mitts 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 peters basilica symbolized the victory of christian imagery of a pagan antiquity the latter returned in full force into the christian. In the immense scope of st peters 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. The 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 vaults 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 9 to design the entrance to the cast down. 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 christian. The angels hove the instruments of the passion. Christie 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 christs passion. The angel with a crown of forms was sculpted by many himself the newly sculpted angel stood in the sequence of statues with the apostles peter and paul who were on it as martyrs and he had to proclaim the victory of christendom. The mausoleum of cast down sometimes a low but always dominated the entrance way to rome if people looked 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 of the bernese death it was no longer 40 in italy but in the hapsburg empire on the other side of the house. When she understood how far tear down. The house spoke if you visit the headquarters of the hapsburgs in piano the hoff org youll see on the left and right a representation of how austria ruled the worlds oceans and much of the world ordered the bait didnt be has done since they are going to see it as a plagiarized version of the form of the rebel and Angels Associated with michael for it seemed as if this is all personified defeating the enemy forces with the lance use actually as we know it from Michael Frost lucifer into the jaws of hell and nowhere is this triumph ass clear as in the michael motif of the christian tradition the church is celebrating its own triumph thats 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 dame hayden. James i doubt if. Any skin at odd. This full of the revelation jewels was completed in 726 during the reign of the austrian emperor calma sings. The michael motif become much more than merely a central christian motif it also signified gones forgiveness and the emperors grand. The church of st calm as the most significant broke 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 by send him between the west and the east roman churches that is why it looks rather like the hardest 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 cocacola 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 as journey away from vienna towards the end of the reign of kala 6 the baroque painter paolo tolga was commissioned to decorate the central rooms of the abbey with frescos. Even the architecture of the imperial stack ace 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 the cello sits alongside science as allegorical figures on the heavenly. 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 theyre about to applaud the harmonious order theyre 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. Thats 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 sense of 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 counselor to humanity they are an eternal reminder of humans yearning not to be alone and as a perpetual changing motif of vives they are a central aspect of western religious culture. The fates use us to the overthrow of the gadhafi regime libya has descended into almost continuous conflict between its rival senses of power my guess this week here in congress it is i might not seek deputy Prime Minister of the un back from the list of National Accords closely allied to groups of armed militias which have been credited with serious human rights abuses conflicts. In 90 minutes on d w. Im knocked me out. And call the premiers have. Conceded me back i have. Come. From cause. My parents are barking are hard for the military or for the better. Im a 0. 00 in the Public Perception africa is now assuming the position to which it was always untitled is their view that is it is. A few months starting january 1st. This is news live from berlin Syrian Forces pound in live province residents to flee for their lives Government Troops backed by tanks are mounting a ground assault on the last pockets of resistance hundreds of thousands of people in rebel held areas have taken to the road with nowhere to go but makeshift camps where conditions are squalid. Germany citizens should overcome their differences and show more Mutual Respect thats the christmas message from the german president. And the open wounds of romania