Picturing the Bible: How Artists Tell the Story: 2022 J.J. Thiessen Lecture Series

October 18–19, 2022

Contrary to what is often assumed, both Christians and Jews made pictorial art for their worship spaces no later than the early second century CE and have continued to do so through history. From the first, these artworks were never simply decorative but drew upon stories from both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. As such, they served and still serve an exegetical and even theological purpose and not simply an illustrative one.

Lecture 1 | The Second Commandment and the Myth of Jewish and Christian Aniconism

Tuesday, October 18, 2022
This lecture considers the question of what early Christians (and Jews) considered idols and why depictions of their sacred stories are not among them.

Lecture 2 | Visual Exegesis: Exploring, Expressing, and Expanding the Text

Tuesday, October 18, 2022
This lecture considers the function and purpose of sacred art and considers the ways that artists’ works through the centuries have illuminated and interpreted biblical narratives as well as theological dogmas. This lecture also explores the relationship between verbal and visual exegesis.

Lecture 3 | Beyond the Text: From Icons to Abstract Art

Wednesday, October 19, 2022
This lecture explores the emergence of non-pictorial sacred art in the modern era, and discusses how such works may still engage viewers through more abstract forms and formal elements of color and shape.

Dr. Robin Jensen is the Patrick O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame.