THE BEAUTY OF DIVERSITY: PRECIOUS STONES AS A WHOLE IN THE CHRISTIAN IMAGERY OF THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES
ABSTRACT (en)
The article deals with the notion of precious stones as a unit in the early medieval Christian imagery. This idea was repeatedly echoed in the coeval writings of important Christian scholars such as Augustine of Hippo, Bede the Venerable or Hrabanus Maurus. Rather than considering the symbolism of individual types of precious stones, the article focuses on the precious stones as a unified medium that had the quality of being varied, symbolizing the perfect diversity of believers and virtues coming together in the unified Church of God. At the same time, the article draws attention to the same notion of precious stones functioning as a diverse unit that was captured in the bejeweled medieval objects such as reliquaries, altars or book covers.
KEYWORDS (en)
Precious stones — gemstones — Early Middle Ages — virtues — heavenly Jerusalem — varietas — symbolism
KLÍČOVÁ SLOVA (cs)
Drahé kamene — drahokamy — raný stredovek — cnosti — nebeský Jeruzalem — varietas — symbolika
DOI
https://doi.org/10.14712/23366729.2023.2.3
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