Overview
(1) After watching the video on Byzantine icons describe the way that these images and objects are used in Orthodox Christian worship.
(2) Read the article on Byzantine Iconoclasm (attached). Describe the two sides in the debate and what each argued about the use of art in Christian devotion. USE A DIRECT QUOTATION.
(3) According to the class lecture what is the controversy with the appearance of the emperor Justinian and his wife in the Byzantine church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy? USE SPECIFIC VISUAL DETAILS!
(4) Let's turn our attention to Islam at around the same time: what are the similarities and differences between Byzantine Christian churches and Islamic mosques? How do each carry a particular view of the divine? (answers for this in class lecture)
(5) In the podcast, Professor Neil Macgregor discusses in great detail the coins minted by the Caliph Abd al-Malik between 696-697 CE. What is the change that happens and why is it important? How does the change in the coins reflect the theological differences between Byzantium and Islam especially where images are involved?