Danny Praet

Maximiliaan P. J. Martens

-Interdisciplinary approach to a major work in art history, offering new insights -Lavishly illustrated -Includes details that have come to light using state-of-the-art techniques during the restoration and conservation project that are not always visible to the naked eye The Ghent Altarpiece or the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, by the Van Eyck brothers (1432), is recognized worldwide as a great work of art, and one of the most influential paintings ever made. It was the world's first major oil painting, and it is laced with religious mysticism. The work almost reads like an A to Z of Christianity - from the Annunciation to the symbolic sacrifice of Christ, with the 'Mystic Lamb' on an altar in a heavenly meadow, bleeding into the Holy Grail. For the first time, this book gathers together diverse insights on the Ghent Altarpiece, the monumental poliptych that the brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck realized with the assistance of a large workshop and advisers on the painting's subject matters. This book has the same aim: to bring together experts from the most diverse disciplines. Only by combining the perspectives of (art) historians, philosophers, religious studies scholars, mathematicians and specialists in optics can one fully understand the riches and depth of this masterpiece. Lavishly illustrated, including details that have come to light using state-of-the-art techniques during the current conservation project and are not always visible to the naked eye.

Art, History, Science and Religion

Ghent Altarpiece

The topic of war and peace is as relevant today as it was several millennia ago. Though views on and motives for warfare have changed over the centuries, Philosophy of War and Peace proves that many past ideas still merit consideration today. This exhaustive collection of essays addresses the historical, cultural and political background of various views on war and peace worldwide. It gives modern readings of ancient philosophers, such as Heraclitus, Renaissance writers, such as Niccolò Machiavelli and Michel de Montaigne, as well as more contemporary thinkers, such as Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche. Its cultural analysis spans from ancient China to the middle ages to the present day, encompassing many different religions. By demonstrating that some of our interpretations of famous texts are inherently flawed and unearthing the philosophical ideas about life, death and the structure of the world that underlie them, this work challenges the roots of some of our most fundamental ideas about conflict and justice today. In addition to the cultural and religious beliefs that underlie a call to arms, these essays consider our contemporary political context of the way we look at war and peace. The way we view our past is shaped by our present beliefs, and the foregrounding or trivialization of certain historical events is often a political act. Philosophy of War and Peace examines different methods we use today for dealing with the trauma of war at peace time and unravels the complexity of philosophical issues caused by the presence and absence of war in our world.

Philosophy of War and Peace

Kristoffel Demoen

In this collection of interpretative essays on Flavius Philostratusa (TM) "Vita Apollonii," leading scholars and younger critics make for a combination of methodological continuity and innovation. The wide range of approaches does justice to the texta (TM)s high level of literary, historical and philosophical-religious sophistication.

Essays on Flavius Philostratus' Vita Apollonii

Theios Sophistes

Dit boek is grotendeels de neerslag van de lezingenreeks die is georganiseerd in het najaar van 2007. "De drie Romes" handelt over drie grote tradities in het christendom. Het gekerstende Rome wierp zich op als de hoofdstad van het Westerse christendom, het Byzantijnse christendom beschouwde Constantinopel als het nieuwe Rome, en in de Russisch-Orthodoxe traditie profileerde Moskou zich als het derde Rome. Het boek focust op de Westerse en de Byzantijnse Middeleeuwen en op het doorleven van Byzantijnse tradities in het Russische christendom. Het bevat bijdragen over het ontstaan en de ontwikkeling van de heiligencultus, over kloosters, kathedralen en ketters, over diverse aspecten van het christendom in Oost en West. Tevens presenteert het de debatten over religieuze afbeeldingen (iconen), de verhouding tot andere godsdiensten (islam) en andere christelijke tradities etc

heiligenlevens, vormen van verering en intellectuele debatten in de Westerse middeleeuwen, in Byzantium en in de Slavische tradities

De drie Romes

Jan Nelis

Anne Morelli

Die im vorliegenden Band versammelten Aufsätze analysieren die vielfältige Art und Weise, wie der Vatikan, die nationalen Kirchen und einzelne Katholiken mit dem Aufstieg der extremen Rechten in Europa während der 1920er, 1930er und frühen 1940er Jahre umgingen, vom Ende des Ersten Weltkriegs, der mit Recht als einer der wichtigsten Katalysatoren des europäischen Faschismus in der Zwischenkriegszeit gilt, bis zum Schluss und zu den unmittelbaren Nachwirkungen des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Während einige Aufsätze sich auf theoretische, methodologische Probleme konzentrieren, beschäftigen sich die meisten Beiträge mit jeweils einem Land oder einer Region, wo eine faschistische Bewegung oder ein solches Regime zwischen den Kriegen und während des Zweiten Weltkriegs erfolgreich war, und wo es gleichzeitig eine signifikante katholische Präsenz in der Gesellschaft gab. Fast ganz Europa wird behandelt – ein beispielloses Unternehmen - , und eine große Zahl wichtiger Kontexte und Methoden wird untersucht. So wirken die Beiträge mit an der allgemeinen Entwicklung eines interpretativen ‚Cluster‘-Modells, das eine Reihe von Grundmustern der Forschung vereinigt und zukünftige Untersuchungen anregen wird. The papers presented in this volume analyse the many ways in which the Vatican, national Churches and individual catholics dealt with the rise of the extreme right in Europe throughout the 1920s, 1930s and early 1940s, from the end of the First World War, arguably one of the main catalysts of European interwar fascism, to the conclusion and immediate aftermath of the Second World War. While a number of papers focus primarily on theoretical, methodological issues pertaining to the book’s general theme, the majority of papers focus on either a country or region where a fascist movement or regime flourished between the wars and during the Second World War, and where there was a significant catholic presence in society. The various chapters cover almost the entire European continent – an endeavour that is unprecedented –, and they explore a wide range of relevant contexts and methodologies, thus further contributing to the general development of an interpretive ‘cluster’ model that incorporates a series of investigative matrixes, and that will hopefully inspire future research.

Danny Praet

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