In Dark Mirror; Sara Lipton offers a fascinating examination of the emergence of anti-Semitic iconography in the Middle AgesThe straggly beard; the hooked nose; the bag of coins; and gaudy apparel―the religious artists of medieval Christendom had no shortage of virulent symbols for identifying Jews. Yet; hateful as these depictions were; the story they tell is not as simple as it first appears.Drawing on a wide range of primary sources; Lipton argues that these visual stereotypes were neither an inevitable outgrowth of Christian theology nor a simple reflection of medieval prejudices. Instead; she maps out the complex relationship between medieval Christians' religious ideas; social experience; and developing artistic practices that drove their depiction of Jews from benign; if exoticized; figures connoting ancient wisdom to increasingly vicious portrayals inspired by (and designed to provoke) fear and hostility.At the heart of this lushly illustrated and meticulously researched work are questions that have occupied scholars for ages―why did Jews becomes such powerful and poisonous symbols in medieval art? Why were Jews associated with certain objects; symbols; actions; and deficiencies? And what were the effects of such portrayals―not only in medieval society; but throughout Western history? What we find is that the image of the Jew in medieval art was not a portrait of actual neighbors or even imagined others; but a cloudy glass into which Christendom gazed to find a distorted; phantasmagoric rendering of itself.
#1690240 in Books Ingramcontent 2016-11-01 2016-11-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.10 x 5.13l; 1.12 #File Name: 0804847967320 pagesZen Masters of China The First Step East
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. but as people - much like anyone else - to aspired to find the way ...By YaseiA user friendly compendium for those who have more of a practical than scholarly interest in the history of Zen in China. We meet the ancestors not as giants or demigods; but as people - much like anyone else - who aspired to find the way of enlightenment and did; often in spite of themselves. Its organization is straightforward; not resembling a rubik's cube as some tend be with prices north of 60 bucks. A good - and enyoyable - reference!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Essential Zen ReadingBy ArdyThis is a comprehensive review of the history of Zen in China. It is well researched and has all the anecdotes you would expect. The great advantage of this book is that having read a fair amount about Chinese Zen monks this book puts them all into place with their masters and their heritage. Absolute delight!3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Superb!By SDSAn easy to read and illuminating introduction to the origins and development of Zen in China; full of entertaining stories and memorable quotes. A very; very nice addition to the literature on Zen Buddhism (and its overlap with Taoism).
