Term Paper on "Poetic of Divine Light"

Term Paper 12 pages (3922 words) Sources: 8

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Poetic of Divine Light

Divine Light

The concept of "divine light" can be regarded in terms of many areas of life. Particularly in these modern times, the concept of the divine has stretched and evolved to include a variety of principles, religions, and lifestyles. This makes "divine light" itself a difficult concept to define or focus. To shed some light on the topic, one might investigate for example the origin of the concept and how it integrated with social values and ideals of the time.

According to Robert Pasnau, the "divine light," or divine illumination, is perceived as a particularly Christian, concept, and distinctly Augustinian. This idea is based upon Christian medieval philosophy, and the prominent role the concept played in Augustine's theory of knowledge. While many believe this era to be the origin of the divine illumination concept, others trace the phrase as far back as ancient Greek philosophy, to later Greek traditions, neo-Platonism, and even medieval philosophies of Islam.

Specifically, the theory of divine illumination relates to the cognitive function of the human mind. As such, the mind requires supernatural assistance - divine light - in order to function to its full cognitive abilities. The "divine" is therefore related to the supernatural, in whatever form it took for the philosopher. For the ancient Greeks, for example, the divine would refer to their multi-theistic religious position, while for the Christian, divine illumination occurs through the Trinity of God. The "Light" refers to assistance in enhancing knowledge, or to knowledge itself. The individual on his or her own lives in the darkness of misconception, while the divine illumination provides access to knowledge like a light that is turned on.

A further element of this theory, according to Pasnau, is that divine illumination occurs only to complete some part of everyday human cognition, but not all of it; otherwise human beings would be like controlled puppets in the hands of the divine.

To therefore function fully as cognitive human beings, divine light is required, although human beings can partially function without it. Pasnau highlights the fact that this divine assistance is "special" in the sense that not all belief or all knowledge is explained as a result of divine illumination. Nonetheless, certain kinds of knowledge are achieved only with special divine assistance - divine light. While this form of divine light theory has been regarded as unlikely since the thirteenth century, it nonetheless still survives in certain forms today.

Many writers and artists for example regard the creative process as something that is almost magical. Some of these people even refer in not altogether jesting terms to their "muse."

This is also a form of "divine light" working together with the cognitive function to achieve a product that might not have been otherwise possible. Even in less artistic sectors, such as business, economy or medicine, "flash" insights often occur that appear to be from a higher intelligence beyond the ordinary cognitive function of the human being involved. While the distinctly Christian theory is therefore no longer acknowledged as such, the function that inspired the theory still is.

One might therefore say that the theory addressing the same concept has evolved with time, while the function itself remained constant. In the same way, the "divine light" ideal in architecture has evolved over time to achieve the desired spiritual effect. From ancient Greece to the diversity in society that we observe today, architecture is an art that evolves with the society in which it functions. It is required to adhere to the ideals and aesthetics of a specific social paradigm. This is what makes architecture such a valuable subject of study.

In terms of divine light, religious architecture seeks to address the issue in terms of the form worship takes during every period examined. The ideal of worship in ancient Greece for example would be much different from that in modern-day Europe. So is the concept of divine light. Social evolution, as will be seen, tends to be reflected in architectural evolution. Because architecture is such an enduring art form, this makes it a valuable study in terms of reflecting religious and social values via form and function.

II. Divine Light in Architecture

A. Greek Temples

In ancient Greek society, according to Odyssey, the role of the temple was somewhat different from religious buildings today. Whereas worshipers generally go to church to connect with each other and with God in congregational worship, the function of Greek temples were to house gods. Hence each temple was built for a specific god, with its form and function both devoted to the god in question. The focus was therefore not human comfort or worship, but rather the comfort of the god housed within the temple.

Because the gods, who were generally friendly, could also be volatile at whim, the aim was to make the temples as comfortable for them as possible. As such, temples were equipped with the most luxurious in interior design, a staff of servants and daily offerings of food and drink, along with a share of the harvest and profits.

An image of the goddess or god took the form of a sculpture in the center of the temple. The materials used for these varied from wood to stone, bronze and chryselephantine.

The ancient Greek temple was usually surrounded by the sacred temenos, and enclosure where the public was allowed. This temenos generally featured a spring, trees, or other natural element. It is only in this enclosure that the public was allowed to worship. The temple building itself was closed to the public, and only priests and priestesses could enter.

The only natural light feature usually allowed inside the temple was from the doorway through which the priests and priestesses passed. This symbolized the segregation of gods and goddesses from the public in general. The public was only allowed a small glimpse of the glory of the gods. This separation was later emphasized by the external colonnade, also referred to as the pteron. This pteron was meant to screen the image of the god from the outside world, but was transparent, so that a glimpse at least was still possible. The Greek temples were therefore mostly focused on the gods living within their walls. Divine light was symbolized by the vision of the entire temple, with the colonnade as the connecting factor between the human and divine.

B. Early Christian Architecture

Early Christian Architecture occurs in the vicinity of Rome and its associated cities, such as Byzantium. This architecture closely reflects what was also normally found in the Roman home of the time. The function of early Christian basilicas contrasted with those of the Greeks, as they were focused not only on the worshiper, but also on the needs of all human beings. The atrium, for example, occurred at the front of the building and served as a resting place for pilgrims and tradesmen. As such, light began to play a more prominent role within the building itself.

Santa Sabina is an example of this. The building consists of a nave with an aisle on each side. This is accompanied by a spacious apse. Very large windows are focused on flooding the nave with light, while the windowless aisles remained in darkness. There is a very clear symbolism associated with the interplay between light and darkness.

The light is of course symbolic of Christ as the light of the world. This ideal combines with the architectural function of providing a suitable character and aesthetic to the interior of the building. The aisles below, being in darkness, represents the world below, while the light on the nave provides a heavenly glow to the upper part of the church. This symbolizes the heavenly light, in the form of Christ, descending to meet humanity below. The transcendence and grace of God, to which humanity aspires, are expressed in this way. When viewed from the exterior, the large clerestory windows demonstrate that the building is symbolically a receptacle of divine light. In this tradition therefore, the ideal of light and its role in connecting humanity with the divine is much more prominent than in ancient Greece (talk about the statement regarding divine light perceived as a Christian concept).

C. Medieval Christian Churches

Stained glass art, invented long before medieval times, entered the church as part of the divine light ethic during the 12th century (History of Gothic Architecture). The pioneer of Gothic architecture, as it was known, was Abbot Suger. He felt that the mystic quality of light shining through stained glass was a perfect metaphor for divine light. As such, he felt that windows made of stained glass would provide an excellent conduit for a suitable interior atmosphere.

The initial symbolism, soon to be followed by many examples o the Gothic Cathedral in Europe was drawn from the Book of Revelations. The church represented the new Jerusalem, with the windows symbolic of jewels on the walls.

Specifically, the design of the windows themselves were… READ MORE

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