This final seminar paper introduces the fundamental emphasis and distinctions between Eastern and Western Christianity in the field of the theology of the image. Since this doctrine was shaped primarily during the Iconoclastic controversies, the paper provides an overview of the key historical events and figures that actively co-created the ecclesiastical doctrine in the East. Furthermore, it illuminates the foundations of Western theology of the image and reception of the decrees of the Second Council of Nicaea, which resolved Iconoclasm in the East.
The core of the paper comprises a comparative analysis of monumental wall painting monuments from the Early and High Middle Ages in both the East and the West. Through problem-oriented comparative pairs, the research focuses on questions of cultural exchange, the hierarchical organization of iconographic programs, the function and development of narrative cycles, and the placement of the image of Christ as the central focus of the sacred space. Through a final synthesis of the individual comparative sections, the paper demonstrates that medieval iconographic programs are carriers of complex theological concepts and socio-political circumstances, which is why they must be recognized as a historically grounded and deliberate approach to ecclesiastical art.
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