Die estetika van 'n skreeu-lelike, "weerlose God". Skilderkuns as medium in prosesse van teologiesparadigmatiese transformasie – ver-beeld-ende stank (skúbalon) vir skandalige on-dank (skandalon)
Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
LitNet
Abstract
Die Christelike tradisie het dikwels in die Godsvraagstuk op die vraag gekonsentreer: Wie is
God? Die Godskonsep, veral die al-mag van God, is in verskillende tradisies omskryf in statiese
“omni”- of “almag”-kategorieë wat met ’n oorsaak-gevolg-denkskema werk. Die lydingsvraagstuk,
asook huidige prosesse van sosiaal-politieke transformasie, het my genoop om na
’n ander invalshoek te soek. Daar word na die paradigma van estetika gekyk om weg te skuif
van omni-kategorieë (God as pantokrator; Almagtige) na omgee-kategorieë (passio Dei). In
dié verband word twee skilderye uit die Cross-Roads-reeks wat God se solidariteitsdeernis in
’n plakkerskamp uitbeeld, teologies aan die orde gestel. ’n Prakties-teologiese hermeneutiek
van kyk (estetiese optiek) word voorgestel met behulp van begrippe vanuit ’n Pauliniese
perspektief soos stank (skúbalon) en vloek – skandalige on-dank en verwerping (skandalon).
’n Dergelike hermeneutiek beweeg weg van die “wie” van God na die “hoe” van God. Die
implikasie en argument is dat skilderkuns ’n medium is om God se wese nie te probeer definieer
nie, maar slegs esteties te “infinieer” – die sosyn van God in terme van solidariteitsmedelye.
Vandaar die teologiese perspektief van ’n skreeu-lelike God: “My God, my God, waarom het
u my verlaat?”
In the dogmatic tradition regarding the essence of God’s involvement with the human predicament of suffering, categories from the Roman and Greek culture are applied most of the time. An example is to be found in the Psalter Hymnal of the Reformed Christian Church: “And as God Himself is most wise, unchangeable, omniscient, and omnipotent, so the election made by Him can neither be interrupted nor changed, recalled, or annulled; neither can the elect be cast away, nor their number diminished.” In this regard, depictions of Christ in traditional iconography are used to bolster Christianity against paganism and heresy. In many doctrinal formulations Christ is portrayed with “omni-” categories like omnipotence and omniscience. God’s El Shaddai (the Hebrew wisdom tradition regarding the splendid majesty of Yahweh’s grace) had been translated into pantokrator categories that depicted Christ as a Roman Caesar. When Christianity was threatened, a kind of divine imperialism was introduced to justify a clerical ecclesiology and maintain dogmatic stances regarding social life problems.
In the dogmatic tradition regarding the essence of God’s involvement with the human predicament of suffering, categories from the Roman and Greek culture are applied most of the time. An example is to be found in the Psalter Hymnal of the Reformed Christian Church: “And as God Himself is most wise, unchangeable, omniscient, and omnipotent, so the election made by Him can neither be interrupted nor changed, recalled, or annulled; neither can the elect be cast away, nor their number diminished.” In this regard, depictions of Christ in traditional iconography are used to bolster Christianity against paganism and heresy. In many doctrinal formulations Christ is portrayed with “omni-” categories like omnipotence and omniscience. God’s El Shaddai (the Hebrew wisdom tradition regarding the splendid majesty of Yahweh’s grace) had been translated into pantokrator categories that depicted Christ as a Roman Caesar. When Christianity was threatened, a kind of divine imperialism was introduced to justify a clerical ecclesiology and maintain dogmatic stances regarding social life problems.
Description
CITATION: Louw, D. J. 2020. Die estetika van 'n skreeu-lelike, "weerlose God". Skilderkuns as medium in prosesse van teologiesparadigmatiese transformasie – ver-beeld-ende stank (skúbalon) vir skandalige on-dank (skandalon). LitNet Akademies, 17(1):298-320.
The original publication is available at https://www.litnet.co.za
The original publication is available at https://www.litnet.co.za
Keywords
Aesthetics, Painting, Christian art and symbolism
Citation
Louw, D. J. 2020. Die estetika van 'n skreeu-lelike, "weerlose God". Skilderkuns as medium in prosesse van teologiesparadigmatiese transformasie – ver-beeld-ende stank (skúbalon) vir skandalige on-dank (skandalon). LitNet Akademies, 17(1):298-320.