ADAM AND EVE IN THE WESTERN AND BYZANTINE ART OF THE MIDDLE AGES Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung eines Doktors der Philosophie im Fachbereich Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaften der Johann- Wolfgang- Goethe Universität zu Frankfurt am Main vorgelegt von Vasiliki V. Mavroska 2009 To our Mum PREFACE The pictorial art of the Church, as a spiritual product of the Christian civilisation, has continually received great influences from its ecclesiastical tradition and it was defined by its formal aesthetical standards and its iconographic preferences. A more nuanced reading of the parallels can be attained by placing the images in their visual context, which would allow a better appreciation of the meanings within. The biblical story of Adam and Eve, which is the theme of the following thesis, reflects the differentiation between the Eastern and the Western understanding of the events of the history of the holy Oikonomia, a point, which is the major ground for the development of the relative pictorial motifs. The protoplasts are the protagonists from their creation and life in paradise, the fall and expulsion until their resurrection through Christ. Their story is visualised in a number of scenes and episodes, having thus their original sin and resurrection for specific reasons centralised. This doctoral thesis attempts to collect as many parallels of the scenes is possible, trying to collate the Eastern with the Western visual approach in a deductive way, in order to reach our constructive conclusions and make available the combination of the art, theology and liturgy in the scenes of Adam and Eve in Genesis and in Anastasis. The reading we tried to perform was based upon the specific iconographical elements, which were worth to be commented. Our aim was to detect the direct bond between the production of art and the relevant patristic and apocryphal writings or even the theological theories, by quoting texts from the ecclesiastical literature, as well as the liturgical praxis. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I wish to express my very warm gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Dr. Martin Büchsel, who accepted me to be a member of his doctoral- students- team, placed reliance on me for executing the aim of the thesis and forced me to think more critical and to examine every dimension of the scenes. Much was it to be learned from the meetings with Prof. Büchsel, in order to make a definite demarcation of the topic and contexts and to form the way of the ratiocination we would like to present. To Prof. Dr. Aurenhammer, the second examiner of my thesis, I send my thankfulness for examining the text and supporting me at the final procedure. I want to state my gratefulness to Prof. Dr. Dr. Despo Lialiou for supporting me in my willingness to be a doctorate student abroad and for her patience advising me about the theological aspects of my thesis. I would like to show my appreciation to those, who helped me to beat my work into the final shape, albeit not always in the scientific field. Primarily, His Eminence Metropolitan of Germany Augustine gave his permission to my staying in Bonn, as many times as it was necessary, and he accepted me there with the paternal kindness, which always characterises him. By all means, I want to convey my thankfulness to Bishop of Arianzus, Bartholomaios Kessidis and to Vicar- General Fr. Ambrose Koutsouridis for their patient, considerate affability and the most affectionate approach I have ever met in my life. To my friend Dr. Constantine Vliagoftis I declare my thanks for his assistance in various cases during my stay in Bonn and also to Fr. Constantine Miron, who always has had some books or thoughts to add to my thesis. Nor should it be forgotten the support of my friends, who always listen to my brainstorming and thoughts, even though the most of them do not associate themselves with the specific fields. Thus, I send my truly thanks to my friends Magda Delbizi, Helen Tsila, Eleutheria and Fenia Vasileiou, Katerina Kotzari, Simela Karagianni, Lampros Iskos, Dr. Zoi Malamoussi, as well as to Assistant Prof. Dr. Constantine Bozinis and especially Dimosthenis Kaklamanos and Fotini Koutsampasi for their assistance in theological or practical aspects, not always concerning in particular my doctoral thesis. My more special thanks to Maria Papadopoulou and her husband Ioannis Skarparis. Without their hospitality in Frankfurt am Main the present dissertation would not have been finished. I would never forget the warm welcome abroad, coming from them and from a number of people, who I met in the parish of Prophet Elias. They supported me with their friendliest way, as if they knew me for years. Last, but unquestionably not least, I feel like expressing my deepest love to my sister, Helen Mavroska and mostly to our mum, Magdalini Mavroska, to whom we, my sister and me, can rely on, whenever it is needed. The respect and fondness, I feel for her, are probably inexpressible, but what I can put into words it is that to her I owe my personality and status, things that I am totally grateful for. V. M. 11th of June 2009 CONTEXTS INTRODUCTION 8 PART A: Genesis A. Theological definition of creation 18 B. The origins of the scenes of creation 46 C. Iconographic Genesis recensions 55 D. Iconographic analysis of Genesis scenes: 70 i. The Creator 70 ii. Adam's creation 80 iii. Adam's introduction into paradise 88 iv. Naming of the animals 92 v. Eve's creation 100 vi. Introduction of Adam and Eve into paradise- Admonition 114 vii. The original sin 118 viii. The punishment 145 ix. The expulsion 153 x. The labours 160 PART B: Anastasis (Descent into Hades) A. Theological definition of Anastasis 168 B. Liturgical definition of Anastasis 172 C. Iconographic analysis of the Anastasis scene 187 APPENDIX: Visual language on the protoplasts´ story i. Adamic typology 215 ii. The impact of the liturgical act on the Genesis cycle 225 iii. The impact of the social or historical circumstances on the Genesis cycle 236 iv. Manuscripts 240 v. Image and likeness in art 243 vi. Body-gestural language 246 CONCLUSIONS 250 BIBLIOGRAPHY 255 ILLUSTRATIONS 310 7 INTRODUCTION According to the patristic hermeneutics, man has been created by God, without being asked, meaning his freedom is not a simple freedom of choice and an independent way of living. It is actual the natural power that man has in order to accept his created limits, his nature, and his possibility to achieve the likeness of God, always energetically dependent upon the grace of God1. The one, who acts through the theophanies in the name of the Holy Trinity in the Old Testament and simultaneously reveals God, is the unfleshed Logos of God. He is the one who incarnates himself in the period of the New Testament and through his entrance in the created world the theosis of people obtained a potential energy and a positive possibility2. The beginning of the story of the holy Oikonomia is the creation of the world, whose part is the creation of the human beings. Adam and Eve3, the 1. Lialiou, 2008, pp. 27- 9. 2. The creation is based on the revelation of God, meaning a theophany. See about the theophanies in Israel and in the Church Matsoukas, 1992, pp. 58-65, and about the action of Logos ibid., pp. 67- 74. Also see Matsoukas, 1997, pp. 118- 27. 3. Adam comes from the Jewish "Adama", which is interpreted as earth (Kazhdam P. A, Talbot A., Gregory E. T., 1991, p. 18, ΘHE, Ἀδάμ, 1962, pp. 369- 70, Kittel, 1953, pp. 141- 2). The etymology of the name ADAM also includes the initial of the four quarters of the earth; Aνατολή, Δύση, Άρκτος, Mεσημβρία, Demus, vol. 1, 1984, p. 259. For the word Adam see in Enclyclopedia of Early Christianity, 1997, pp. 18- 9 and for Eve ibid, pp. 407- 8. Also see comments on the anthology of the Genesis story based on Jewish, Christian and Muslim readings as presented on a book review, Castelli, 1999, p. 262 and Stone, 2000, p. 206). Earth is the material that God has used in order to create the first human being, Adam. That is probably why the word Adam has also the meanings of man and human being. The same interpretation has the "Adam's sons" (υἱοὶ Ἀδάμ) and often is used instead of the word man (See "Aδάμ" in Λεξικό Bιβλικής Θεολογίας, 1980, p. 30. In some occasion it is used the words "sons of men" in the Greek translation (Yἱοί ἀνθρώπων), which in the Jewish text is similar to the "sons of Adam". See Gen 11, 5, Iob 25, 6, Ps 8, 5, Prou 8, 31, Ps 43, 3, Regn III 8, 39, Ps 32, 13, Ier 39, 19). Moreover, in the Gnostic tradition the name Adam is the true, perfect man, the first Aeon of light. That idea comes from the Apocryphal of John where Adam is not connected totally with earth, but with light and the heavenly nature of man (Giversen, 1963, p. 69). According to the 8 protoplasts, and their life in and out of paradise, especially their original sin, were constantly principal topics in the theological thought, the patristic exegesis, the literature and art. The present doctoral thesis is written in order to enlighten the individual pictorial features of the Genesis scenes, where the protoplasts take part in, as well as the scene of the Resurrection. The story of Adam and Eve directly explains the grounds of the compulsory Redemption through the incarnated Logos of God. The moral responsibility of the protoplasts and the theme of obedience and disobedience, the human choices in other words, were essential especially for the western theological way of thinking.