“The Empty Throne: Religious Imagery and Presence in Byzantine and Buddhist Art,” by Thomas Cattoi

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Posted on October 3rd, 2012 | Filed under Academic, Featured
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the theological and spiritual import of the image of the empty throne in early Buddhist and Christian iconography. While Byzantine representations of the Last Judgment and early Indian depictions of the Buddha’s teaching resort to the image of the empty throne, this iconic topos has a very different significance in the two traditions. The exploration of the points of contact as well as of the differences between the two iconographic traditions will help us uncover the particularity of Buddhist and Christian claims as to temporality, subjectivity, and the salvific value of the material order. Read more here.

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