Book contents
- Medieval Self-Coronations
- Medieval Self-Coronations
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Self-Coronation As Ritual
- Part I Heritage
- 2 Consecration without Mediation in Antiquity
- 3 The Hand of God
- 4 Symbolic Self-Coronations in Byzantium
- 5 The Sacralisation of Carolingian Accessions
- 6 Anglo-Saxon and Ottonian Christocentrism
- Part II Infamy
- Part III Convention
- Index
3 - The Hand of God
from Part I - Heritage
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 May 2020
- Medieval Self-Coronations
- Medieval Self-Coronations
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Self-Coronation As Ritual
- Part I Heritage
- 2 Consecration without Mediation in Antiquity
- 3 The Hand of God
- 4 Symbolic Self-Coronations in Byzantium
- 5 The Sacralisation of Carolingian Accessions
- 6 Anglo-Saxon and Ottonian Christocentrism
- Part II Infamy
- Part III Convention
- Index
Summary
The third chapter examines the iconography of the ‘hand of God’ spread during the late Roman Empire from the mid-third century onwards, and in the context of interactions between pagan, Jewish and Christian cultures. This particular iconography leads directly to the idea of self-coronation – although still an iconographic rather than performative reality – since it conveys the emperor being crowned by a celestial hand from above, without priestly intervention. Numismatic sources emerge here as crucial evidence, particularly in the case of third- and fourth-century Roman emperors. The iconography of the emperor being crowned by the hand of God did not extend to early Byzantium, but survived in medieval art through the iconography of the king or emperor being crowned by Jesus Christ.
Keywords
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- Medieval Self-CoronationsThe History and Symbolism of a Ritual, pp. 85 - 95Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020