Why did Byzantine culture favour cult images of supernatural origin Essay

Why did Byzantine culture favour cult images of supernatural origin - Essay Example ons that are taken as indisputable truth, indestructible under influence of any circumstances, so-called postulates – definitions, which are taken into account without a logical explanation. Nowadays, people worship God and his Image on the icons. It is believed that the icon is the conductor of the Holy Spirit to Earth. People usually explain icon`s miracles with their supernatural origin. It was believed their appearance and mistique was sanctioned by heaven1. In Byzantium two main branches of mysticism were distributed as well as in relation with iconography. One of them was represented in a contemplative way, being philosophically speculative and characterized by reflection -the desire to reach the deity by systematic abstract logical thinking activity. For this type of mystics it seemed particularly important to create a classification of the states and actions, to chart the bad thoughts, to dismember the steps, which make one closer to the deity. In the other direction o f mystics, which kept on morality and practice, logical thought was obscured with tactile-specific representation on the subject of the approximation of the human with the God: the mystic is trying to develop himself to a stage when he would be able to see the divine`s light, to hear the God`s voice. However, in fact in both cases, the act of salvation is not so much a result of the actions of the clergy, but as an individual feat, accessible to everyone and the holy image  mosaics decorating the church`s walls were the beginning of the Byzantine visual art. What was it said for? Thanks to miracles associated with icons - "through the interaction of social concepts - such as envy, limited goof and the source of illness"2, people began to treat them with trembling. Vestiges of antiquity - demons, angels and divinities - significantly influenced the perception of the world of further generations3. It should be noted, that before the era of iconoclasm, Byzantium was known â€Å"for its relics,