Beholding the Glory: Incarnation through the Arts

by Jeremy S. Begbie (Editor)

"A fine collection of probing and imaginative discussions on the relation between the Incarnation and the arts." --Nicholas Wolterstorff, Yale Divinity School

Genres: Theology, Art, Religion, Nonfiction, Music, Cultural, Philosophy

159 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Dr Jeremy Begbie is Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Research Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School, Duke University, where he directs Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts. His primary research interest is the correlation between theology and the arts, in particular the interplay between music and theology. he is also an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Music at the University of Cambridge.

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of essays on theology and the arts, seen specifically through the lens of incarnation. Some essays I really loved (Hart’s, Guite’s, and Begbie’s especially). Other essays I felt were “eh.” I did, however, learn more about how a variety of art forms can contribute to our understanding of theology, so a good read overall.

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book. Here are my chapter by chapter thoughts:

In the first chapter Trevor Hart tackles the more broad question of why the arts should be included in theological discussions, specifically one concerning the Incarnation. In approaching the issue, Hart deals with Immanuel Kant and his concept of art and artistry. Ultimately he finds Kant lacking. Hart's logic, in places, bears similarities to Matthew Crawford's The World Beyond Your Head, which also takes Kant to task, specifically in how Kant attempts to 'intellectualize' being, following in the footsteps of Descartes. Crawford's argument is largely directed towards the results of Kant's philosophy as it has played out in American society, specifically in regards to mediated attention or presence. But the issue which Hart raises is rather similar, but more on a theological rather than anthropological level. Where Crawford is arguing for the significance of the material and physical world in regards to personhood and identity and being, Hart is arguing for the relevance and even significance of artistry rooted in the physical world for theology. The Incarnation, for Hart, is essentially the crux of the argument because in God becoming flesh and being real in the material world God has invested a significance to physicality. An interesting implication of Hart's argument is that if one neglects the material world (including the arts therein), one is actually missing out on some of God's revelation of himself.

Malcolm Guite engages the artistic realm of literature in relation to the Incarnation in the second chapter. As he explores poetry he makes the discerning observation that "...the arts are never discarnate..." (32), that is, their very embeddedness in time and space and sense, having their beginning and end there, makes their engagement of transcendence--that which is beyond the physical, material realm--innately incarnate. Additionally--and probably one of the essential core concepts of the chapter--is Guite's insistence that in the Word coming to the world, his redemption included language itself: Christ came to redeem language as well. Then Guite carries this redemptive role of Christ forward, arguing that the 'special task' of poets and writers is to take those words which have been exploited and corrupted and "restore them to better use" (37). Guite's engagement of the concept of Christ as the Word Incarnate, while brief, is excellently crafted to explore the legitimacy (and even essentiality) of the art of literature for the exploration and even deeper understanding of the Incarnation.




Andrew Rumsey weaves words like a master wordsmith in the third chapter, as is most appropriate for the chapter is focused upon poetry. Where Guite argued for the legitimacy of words and the significance of Christ coming as the Word, Rumsey highlights the particularity of poetry, and how that particularity allows it to build up meanings and understandings in a way cold intellectualism (such as that of Aristotle) cannot. He writes, "Particularity is the crystallisation of life, reality given distinction and definition" (47). And I think one of the underlying themes of his chapter is that poetry embodies a literary reality which stands apart from other literary endeavors, and in a similar way Christ, in the Incarnation, is a man who is much more and much different. As poetry uses regular words to weave wonders, so God used man himself to weave something wonderful beyond description in the Incarnation. Rumsey upholds that poetry explores the world and utilizes the word in a unique way, but it is a way which can and does glorify God and highlight the Incarnation in a way which other artforms (Or literary forms) do not.



Stepping beyond the literary focus of the previous two chapters, the fourth focuses upon dance. Sara B. Savage does a fascinating job building a case for the significance of the embodiment of Christ. Nearly two-thirds of the chapter is focused on dismantling the intellectualism which arose out of Christianity's embrace of Greek philosophy. This focus upon the spirituality of Christianity and submersion of the physicality of being is of high significance, especially in regards to femininity and the female body. She wisely points out that dance has always been controversial in the church, with a large portion of its rejection hinging on the sensuous associations with the female form. She points towards how this aversion of physicality and rejection of the body has come down harshest upon women. As an interesting corollary to this aversion regarding the physical body, she points towards the vulnerability which comes with embracing embodiment. As sexual love is perhaps the climax of this vulnerability, she points towards it quickest, noting, "Life would be so much simpler if bodies were objects, our vulnerability could be 'controlled'" (71). But this embodiment is the key to the social and communal life the Christian is called to, even as--through unity with Christ--the believer participates in the trinitarian 'dance' of the Godhead. Her connections on the latter point are less developed, but I think I perceived where she was going, and it is in the union in/with Christ that a believer partakes of Christ's nature, is united to other believers, and there communes (or has communion) with God and fellow sons and daughters of God. She concluded her chapter with an explanation of a dance which embodied the brokenness of Christ on the Cross and his ascension to glory, all of which we share in. While I liked her description of the dance at the end of the chapter, I felt more like it was an example of how theology could be embodied through dance and less an example of the best way to do it. Yet I have to note that I was merely reading about the dance, to experience it with the accompanying music would be something altogether different, and that, in itself, may be the greatest affirmation of what she argued throughout the chapter.

Chapter 5
In the fifth chapter Jim Forest argues for the relevance of icons. I'll admit I began reading the chapter with a rather unsure engagement. Forest does a decent job of raising the significance of icons, and even a solid job biblically supporting their use (noting Col 1:15 and that Christ as the 'image' of God can also be accurately translated as the 'ikon' of God). The historical support he musters is tentative at best, better supporting the existence of continual controversy surrounding icons. In the latter part of the chapter he walks through a summary/analysis of a couple of different paintings/icons. The theological depth and insight he draws out of each is fascinating and evidences a huge depth of skill and wisdom in their creation, yet a part of me wonders how much of that depth is accessible to the common man. I saw it best when it was laid out for me, how many miss the depth and settle for the surface level fascination and obsession with icons which is more akin to idolatry than spiritually aware engagement with the art?


One of the most intriguing and enjoyable aspects of this book is the reality that most of the contributors are artists, and their 'way' with words tends to delve emotively beyond mere surface meaning. While the writers are striving for theological excellence, they seem to also delight in a sort of literary dance, one which strives to not merely relate to the reader intellectually, but which also aspires to ignite the reader's heart and awaken a longing in them. Of all the artists included in the book, Lynn Aldrich did the best job pulling me and my heart alongside her own in her artistic journey. In the sixth chapter Aldrich acknowledges and pays homage to some of the heritage of sculptor which she herself is a culmination of, but she also conveys an almost journey-like process to her comprehension and enjoyment of the art of sculptor. Instead of merely pointing to some specific sculptors and proclaiming that they are a perfect example of this or that theological and artistic ideal, perfect in execution, she instead exposes her heart. She humbly acknowledges the amount of pride she approached one art exhibit with, yet also conveyed how she was astonished and captivated by the art displayed there, striving to sculpt with words what it was about the sculptures themselves which captivated her. And she does an excellent job drawing the reader alongside her as she explores her journey there. The chapter concludes not as an exhaustive or cumulative list of reasons why and how sculpture can engage the theological concept of the Incarnation and help convey it (or even help us understand more about it), but rather she draws the reader in, inviting him to experience what she has experienced and understand for himself the depth and grandeur which she has found.


Again, it is worth noting that she also takes the Kantian concepts of the intellectual life (disparaging the physical body) to task and discards them pretty effortlessly along the way.




There is some level of intriguing irony in the fact that a book edited by Jeremy Begbie and focusing on the Arts does not have a chapter really dealing with music in any way until nearly the end. What is fascinating is the focus of the chapter. Graham Cray chose to engage the intersection of the Incarnation and the art of music at the cultural level. The first pages of the chapter are utilized to establish the cultural significance and relevance of popular music, specifically when it is considered not merely in the light of musical or lyrical content, but also in the context of the writer/singer/performer and his/her own cultural context. This enables Cray to situate two specific albums of Marvin Gaye in the context of his struggle with his religious and legalistic upbringing, a disastrous relationship with his father, and his ultimate failure to deal with his own internal struggles with temptation. Rather than dictate how music (or 'pop' music) might be able to contribute to a theological discussion on the Incarnation, Cray simply and engagingly does it. In treating Gaye's albums (and the songs therein) as solidified forms of art, they can be perceived to be an outflow of the struggle Marvin found himself in between his moralistic and overbearing upbringing and his desire to be good and do good. The popularity of the albums points to their poignancy and resonance with the culture at large surrounding him. And yet, in them, we also see a man dealing with temptation and struggling to find his way amidst the chaos of life, and doing so poorly. Cray takes Gaye's struggles with temptation and ultimate surrender to them, contrasting it with Christ's temptation and how He dealt with and responded to it. In the end, Cray allows Gaye's failure to illumine Christ's triumph, and challenges the reader to walk Christ's path instead of Marvin Gaye's.




The title of the final chapter, written by Jeremy Begbie himself, was slightly misleading, at least to me. Its title reads, "Through Music: Sound Mix," and so I expected some sort of incarnational trinitarian contemplation rooted in the sonic dynamic and reality available in modern sound mixes. Instead, the 'mix' Begbie has in mind is simply that of polychorality, the utilization of more than one note at once - even down to a minimal two notes sounded simultaneously. And yet, in his insightful and engaging manner, Begbie lays out the spatially restrictive thinking which binds too many minds when attempting to consider both the dual natures of Christ (fully divine, fully human), and even the tripartite existence of the trinity. Visual conceptions of the Godhead truly limit it spatially, for the human tendency is to assume no two things can occupy the same physical (or even visual space). And yet music, and specifically notes, can in fact occupy the same space, and yet retain their distinctiveness. Without delving too deeply into his chapter, suffice it to say that he clearly points out not only the incarnational and trinitarian conceptions this more aural understanding opens to the theologian, he also points towards the communal implications as well. His ideas are much more fully developed in his books Resonant Witness and Theology, Music and Time. That being said, this chapter is phenomenal and pretty much what I expected when I first opened the book.




Though I didn't quite know what to expect, and I was slightly disappointed to find out that Begbie merely wrote the introduction and the concluding chapter, in the end this little book was a very engaging and fascinating read. More than anything else, it points towards the essentiality of the arts to theology. Theology cannot merely dictate to the arts, but it must engage and even allow itself to be shaped by them (when the art itself aligns with and allows a deeper understanding of a Biblical truth). More than anything else, the book argues that in the theological conversations of our day, art and artistry should have a voice. The level of authority of that voice might best be left for another discussion than this, yet the contribution art (even in many forms not addressed/discussed in this book) cannot be denied. I greatly enjoyed the book and will highly recommend it in the future.

[Andrew Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edited by Begbie this unique book presents eight different aspects of art and our understanding of the incarnation. The first is by Trevor Hart who examines hearing, seeing and touching truth through art. His premise is that God became flesh so caution and wisdom is needed when art represents this. Without doubt, art creates a sense of thought and joy but is often relegated to a lower importance than politics, economy, science or religion. David Hume is quoted as saying that poets are `liars by profession' and a potential source of idolatry. But art brings together our imagination and incarnation. It does cast light on the narrative of scripture by shaping the unfamiliar with the familiar. Hart asks the question concerning art, `are we receivers of stolen goods?' He qualifies this question by referring to the Greek myth of Prometheus who claimed humanity stole fire from the god's thereby sparking imaginative creativity. He goes on to say that symbolism is a key component to our worldview. This ability to `imagine' goes beyond the day-to-day sensory engagement of the world to an added value of revealing something greater. He cites Plato and his warning that art is cosmic burglary. With his dogmatic view of the divine realm or `forms', Plato presents a concern for how art is appreciated. If art is about color, shape, sound, texture, manipulation of wet clay, smearing of oil on canvas or pushing air through metal tubes; is it a true representation of `forms' that are far more real than the physical world we live in? What we see in the physical world is already a pale reflection of `forms' so a further representation is making a pale reflection even paler! Collingwood is cited that real art is in the imagination of the artist and the imagination of the one who is appreciating the work. The physical realm is not the real work of art. Is art located somewhere between both imaginations? Hart concludes `yes' and `no' because appreciation of art is not passive but active. Both the artist and the appreciating person have a role to play. Kant takes this thought further and isolates how we appreciate art separate from how we see the world. This makes it highly subjective. Hart then takes us to two extremes of Schoenberg's music and Kandinsky's painting. Both are abstract and concern spirituality or the `soul' of our humanity in how we appreciate the art. It is a dualism between matter and spirit. It is a higher level of abstraction as the music does not fit a particular harmony and the canvas looks nothing like an exact representation of the world we see. How this relates to incarnation, Hart brings into focus by quoting Paul's words to the Galatian churches. God is no longer abstract and distant from the world but in the world and its history. He is no longer a divine idea but a personable reality. Hart continues that we have struggled with the humanity of Jesus and therefore deify him through art whereas the incarnation humanized God. Therefore the incarnation itself has huge meaning and art must represent this.

The second is by Malcolm Guite who examines Christ and redemption through language. His premise is that the Word became flesh therefore was a word-user. How he unpacks this is unique. He cautions preachers to be wise with words as the unbeliever needs to hear the mystery of God without explaining it away. Also, the divine baby must not be thrown out with the cultural bathwater. The Word became flesh not just words. He was like us and had to learn how to use words. As an infant he would be wordless. Andrewes is quoted in his astonishing statement `the Word without a word.' Guite calls this his greatest weakness as the oldest English term for a human being is to be a `word-bearer.' The mystery of spoken language was given to the human race. The incarnation becomes profound in that the creator of mankind has to learn how to speak and use words himself. Guite adds that with the fall of the human race came the corruption of language and how it is used. An extreme example is used in how Nazi Germany looked at Jewish culture as `pest control' demeaning humanity to nothing more than a rodent that needs to be `exterminated' from the human race. The incarnation includes the redemption of language. This is seen in Luke's record of Jesus. Following this record, Jesus visited the temple many times but three of them were significant to following how the Word became authoritive with words. The first was his dedication by Simeon where the old sage spoke words of prophecy over the infant that he would be a light of the Gentiles, although a mere infant at the time without many intelligent words. The second was as a pre-teen who asked questions but spoke with authority. The third was in cleansing the temple of its corruption speaking with astonishing authority that no-one would question him. Guites conclusion is that literature and language helps us journey from the incarnation to the cross.

Andrew Rumsey looks at poetry and its particularity. He states that this is a key word because details drive our lives and become crystallization. His example is the creative narrative where waters `teemed' with life. He suggests particularity is in crisis within our culture because we cannot decide between Christ and Krishna or between the varieties of brands offering the same product in the supermarket. Everything is somehow grey and without particularity. Drawing upon the thoughts of Plato and the Enlightenment period, Rumsey states that particulars are like the tenants and `forms' (Plato) are the landlords. He cites the incarnation as the `word that was from the beginning' who had particularity. He then looks at several aspects of particularity. Firstly, attention, like a poet driven by what is before him. He wants meaning to it. Rumsey concludes brilliantly that the guitar strings of Jimmy Hendrix are not just guitar string but they must have a greater meaning to a poet. Secondly, presence, in the poets mind is the absence of presence, not seeing what is before them. Thirdly, resonance, that brings context to meaning. His example is salvation itself. Not that we are forgiven of our sins but that the Son of Man should do so. Metaphors are vital for the poet to gain meaning and the choice of words. Again, waters `teem' with life. This brings it full circle to particularity.

Sara Savage expanded my thinking about dance, being fully human and fully alive. She suggests that it brings back more of ourselves and more of Christ. This statement was carefully unpacked in her dialogue. We tend to isolate intellect in our culture but this can affect how we see Jesus. The result is twofold: Jesus is divine or Jesus is human but not both. The cognitive approach to Jesus in `knowing' him can be inadequate so more has to be engaged in addition to the mind. Savage suggests this is the body. She correctly states that before we could use words we came to know ourselves as we interacted with those around us physically. But the church has historically seen this as carnal and a stumbling block. For instance, when the Holy Spirit `moves' we are frozen and stand still. This is only partially true. For every time scripture records immobility it also records a movement. The message of incarnation is powerfully about the `body' that Jesus took. It was human just like ours therefore encountering him must also incorporate the body. Savage suggests this is in the dance.

Jim Forest examines the incarnation through icons. Both ancient and modern controversy has argued that icons are a powerful testimony to the incarnation. His premise is logos and eikon. Jesus the Word is also Jesus the image. Forest opens up a concise history of icons explaining the benefit and controversy. His conclusion to this chapter is nothing short of brilliant saying that our culture is filled with noise and words and needs silent icons to speak for themselves revealing the wonder of incarnation.

Lynn Aldrich examines sculpture in the question, `what's the matter with matter?' Her premise is that engaging with material of any kind invites us to think creatively about the incarnation. She suggests there is tension in the questions, `who is God?' and `who for God's sake is Jesus?' After touching on some insightful thoughts about the physical realm, similar to Savage, she poses an interesting question about religion, that all other religions claim that the `after life' is an altered state of the physical world whereas Christianity claims that we will have a new body, similar to our own but glorified. Her conclusion is that `stuff' is not stuff but essential in the full redemption of the physical world. Genesis is cited as an obvious and often ignored fact, about understanding the incarnation through sculptures. God created man from the dust of the ground like a potter on a wheel. Therefore God is a great artist! She raises an interesting point in her own profession that when an artist feels the project is failed, it will be pushed aside. Her reasoning is that the artist has gone `against the grain' of the material and malformed what was intended. Although she was not explicit, I think she was driving at the incarnation endorsing humanity as the created and that God has not pushed us aside as a failed project.

Graham Cray attempts to explain the incarnation, and temptation of Jesus, through popular music. He creates a tension by stating the incarnation of Jesus cannot be fully understood unless we also understand his temptation. The extraordinary way of explaining this through popular music is through the life of the late soul singer Marvin Gaye. He correctly states that the saving power of Jesus cannot be real unless his temptation was real. From this he cites the two contrasting albums of Gaye `What's going on' with `Let's get it on.' Through brief history Cray explains that the West African culture was changed through two great awakenings. Slaves were converted to Christianity and with it came a new sound for expressing the gospel. He swings it back to Gaye and states that his own personal tension was between God and sex, as the two albums reveal. On one level he is looking for sexual pleasure (temptation) but on the other it is a deeper narrative of a man falling to temptation (unlike Jesus). Cray goes on to contrast Gaye and the incarnation / temptation of Jesus in a disappointing dialogue. I would have expected more from the most popular form of art - popular music. Thankfully, Begbie expands Cray's thoughts into music as a general form of art. His premise is that music we listen to has mixed sounds and notes combined to make sense to us. He carefully unpacks this thought concerning the Trinity and incarnation. His final chapter could have been a book in itself.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a somewhat eclectic selection of essays looking specifically at the doctrine of incarnation as understood through artistic endeavour. Reading it reminded me of a curate of mine who raised that question as to whether it was appropriate for pictures of Jesus to be drawn in children's bibles on the grounds that by doing so the second commandment was infringed. Yes what is more scandalous, drawing a two dimensional picture of Jesus or the fully fleshed presence of God in a human being? There is a very good reason why the other two Abrahamic religions simply cannot accept this aspect of Christian doctrine.

As I expected, the essays by Malcolm Guite and Jeremy Begbie stand out. Andrew Rumsey's was a bit too florid and self-conscious. Graham Cray's essay on Marvin Gaye was too specific for a volume that did well at taking a broad view of the arts. Poetry, dance, icons, sculpture, Marvin Gaye(!) and music are all covered. Perhaps there could also have been something on novels and narrative as well as pictorial representation?

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice compilation of essays relating to theology and the arts from a Protestant/Evangelical perspective.

[Geoffrey Hagberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is it: a collection of essays by artists in various fields and media about the intersection of their fields with the theology of Christ's incarnation.

Why I really like it: The essays in this book provide an accessible and engaging introduction to the subject, the intersection of arts and theology. The accessibility of the essays is intentional--the editor, Jeremy S. Begbie, in his introduction to the collection, emphasizes that the role of these essays is to provide an entry into the subject without requiring academic theological expertise. I'd complement that by saying I think these essays would be valuable to any practicing artist, anyone interested in deepening their understanding of the role arts play in their own faith (whether as artist or audience), or really even anyone looking to explore how theology can work in practical ways (here, the arts being one model). The engagement of the essays comes, at least for me, from the scope of the essays. A wide variety of arts are represented, from poetry to dance, sculpture to pop music. While many of the essays retread the same core points (which is arguably a good thing for solidifying that those points are relevant to all arts), each of them approaches those points from the unique, often very personal perspective of the various artists contributing to the collection. The introductory essay (not specific to a particular art form) and the essays on dance and sculpture stand out as particularly strong. I should note that if you're coming at this subject with some amount of academic expertise, or if you're already knee-deep in the subject from other reading, this book may not add much to that. The format, a collection of short essays each written by a different author, limits the amount of depth that any one author can achieve, and the structure allows only limited dialogue between each essay and author to build on one another's insights. This leaves it feeling like an initial exploration of the subject rather than rich examination of it (which is the primary reason this is a really-liked-it rather than loved-it for me).

You might also like: Jeremy S. Begbie has written his own in-depth studies on arts and theology, like Redeeming Transcendence in the Arts: Bearing Witness to the Triune God and A Peculiar Orthodoxy: Reflections on Theology and the Arts. Alternately, I read this book in parallel with Chaim Potok's My Name Is Asher Lev, which approaches the intersection of arts and theology through fiction and from a Jewish worldview and so dialogues well with these essays.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Begbie has compiled a helpful and absolutely necessary series of essays reflecting on the incarnation and the arts. The chapters shift focus from one art form to the next, though the omission of film (and painting, though iconography is represented) is glaring. The essayists succeed to varying degrees, with Begbie's piece on music without words to close the volume being one of the most theologically erudite and insightful. The early chapters on literature and poetry were also especially good, showing the ways in which language can be opened to point to a transcendent realm, instead of closed as it often is in the process of explaining and defining. Each of the essayists makes an effort to interact with the incarnation in explicit fashion, and the ways that they introduce and contextualize their respective art forms makes for fascinating reading.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a very strong set of essays on the Christian view the arts. There are excellent contributions on literature, poetry, sculpture, dance, music, all yielding important theological and practical insights.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

We can encounter God through art, my friend!

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fun read. It is meant to tease out the theological justification for art in different modes (i.e. music, dance, sculpting). Got more into philosophy than I expected but not a lot.

[KA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just skimmed this again recently. Love the chapters on poetry and literature. Thanks again, Michelle!

[Glesnertod · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times, particularly in the beginning, much to philosophical. But, a much needed perspective in practicing art as theology, worship and relating with G-D in Humanity.