L’immagine religiosa dall’epifania al feticcio
Divieto delle immagini e razionalizzazione nel monoteismo
abstract
The aim of this paper is to illustrate how the nexus between monotheistic religion and iconoclasm has its basis in a process of rationalisation of both religious experience and worldview. Firstly, I will show in what sense the ban on images is one of the most striking aspects of monotheism (1); then I will point out the strong truth claim that emerges in the religious field since the Mosaic Law (2), and compare it with the more archaic religious attitude of polytheism (3). Finally, I will try to argue that the shift from polytheism to monotheism, especially regarding the role of images, it is not an incidental one but lies on a process of rationalisation of consciousness and religion (4).
Keywords: Monotheism • Rationalisation • Iconoclasm • Polytheism • Image