"They Have Eyes But Do Not See": Idolatry and Ritual from Isaiah to Augustine

Anxiety about the depiction of gods in art has permeated religious discourse from antiquity to the present day. Does the presence of artistic objects in places of worship induce idolatry? Are people seduced thereby into worshipping created things rather than the creator? The lecture will consider some highlights in this history and then examine the confrontation of Roman paganism and early Christian critique as a case study.