Raita Steyn

Archangel Michael As ?icon?: the Byzantine Approach Compared to the Modern One Raita Steyn

Byzantine art and culture were essentially religious in character and the primary aim of Byzantine art was to capture that which was holy and mysterious in a concrete form such as icons. Due to Archangel Michael's popularity among the Judeo-Christian angels in Greek society, the functions and status of Michael as ?icon' in a Greek Orthodox context are specifically examined. The subject of this study, therefore, focuses on the perception of Archangel Michael as an ?icon' in the pure Byzantine and Post?Byzantine Orthodox context of a ?theological art picture; a religious, sacred image', subject to the theological and artistic Byzantine prescriptions.