Magdalen Iconography
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Symbolism in the Medieval period had both theological and social meanings, and the figure of Eve demonstrates how these two kinds of meanings coexisted in a single symbolic form. Medieval symbolism almost always occurred in art that was commissioned by or for the churches. In religious terms, the art of the Middle Ages was meant to instruct people of all classes and to be an aid to prayer and the contemplation of religious ideas. But, as art historians have begun to point out, this art was also a system of visual signs that can be viewed in terms of "role models, social practices, and an encoded value system of social mores" (Alexander 1). In strictly theological terms, the character of Eve, the first woman, was used to symbolize the Fall of the human race. Eve ate the fruit of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" and persuaded Adam to eat it as well (Hall 4). This caused the human race to experience sin and evil. But Eve was also used as a symbol of the nature of women, seen as temptresses trying to lead men into sin. On seeing the figure of Eve as she was presented in Romanesque art, the viewer was reminded of the Fall, but, depending on how she was depicted, the viewer could also be reminded that women are weak-willed, deceitful seducers who are not to be trusted. The theological and the social meanings of the symbol were not completely separate. The Church also seemed interested in promoting this misogynistic idea of women as a social value. But the m
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re, heaven is shown beneath the Virgin's side, and hell is shown beneath Eve (MGle, Religious 432).
These examples make clear Eve's purely theological importance as a symbol clear. But, as MGle's explanation indicated, the Eve-Mary Magdalen-Virgin Mary symbolism had a message about women in general. Women as a group were believed to be prone to sin and to causing sin, especially sexual sin because they tempted men. St. Bernard (1091-1153), who was one of the most influential and "eloquent orators and writers of his age," emphasized that Eve's sin was the sin of all women. He said in a sermon that Eve was "the original cause of all evil, whose disgrace has come down to all other women" (quoted by Kraus 42). But St. Bernard was also a great promoter of the cult of the Virgin Mary, which was becoming very popular in the twelfth century. And, on the connection between Eve and Mary, he said, "Rejoice, Eve, rejoice in such a daughter . . . Opprobrium has been wiped out; never again can woman be accused" (quoted by MGle, Religious 431). But, in actual practice, though they praised Mary, this did not much change the Church's view of ordinary women as being sinful like Eve: "In the glorification of the Virgin, it was the Woman-Wi
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Pride Avarice, Middle Ages, Eve's Temptation, Eve Romanesque, Virgin Woman-Without-Sin, Autun Eve, MGle Medieval, St Bernard's, Mary Magdalen, Adam Eve, figure eve, social meanings, human race, romanesque art, virgin mary, twelfth century, eve symbol, medieval art, mary magdalen, kraus 44, theological social meanings, fall human race,
Approximate Word count = 1910
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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