Exegesis, Intertextuality, and the Transformative Gaze in a Byzantine Vision of Isaiah (Vatop. 760, fol. 280 v.)
Exegesis, Intertextuality, and the Transformative Gaze in a Byzantine Vision of Isaiah (Vatop. 760, fol. 280 v.)

Summary/Abstract: The iconographic representation of Isaiah’s vision in a 12th-century Byzantine manuscript illumination encapsulates a fascinating exegesis. The details of the text in Isaiah 6 have been merged with elements drawn from two other significant theophanies, Ezekiel 1 and Daniel 7, and this entire cluster of theophanic passages subjected to the Christological exegesis typical of the first millennium CE. As a result, the Old Testament “Lord,” “Glory,” and “Ancient of Days” in the visions of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel are explicitly identified with the “Lord” of Christian worship – Jesus. The representation of the dramatic encounter between the prophet and the seraph discloses a theology that understands the divine-human encounter as constituted by the reciprocal ecstatic moves of divine condescension and human ascent. Finally, the manuscript illumination is best understood by taking into account the performative aspect of early Christian exegesis, broadly construed to also incorporate hymnography, iconography, and ritual.

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