Iconic in the Thought of David Bentley Hart

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of the iconic in its connection with everyday, social, and political practices. Based on the distinction between idol and icon, it was found out that violent practices are often disguised as Christian narratives, which should not really be related to violence in their speech about the disadvantaged or in the immediate reality of existence. With the help of the theory of David Bentley Hart, Jean-Luc Marion, and Rene Girard, models for the functioning of totalitarian consciousness were proposed, which under the Christian wrappage conceals the justification of injustice and aggression and legitimizes its own power.An analysis of the “wisdom of this world” as a truth that claims to broadcast non-contextual and nonhistorical “eternal truth” as a “cultural sublime” for its audience was carried out. Using the model of Heraclitus (Dionysian) and Parmenides (Apollonian), different types of violence are analyzed, which imitate their own opposition and rebellion. Due to this, it was found out that in a totalitarian state there are both types of violence, which make it possible to satisfy different categories of people to ensure their loyalty. It is concluded that the narratives of a cultural hero or a tragic hero who destroys the social order are incompatible with the Christian narrative of the Servant God.The phenomenon of metaphysical consciousness and its connection with idolatry and belief in the formless abyss as a deity is also analyzed. It is shown that in the theory of David Bentley Hart, an important place is occupied by the “resurrection” of the aesthetic premise as the only possible reason for the ethical in the modern world. Involving the theory of a sensitive society, an attempt was made to combine the theory of the iconic as a special perception of the world with the possibility of changing social and cultural attitudes for a better future.