Remarks on the Mutilation of the Figures in Four Selected Byzantine Churches of Jordan

Abstract

This paper comes as an attempt to determine the apparent difference between the destruction of the repertoire of the human and animal figures represented in the mosaic floor in the Byzantine churches of Jordan. Besides, it endeavors to shed light on the theological crisis related to the famous edict of the Emperor iconoclast Leo III against the veneration of the Christ , the Virgin the Saints and Martyrs. In particular, the paper discusses archaeologically the historical theory related to the existence of an Umayyad edict against the representation of the figures. Furthermore, another attempt will be made as well to specify the responsibility of the destruction. On the bases of the corpus of churches included in this paper, it seems clear that the Christian community had the responsibility in the mutilation of figures in their churches by the remplacemt the figures by crosses.