Fernández Lul, Adrià
(2025)
Iconoclasm and monachomachy as mimetic conflicts through the Life of Stephen the Younger.
Research master thesis, Master Theologie Religiewetenschappen res.
Abstract
The Byzantine Empire faced prolonged turmoil during the eighth and ninth centuries
due to the iconoclastic movement, denounced as heretical by its opponents. Imperial
enforcement of icon destruction occurred in two phases,separated by an interlude that
resorated the icon veneration under Empress Irene and patriarch Tarasios. The Life of
Stephen the Younger, composed during this interim, recounts Emperor Leo III’s
persecution of iconophile monks. Scholarly debates persist over what caused
iconoclasm — often tied to monachomachy—, yet scarce and biased sources complicate
any attempt of analysis. This study employs René Girard’s mimetic theory —centered
on religion’s relationship to violence and sacrality— to offer new insights on the Life of
Stephen the Younger. By framing iconoclasm as a sacrificial crisis and scapegoating
mechanism, the analysis reveals how hagiographical narratives of holiness and
persecution reinforced Christian communal identity amid imperial-religious tensions.
| Type: |
Thesis
(Research master)
|
| Supervisors (RUG): |
| Supervisor | E-mail | Tutor organization | Tutor email |
|---|
| Colominas Aparicio, M. | | Faculteit GGW, Christendom en Ideeengeschiedenis | m.colominas.aparicio@rug.nl |
|
| Supervisors from outside the RUG: |
| Tutor outside | E-mail | Tutor outside organization | Tutor outside email |
|---|
| Lourenço, Frederico, Dr. | | Universidade de Coimbra | anoniem@gmail.com |
|
| Degree programme: |
Master Theologie Religiewetenschappen res |
| Academic year: |
2024-2025 |
| Date of delivery: |
03 Feb 2026 10:50 |
| Last modified: |
03 Feb 2026 10:50 |
| URI: |
https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/888 |
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