CfP: Manipulating the Sun: Picturing Astronomical Miracles from the Bible in the Early Modern Era

Workshop at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany, August 21-23, 2019

The workshop is being organized by the research project Iconography of the Imagery on Early Modern Scientific Instruments (funded by the German Research Foundation, DFG). One of the aspects being analysed in the project is biblical imagery that could be related to astronomy. Of particular interest is imagery that was used to argue against the Copernican system from the mid-16th century such as the miracles of the Sun reversing its course in II Kings 20:8-11/Isaiah 38:8 (Horologium Ahas) and the Sun standing still in Joshua 10:12. 

The workshops aims at discussing these two passages – e.g. the development of the imagery (for instance in Bible illustrations, religious art, etc.), their genesis as anti-Copernican arguments (in text and image), their reception, their various cultural layers, etc. – in a workshop in Wuppertal/Germany from a broad perspective with a certain focus, however, on the history of art and the history of science in the 16th and 17th centuries.

For further information on the topic, please get in touch with the organisers. The workshop aims at promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and therefore proposals contributing to any aspect of the topic are welcome. Special consideration will be given to proposals from young scholars. The language of the workshop will be English. Submissions must include a title, an abstract (1–2 pages) of a 30 minute presentation, and a short CV. Submissions should be sent to Julia Ellinghaus and Volker Remmert at jellinghaus@uni-wuppertal.de and remmert@uni-wuppertal.de no later than March 17, 2019. Contributors’ travel and accommodation costs will be covered.