Revealing Christ’s Presence in Jesus Films and Dreams: Towards Ontonic Semiotics of Non-representation
Abstract Jesus films remain popular in missionary work, yet little is known about how they communicate. Working with viewers in Benin, West Africa, I observed that they watch films as an embodied practice that goes beyond the explanatory power of meaning-based communication models. For them, the fil...
| Published in: | Exchange |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2021
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| In: |
Exchange
Year: 2021, Volume: 50, Issue: 1, Pages: 5-29 |
| RelBib Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality CH Christianity and Society NBF Christology ZG Media studies; Digital media; Communication studies |
| Further subjects: | B
Phenomenology
B media technology B Ontology B Vision B Jesus films B photo B Semiotics B Dreams |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Abstract Jesus films remain popular in missionary work, yet little is known about how they communicate. Working with viewers in Benin, West Africa, I observed that they watch films as an embodied practice that goes beyond the explanatory power of meaning-based communication models. For them, the filmic portrayal of Jesus is not an image or representation; it rather reveals Christ’s presence in a veracious and immediate way. Consequently, people experience the actor as if he were Jesus, who sometimes interacts with them in dreams. I argue that current anthropological theories are inadequate when trying to account for this. By shifting the focus from meaning to presence, and by introducing the notion of the ‘onton,’ I propose the novel approach of ‘ontonic semiotics’ that accounts for how people make sense of, and interact with, the world. This approach highlights the need to give more attention to how Jesus appears to global audiences. |
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| ISSN: | 1572-543X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Exchange
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/1572543X-12341583 |