On the Font: Human Nature Seen Through Baptism and the Baptismal Font
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2025 | Viewed by 15
Special Issue Editors
Interests: devotional practices; iconography; rituals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue of Religions seeks articles on the baptism and baptismal fonts within the Christian traditions across space and time. Being the focal point of baptism, one of the central rites of Christianity, the font is a sculptural manifestation. It demarcates the candidate’s transition from being an outsider into a member of the Christian community. Baptism is a process of moving from one ontology to another. The baptizand is symbolically taken from the wilds of the world, cleansed by the blessed water, and reborn as a Christian in a world characterized by order and community. Through their imagery, shape, and inscriptions, the fonts address the wilderness the baptized have left, the act of transition itself, and/or the new status as citizens homeward bound for Paradise. They thus reveal something about the perception of human nature in both the time and space of their creation. These are revelations we seek to bring to attention in this volume.
We are looking for contributions exploring what the visual articulation, iconography, materials, and inscriptions on baptismal fonts has to say about the human condition through exemplary case studies. We are looking for papers addressing such questions as:
- How is the relationship between humans and their surroundings explained on and by way of the font/s?
- What does the font/s say about the relationship between the human and the divine?
- How does the font interact with its social surroundings?
- By what means is the font communicating with its community?
We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor Sandee Pan ([email protected]) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Martin Wangsgaard Jürgensen
Dr. Line M. Bonde
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- baptism
- iconography
- liturgy
- material culture
- ontology
- sacred space
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