Latent architecture of the Abrahamic faiths

Abstract

As a means of designing Abrahamic architecture this thesis investigates the interconnections within the theological representation of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Throughout the development of Abrahamic religions the theologies of the faiths have been rendered in numerous communicative mediums. The sacred texts are the most predominate form of representation and they serve most often as the authoritative foundation of its various counterparts. The literary composition of the Torah, New Testament and Qur’an are discussed to reveal the underlying interpretive framework of the texts which encouraged the translation of Abrahamic theology into increasingly more connotative forms of imagery and architecture. Interwoven compositions of imagery and architecture found within the early remnants of the faiths are discussed as Allegorical spaces which reveal the theological and material dimensions of the Abrahamic universe. It is the latent architecture found within the Allegorical imagery of the Abrahamic faiths that shapes the reality of the faithful and informs a design philosophy from which Abrahamic architecture emerges.