early christian post
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Wall with Torah niche, House SynagogueDura-Europos, Syria, 244- 45 CE
• Circa 30 CE – Jesus Crucified• 65 CE – Peter and Paul executed• 312 – Constantine Converts after the Battle of the
Mulvian Bridge• 313 –Edict of Milan (a legal religion)• 325 – Council of Nicea• 381 – The co-emperors Gratian and Theodosius
publish their edict that the doctrine of the Trinity is to be the official state religion.
• 410 – Rome is Sacked• 430 - St. Augustine Dies• 476 – Last Western Emperor – Romulus Augustus
The dove holding an olive branch symbolizes the soul that reached divine peace.
The lamb represents the role of sacrifice in the death of Christ
The fish. In Greek one says IXTHYS (ichtùs). Placed vertically, the letters of this word form an acrostic: Iesùs Christòs Theòu Uiòs Sotèr = Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. Acrostic is Greek word which means the first letter of every line or paragraph. The fish is a widespread symbol of Christ, a motto and a compendium of the Christian faith.
Catacombs, Rome• Four million buried under
Rome alone• Galleries are 1 meter wide and
2-3 meters high• Loculi, cubiculum• Burial underground cheaper
than surface burials• Christian belief in burial
because Christ was buried
Early Christian Art
The Representation of Christ
Good Shepherd from Catacombs, c. late 3rd century
The Good Shepherd
Galla Placidia, Ravena
c. 425-26
St. Peter – The First Pope
St. Paul - The Convert who converted Gentiles
The Virgin Mary
Jesus Christ
The New Testament
• 4 Gospels – The Life and Works of Jesus• The Book of Acts – Histoy of the Early
Christian Movement• 21 Epistles (13 by Paul?) and including
Revelations (by John?)
Early Christian Art in the Age of Constantine
Old Saint Peter’s, Rome• Placed over the site where Saint Peter
may have been buried in a pagan cemetery
• Roman basilica• Axial plan• Atrium, narthex, nave, transept, apse:
each has a function• Longitudinal orientation with entrance
at one end leading directly to the apse, unlike Basilica of Constantine
• Roman arch over the altar• Wall space has arches, transept,
clerestory• Timber Roof• Lavish mosaics decorated interior• Replaced in the 16th Century
Reputed Burial Place of St. Peter
Built on the orders of Constantine c. 326
Early Christian Art in the Age of Constantine
Santa Costanza, Rome
• Centrally planned building with Tholos structure
• Altar in center• Aisles surround the altar and are
barrel vaulted• 12 column pairs and 12 clerestory
windows symbolize the apostles• Austere interior not original• Mosaic subjects stress salvation• Interlace patterns• Classical subjects incorporated
into Christian context• Mosaics adorn ceiling, in Roman
period they were used on floors
Santa Costanza, Rome
4rth Century CE
Temple of Portunus, 2nd Century BCE
The church of Santa Costanza in Rome was a mausoleum built for Constantine's daughter, Constantina (died 354):
Exterior of Galla Placidia Mausoleum (c. 425 – 426 Ravenna)
Built in Cruciform, or cross – shaped, with pendentive dome inside
• Contains shading to indicate depth & light source
• Hint of landscape and rocks
• Young adult with a halo
• Imperial gold and purple
• Long golden staff that ends wit a cross
The Good Shepherd
Galla Placidia, Ravena
c. 425-26
Arch of Constantine, c. 315 CE
From Trajan
From Marcus Aurelius
From Hadrian
Arch of Constantine
Relief freize from Arch of Constantine
Sarcophagi of Junius Bassus, c. 359 CE
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus in the Vatican, Rome, 359 A.D.
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus• Christ in the center seated as an
emperor• Sits on a personification of the
sky: Jupiter/Poseidon? with a veil over his head
• Christ seated in a heavenly Jerusalem
• Scenes not in narrative order• Classical elements in
pediments, arches and columns• Figures much larger than
animals they are next to
Text: The Codex and the Manuscript
From the Vatican Virgil
4th or early 5th century
