ABSTRACT

Understanding Early Christian Art is designed for students of both religion and of art history. It makes the critical tools of art historians accessible to students of religion, to help them understand better the visual representations of Christianity. It will also aid art historians in comprehending the complex theology, history and context of Christian art. This interdisciplinary and boundary-breaking approach will enable students in several fields to further their understanding and knowledge of the art of the early Christian era. Understanding Early Christian Art contains over fifty images with parallel text.

chapter |7 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|24 pages

The character of early Christian iconography

Issued and problems of interpretation

chapter 2|32 pages

Non-narrative images

Christian use of classical symbols and popular motifs

chapter 3|30 pages

Pictorial typologies and visual exegesis

chapter 4|36 pages

Portraits of the incarnate God

chapter 5|26 pages

Images of the suffering redeemer

chapter 6|27 pages

Born again

The resurrection of the body and the restoration of Eden