Download - An Introduction to Early Christian Art
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An Introduction to
Early Christian Art
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Please note:
All of the following examples are from
3rd- and 4th-century Christian sarcophagi.
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How can I identify Jesus in early art?
• Jesus was often depicted using a wand during his miracles.
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Jesus used his wand to multiply bread in baskets (left) and to change jugs of water into wine (right).
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How can I identify Jesus in early art?
• Jesus was often depicted using a wand during his miracles.
• Before the last two decades of the 4th century, Jesus was often depicted beardless.
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Beardless Jesus healed the lame man, who then picked up and carried his bed
on his back.
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How can I identify Jesus in early art?
• Jesus was often depicted using a wand for during his miracles.
• Before the last two decades of the 4th century, Jesus was often depicted beardless.
• Jesus was usually depicted with longer hair than the men around him.
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Long-haired Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate
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Longer haired Jesus performs the miracles of the bread and the wine.
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How can I identify women in early art?
• Women usually had longer dresses.
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A woman wearing a long skirtdepicted between two scenes with Jesus.
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How can I identify women in early art?
• Women usually had longer dresses.
• Before Constantine, some artists – not all – depicted Christian women without veils and with short hair.
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Pre-Constantine depiction of a short hairedunveiled woman with doves and sheep.
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How can I identify women in early art?
• Women usually had longer dresses.
• Before Constantine, some artists – not all – depicted Christian women without veils and with short hair.
• After Constantine, almost all artists depicted Christian women with veils.
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Post-Constantine depiction of Jesus with a veiled woman
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How can I identify the Biblical scenes on a sarcophagus?
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With close attention to details, you can recognize most of the iconography.
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Jesus changed jugs of water into wine.
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Jesus multiplied bread in baskets.
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Jesus healed the blind.
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Jesus, Peter and the crowing cock
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Jesus raised Lazarus from the tomb. Mary fell at his feet.
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The baby in the manger
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Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood who touched his hem.
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Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac.
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Moses received a scroll of the law.
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This was the tomb of a man named “Claudiano.”
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This was a portrait of Claudiano.
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Some scenes are less well known to us, but most art historians agree what they depict.
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An apostle—Peter or Paul—was arrested.
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The apostle baptized his jailers.
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There is no agreement, however, about this female figure.
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This female figure, called the Orante, appeared often in the earliest Christian art.
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Graydon F. Snyder says, “In the Christian culture that emerged about A.D. 180, no symbol occurs more frequently and integrally than this female figure with lifted arms.”
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Snyder says, “She must be the most important symbol in early Christian art.”
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Karen Jo Torjesen says, “Although male figures are occasionally found in this traditional posture, the overwhelming number of orantes are female.”
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Torjesen says this figure is “evidence of the earliest tradition of women preachers.”
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Some say she is the symbol of piety.
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Others say she is the symbol of the church.
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Yet others say she is the symbol of the soul.
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Some call her the portrait of a dead woman.
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Some call her the portrait of a dead woman.But here she appears on the tomb of a man.
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In the 1800s, some researchers suggested early Christians knew her as Mary.
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Other researchers said that was ridiculous.
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Who or what do you think thisfemale figure in the center
of these biblical scenes depicted?
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Who or what do you think thisfemale figure in the center
of these biblical scenes depicted?
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Who or what do you think thisfemale figure in the center
of these biblical scenes depicted?
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Who or what do you think thisfemale figure in the center
of these biblical scenes depicted?
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Who or what do you think thisfemale figure in the center
of these biblical scenes depicted?
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Who or what do you think thisfemale figure in the center
of these biblical scenes depicted?
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Who or what do you think thisfemale figure in the center
of these biblical scenes depicted?
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Who or what do you think thisfemale figure in the center
of these biblical scenes depicted?
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Why do you think it is only the woman whose name we do not know?
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Art as Text
By Ally Kateusz
In honor of Robin Jensen