Colors and Textures of Roman North Africa in Memory of Maureen Tilley, 2024
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
The Reception of Jesus in the First Three Centuries vol 3, 2020
Images of fish and other sea life, along with fishers with their boats and nets, were enormously ... more Images of fish and other sea life, along with fishers with their boats and nets, were enormously popular subjects for visual art in the Greco-Roman world. Marine motifs served as decorative themes for Roman fountains, pools, and baths, particularly in the villas and seaside retreats of the elite classes. Courtyard pools that may have contained live fish often were augmented by polychrome figures of various kinds of aquatic creatures (Figure .1). Wall paintings and pavement mosaics featured images of Nereids, tritons, dolphins, and sea centaurs as well as depictions of Poseidon and his consort Amphitrite or the birth of Venus. Similar motifs also were especially popular for Roman sarcophagus reliefs in the second and third centuries. Cavorting dolphins, associated with the cult of Dionysus and protected by Neptune, were particular favorites, and all kinds of underwater life alluded to bliss in the afterlife, the soul's journey across the sea to the land of the blessed, or merely to sensual earthly pleasures. Many of these sarcophagi included portraits of the deceased within scallop shells and the undulating motif often referred to as "strigil" (after the Roman bath tool) possibly was intended to imply waves, suggesting bodily purification or spiritual refreshment. A survey of early Christian material remains reveals that Christian patrons and viewers similarly favored images of sea creatures, fishers, and nautical scenes. Depictions of fish and fishers are widely depicted on the earliest known and identifiably Christian-themed artifacts, including catacomb paintings, funerary epitaphs, sarcophagus reliefs, pottery lamps and tableware, gold-decorated glasses, and engraved gems. Yet although they used these familiar motifs, Christians almost certainly attached their own meaning to them. Some are fairly easily aligned with biblical narratives. Sailors in a storm-tossed boat, raising their hands in prayer, might illustrate a passage from the Jonah legend or the story of Christ calming the storm. Scenes of fishermen wielding poles or hauling in teeming nets may be drawn from one of the many scriptural stories that involve fish or fishers, including Tobit catching his medicinal fish (Tob 6:3-9, Figure .2), Peter finding the fish with a coin in its mouth (Matt 17:27), the apostles being called to be fishers of people (
The Cambridge History of Ancient Christianity, 2023
In his treatise On the Soul, Tertullian remarks on certain long-established beliefs that a part o... more In his treatise On the Soul, Tertullian remarks on certain long-established beliefs that a part of the soul survived the body after death. He explains that the practice of keeping a portion of the deceased body intact rather than cremating it with the rest of the corpse is intended to maintain a place for the soul's continued habitation: But not a particle of the soul can possibly remain in the body, which is itself destined to disappear when time annihilates the body's entire sphere of action. And yet, because some still hold the belief in a partial survival of the soul, they will not permit burning of the dead body, in order to spare that small residue of the soul. Tertullian, An. . (CCL :). Tertullian here implies that the belief that the body and soul are linked after death is widespread among his contemporaries. Translations are by the author unless otherwise noted. Plato, Resp. .B. Tertullian notes the irony of Plato's telling this story considering that Plato did not believe in the posthumous connection of bodies and souls.
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; det... more The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; detailed bibliographic data are available at https://dnb.dnb.de.
Chapter Three. Baptismal Iconography In Ivory, Glass, And Mosaic
This chapter examines a series of questions that are prompted by the iconography and draws upon d... more This chapter examines a series of questions that are prompted by the iconography and draws upon documentary evidence to offer perspective. Throughout this discussion, an essential question is whether the imagery is symbolic, illustrative, or illuminative. In other words, whether illustrations of baptism refer to the meaning of the sacrament, depict actual liturgical acts, or illustrate a foundational narrative, or some combination thereof. For example, because the iconography overwhelmingly represents baptism in an outdoor setting, the chapter opens by examining why an original practice of open-air baptism was illustrated well into the fourth and fifth centuries and what the iconography might suggest about the symbolic or conceptual value of showing baptism in a natural setting. The dove's presence in most of the iconography may be coordinated with the emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit in baptism, sanctifying and sealing the neophyte following the water bath. Keywords:baptism; Holy Spirit; liturgical acts
Jesus's Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension
Routledge eBooks, Jul 7, 2023
Overview of the Evidence and Methodological Questions
Co-Authors: Sean Dageforde, Dani Parra, Klaudia Malik, Robin M. Jensen, James R. Brockmole, Gabri... more Co-Authors: Sean Dageforde, Dani Parra, Klaudia Malik, Robin M. Jensen, James R. Brockmole, Gabriel A. Radvansky A study on the influence of temporal context (liturgical time) on memory formation and retention with respect to sacred art.
The Art of Empire
Early Christian Symbols
Routledge eBooks, Jul 7, 2023
Depicting the Divine
Routledge eBooks, Jul 7, 2023
From Christ the Miracle Worker and Teacher to Christ the King and Lawgiver
Inscriptions from Early Christian Baptisteries in Rome
Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia, 1970
This is a study of Latin inscriptions from early Roman baptisteries with attention to their parti... more This is a study of Latin inscriptions from early Roman baptisteries with attention to their particular imagery, theological assertions, and liturgical context. The themes most prominent in these documents reflect on the practice of baptism as a cleansing from sin, incorporation into the community, death to the old self, and rebirth to new life, as realized through the acts of immersion, anointing, and sealing of the newly baptized. The figure of the church as fertile mother and the consecratory power of the Holy Spirit are concretely expressed in many of these texts. The significance of baptism at the martyrs’ shrine is equally prominent, particularly in light of Rome’s preeminent shrines to Saints Peter and Paul. Additionally, the role of the bishop as shepherd is especially emphasized in Rome, where the figure of Peter is venerated not only as martyr but also as Rome’s first bishop and the apostle especially authorized to bind and lose sinners.
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