Early christian art different types of imagery

As the savior of the world, the infant Christ heralded a new covenant between God and humankind in which mercy and eternal life vanquished sin and death. It also symbolizes the old Temple of Jewish faith (founded on GodвЂ™s original covenant with Moses) that was superseded by the new Temple, embodied by Christ. The derelict arch most obviously refers to the pagan religion of the Romans, which was superseded by Christianity. 1400вЂ“55, by Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi. For example, the arch of a ruined classical building serves as a portal which the faithful must pass through and leave behind on their way to worship the infant Jesus in the foreground of The Adoration of the Magi, c. In Italian Renaissance paintings of the Infancy of Christ, fragments of classical buildings symbolize the old order overturned by the RedeemerвЂ™s birth.

Tangible reminders of the demise of a pagan civilization that had once straddled much of the globe, antique ruins appeared to manifest the inexorable workings of GodвЂ™s will. When Roman ruins first entered the painterвЂ™s vocabulary in the fifteenth century, they carried a specific religious connotation. Image courtesy of the Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Samuel H. Tempera on panel, diameter 137.3 cm (54 1/16 in.)

Early christian art different types of imagery