Picturing Theology: A Primer on Early Christian Art

Abstract

For the religionist, the benefits of delving into early Christian art are quite tangible. Images from different eras of Christian history elucidate significant developments in the tradition, greatly enhancing the understanding of theological and historical movements. Christian art is a useful and effective medium to shed light on different aspects of Christian history, as students and observers can readily witness and make connections between images and architecture created centuries ago to more contemporary art. The study of Christian art is a truly interdisciplinary endeavor that yields positive results. However, it is important to understand the origins and development of the Christian visual tradition and to review the existing scholarship in the field. Christian art did not arrive ex nihilo; it derived from the rich tapestry of the existing visual language in antiquity which included influences from outside Christianity. In this essay, I will trace the development of early Christian art and demonstrate that Christian images arose from their Greco-Roman environment. The study of early Christian art is useful in recognizing how art and imagery conveyed theological concepts and reflected historical circumstances pertinent to Christian origins. The development of a Christian visual language testifies to the larger human desire to see and witness elements of faith. To ‘see’ God with the eyes of the spirit, early Christians wanted to see their faith in paint, glass, gold and stone; a desire that is not ‘early’ or ‘modern’ but timeless.