Christianity 's Use Of Islamic Silk

Humans have always been captivated by beauty. Even though each culture has different standards for attractiveness, the appreciation of beauty is seen all across the world. Artists in particular work diligently to capture the beauty around them, and the culture they identify with plays a major role in how they do so. Differences are apparent in the Crusader Bible and The Story of Yusuf and Zulaiha, which were made a few centuries apart in different locations. Both of these manuscripts were made to illustrate stories from their culture, and by taking the story of David and Bathsheba on Folio 41 in the Crusader Bible and comparing it to the image “Yusuf summoned by Zulaikha to Serve at a Feast” the similarities in use of space and color are evident.

When Christians first began to use art within the church it was to defend and communicate the truth about God and the world. Throughout time a lot of controversies began to form about art being used to describe Christianity. The visual culture of the early church was very modest and until about 200 A.D most visual imagery was found in catacombs, the burial places of Christians. So the only art that was known was symbols such as fishes and only the people who were intended to know them. Art was not intended like it is today, it was exclusive and misunderstood.

would wear it. The green would also symbolize nature. This trend of making things from nature carried to North America, Mesoamerica, and South America. A large portion of jewelry found in Constantinople was either silver or gold. Scenes of Jesus death, or a image of the cross were expertly crafted on the material. In Asia, the art ranged from gold to wood. They would catch an image of nature into clay, or make an image of a Buddha out bronze and pieces of mold cast. The Germanic kingdom also had images of a cross from gold, and marble statues as well. All the nations had their art represent what they believe, and for what they stand for in their country (Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History).

The use of icons, nevertheless, steadily gained in popularity, especially in portions of The Roman Empire. Towards the end of the 6th century and in the 7th, icons became the object of an officially encouraged cult, often implying a superstitious belief in their animation ("Iconoclastic Controversy | Byzantine History."). Although the materialistic expression may be quite controversial, they have brought a lot more attention to the Christian religion. They had the power of bringing people together with what was being worshipped, and have also brought amounts us 2 addition branches of Christianity that include both the Catholic church, and the Orthodox church. Some of these images are worshipped worldwide throughout the Christian churches for all the right reasons. They bring the individuals together with the material expression and give them an image to their head such as Jesus Christ being painted as

and plastic art for the church as he had done in Africa where religion and art

The Lord of the Rings has many Christ figures in it. Most people think that Gandalf is the only Christ figure, but he is not. Because Tolkien did not like allegory there are many others. Such as Samwise Gamgee, Frodo Baggins, Aragorn, and Tom Bombadil. Aragorn is a Christ figure because he is the true and rightful king.

The portrayal of Christ has been developed throughout the centuries, and is very much influenced by the socio-political and cultural environments. The Byzantine Empire has become a great influence on the use of Christian religious art and architecture, which will be continually built upon and developed through history. Though still influenced by the Classical tradition, Christian art will evolve into a new and widespread style under the rule of Justinian and Theodora. Christ as the Good Shepherd in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, shows the development of the portrayal of Christ from a humble shepherd to a royal deity, that reflects the influence of the Byzantine Empire, and his role as a ruler over his people.

Another symbolic character is Grendel. In the story Grendel is just a monster that kills people but he symbolizes the devil. But there are also some parts in the story that suggest Christianity without the use of pagan symbols. For example, “the harp’s rejoicing call and the poet’s clear songs, sung of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling the Almighty making the earth” (lines 5-8). This quote is stating how one God created the earth which is a Christian belief.

Dura-Europos was the start of Christianity in Syria. Believers had a place to believe and be safe with what they practiced. There were many ways how the Christians displayed their love for God. In the article it states “the art in the murals and mosaics in Dura-Europos make clear that early Christians were not iconoclastic.” They believed that art was a way to honor the saints and God. The art that was displayed in the church could be seeing as honoring God and also telling a story to the people who couldn’t read. The Roman’s had the same idea, honoring God with art forms, and also telling a story to the public with the art and sculpture. Sometimes scaring people who couldn’t read by using visual sculptors to show them what would happen if they didn’t obey

The Jewish community started Christianity, but Christianity later spread and convert from all over the Greco-Roman world were attracted by this religion during the progress of the first century CE. Ideas, traditions, ways of worship and traditions were brought along by the new convert of Christianity and it was adopted by their faith. This is through art because Christians who were once pagans of the Roman Empire stick to their artistic heritage when they became followers of Jesus Christ. Roman artistic forms and motifs and also Roman architecture were being used by this new convert to express their new faith. In further explanation, we’ll see how Roman art influenced the developing art of early Christians.

Throughout history Western art has been used to illustrate the divine and supremacy status of both political and religious figures. Incorporated in these pieces relates to the specific cultures political, religious, and cultural values. This is one way how certain art pieces can be identified. This began as early as the Sumerian period and even today is still used. Although these methods have been used for thousands of years, different styles emerged when looking at different periods but this does not go to say that cultures never have not adopted certain styles and methods from others.

Just as it’s human nature to believe in something larger or more powerful than oneself, it is also human nature to express that divinity through art, this is proven time and time again in human history. Picturing the divine is a type of testimony to show a cultures greatness. The painting Arhats Giving Alms to Beggars comes from the Chinese culture of the Southern Song period. Whereas, the mosaic Christ as Pantocrator comes from the Byzantine culture of the Greek Orthodox tradition. Although these paintings come from very different backgrounds both cultures show the divine and their pressure on mankind to follow the rules, such as giving away worldly desires. By doing so and letting go of material possessions, mankind can be hopeful of

The floor mosaic The Bath of Dionysus, located at Paphos Archeological Park in Cyprus is “the ultimate cases of such syncretism are the numerous conflations of Christ with old pagan deities like Orpheus, Hermes the sheep-bearer, Sol Invictus, and others. (Figure 1) And just as some within early Christianity strove to make their faith accessible through assimilations with paganism, so some polytheists began to appropriate aspects of Christian iconography to present their gods in pseudo-Christian terms. (Elsner, pg. 220) The mosaic looks to be a presentation of the Christ child born of Mary who is portrayed to the right of Olympian God Hermes, son of Zeus, and is identified by her heavenly halo. The baby Jesus also has a halo giving it a heavenly presence is being presented to Dionysus the God of Grape Harvest. This mosaic seems to be the perfect blend of pagan and Christian

Passover and Easter also have representational art and iconography that are displayed in how the religious festivals are celebrated by Jewish people and Christians.

Unlike Medieval painting, Roman painting does not have a specific scene to show nor a particular doctrine to teach. Some scenes might denote the same theme, but the artist tries to individualize his work by playing with the elements. In Romanesque painting the iconographical demands do not allow artists to illustrate the same icons in different ways. To spread Christianity, the symbols need to remain the same everywhere to make the message easier to understand. In Christ in Majesty the halo is an example of the recurring iconographic element. A halo around someone's head means that the person is a saint. Christ, the evangelists, and the Twelve Apostles have halos to point out their religious significance. Individualization is no longer important on Medieval works because artists focus on the expansion of the Christian message.