Iconography Of The Good Shepherd

However, the artist used Christian meaning in symbols to celebrate their religion. Such symbols were a piece of garland meant victory over death, a tendril was the Eucharist, a nude figure is Christmas, a peacock is immortality, and a flying bird is a soul flying to heaven.

This paper will analyze the iconography of the mosaic, Good Shepherd (lunette, Oratory of Galla Placidia, c. 425-26, Ravenna, Italy), that is located on the lunette over the north doorway of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna. The iconography has been one of the most recognized and admired works of art since the 3rd century AD. In the mosaic, the artists present a depiction of Christ symbolic and traditional of Byzantine art during the conversion of Christianity in Roman provinces.

Let’s define what is an icon and give a brief history of icons. An icon is sacred art, usually a fresco or mosaic of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, martyred Saints or scenes from the bible that are given special veneration. This type of sacred art first appeared in the catacombs were the first Christians would gather to worship during periods of persecution. The scenes depicted were of Christ’s family, gospel stories or stories from the Hebrew scriptures. As Christianity began to grow, and after the Edict of Milan the Emperor Constantine decreed that Christians were no longer to be persecuted. In response to this new decree, by the fourth century icons became a way of teaching the Gospel and a way to

overwhelming need to bring everyone around him to the Lord and drown them in spiritual

The Ceiling of the Mausoleum of Galla shows Christ as the Good Shepherd taking care of his sheep’s. This picture show Christ with a golden halo (Gold color represents power and wealthy). He is wearing a loyal purple mantle to show that he is a king and god. He is also holding a Christian cross.

Jesus related a parable of a sheep who became lost (Luke 15:1-7). All activity stopped until the lost sheep was found, then rejoicing celebrated the return of the lost.

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

This extraordinary work by Carpaccio is a landmark in the history of devotional images. It is, in effect, a meditation on the them of Death and Resurrection. To the right, the Old Testament figure Job sits on a block inscribed in pseudo-Hebrew, while on the left, portrayed as a hermit, is Saint Jerome (ca. 347 -420), who wrote a commentary on the book of Job. Christ’s dead body is displayed on a broken throne, also inscribed in pseudo-Hebrew. A bird—symbol of the soul —flies upwards. The landscape, barren on the

In contrast to the noble figure of Augustus, the piece titled “The Good Shepard” (300-350 AD. Marble. Height: 39 inches) which resides as a wall painting in the Catacomb of Calixtus, is an early symbolic representation of Christ as a Shepard (Mueso, Rome Web 2014). Symbolic images like these were common for the period of Early Christian art. It compares nicley to the Greco-Roman sculpture ( 3rd Century b.c.e) piece of the same name. A similar depiction can also be found at Dura Europas(Ceiling piece, fresco painting-seen in image below), in an ancient Christian meeting house (Klein Fred S. pg 210). Christ the Good Shepherd of the Twenty-third Psalm was often depicted as a beardless youth derived from the pagan god Apollo and with other ties to many Mediterranean mythologies. It is significant to note that the style of this painting with its loose impressionistic style and suggestion of a landscape echoes a category of ancient painting called sacral-idyllic landscapes.

This essay starts with the use of Roman architecture to practice Christianity. Then I will write about how the image of the Roman emperors became the inspiration for the image of the Jesus. Finally I will discuss the way Romans used the same iconography and narrative they already had as a formula to image the bible.

Just as Christ was crucified and died, our submersion in water symbolizes us too dying with him. In turn, our removal from the water symbolizes our rebirth and connection with Christ giving us our first divine-human encounter. The depth of such an act clearly portrays how vital of a part cleansing of sins by way of water is important and used in our faith since the beginning of time and an example of initiation into Christ’s life. Water has, since the beginning of time, been used to symbolize cleansing and new beginnings and in turn a major reason why this sign is seen as such in the symbolic ritual.

7-8), and his central images, the "rocking cradle" of Christ (ln. 20) to the "rough beast" (ln. 21).

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.

Let's take a look at a little history in medieval art. There was a movement towards the end of the first millennium called Iconoclasm. This factor hated images and icons which were believed to be endowed with mysterious powers that could work miracles by intervention from the saints. This Iconoclastic Controversy defined and declined the creation of