Christianity: Rise and Impact on the Arts

11 important questions on Christianity: Rise and Impact on the Arts

What does the Second Commandment say?

That it is forbidden to create an image of God or any of his creatures, especially not for worship, since those would be considered false idols.

Why do Christians not follow the Second Commandment?

Because to them, it is only meant for the Jews since God already gave humanity an image of himself in the form of Jesus. To the Christians, that meant that they were also allow to make depictions, whereas the Jews, who do not accept Jesus as the son of God, are not allowed to.

What are the rules of Christian imagery as thought up by Gregory the Great?

1. They are not meant to be beautiful, but to be functional: they have to teach the illiterate about the stories and rules in the Bible.
2. They are supposed to remind their viewers of what's in the Bible and what they already have been thought.
3. They are supposed to inspire the viewer. Seeing Christ's good deeds and life should inspire them to act and live their lives in the same way.
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What does the apse of the San'Apollinare in Classe show?

Here, San Apollinaris is depicted in the green pastures of a heavenly realm, surrounded by sheep. He is in Heaven, and him being there should inspire the viewer to live well so they can join him in Heaven and therefore also get closer to Jesus and God. The saints in between the windows also invite the viewer to come and join the service, and again, get closer.

For what reason did other cultures not follow the Second Commandment?

For Jewish cults that did not live in Israel, the rules just weren't as strictly observed. After all, they considered images to be useful tools. This can be seen in Dura-Europos, Damascus.

Why is it hard to distinguish between Roman and Christian images?

Because very early Christian images were modelled after the Roman ones, like the Last Supper in Rossano and the Secular Roman Meal in Constanta, Romania.

What is Sol Invictus?

While the figure started out as a pagan sun god, it was later also used to refer to Jesus - even though this is quite strange.

How did content and way of depiction clash in the early Christian era?

The content was Christian, the way of depiction Roman. For example, Jesus was sometimes depicted as a beardless Greek philosopher.

What is the difference between Roman and Christian art?

Roman art was political and propagandistic, honouring the emperors. Christian art was religious and inspirational, and definitely did not honour emperors like they were gods.

What changed in the art of writing due to Christianity?

Whereas scrolls were used at first, these were considered to impractical to write and read the Bible from. Therefore, codices (books) started to be used.

What is the main difference between Judaism and Christianity?

Judaism only believes in the Tanach, or the Old Testament. Christianity believes in both the Old and the New Testament, with the New Testament overwriting some of the older rules as Jesus, the annointed one, came to redeem humanity's sins.

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