The Art of Empire: Christian Art in Its Imperial Context

by Robin Margaret Jensen

Overview

In recent years, art historians such as Johannes Deckers (Picturing the Bible, 2009) have argued for a significant transition in fourth- and fifth-century images of Jesus following the conversion of Constantine. Broadly speaking, they perceive the image of a peaceful, benevolent shepherd transformed into a powerful, enthroned Jesus, mimicking and mirroring the dominance and authority of the emperor. The powers of church and state are thus conveniently synthesized in such a potent image. This deeply rooted position assumes that ante-pacem images of Jesus were uniformly humble while post-Constantinian images exuded the grandeur of power and glory.

The Art of Empire contends that the art and imagery of Late Antiquity merits a more nuanced understanding of the context of the imperial period before and after Constantine. The chapters in this collection each treat an aspect of the relationship between early Christian art and the rituals, practices, or imagery of the empire, and offer a new and fresh perspective on the development of Christian art in its imperial background.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451487664
Publisher:	1517 Media
Publication date:	10/01/2015
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Robin Margaret Jensen is Luce Chancellor's Professor of the History of Christian Worship and Art at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Her previous works include Understanding Early Christian Art (2000) and The Substance of Things Seen (2004).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

List of Contributors ix

Introduction 1

1 Allusions to Imperial Rituals in Fourth-Century Christian Art Robin M. Jensen 13

2 Revisiting the Emperor Mystique: The Traditio Legis as an Anti-Imperial Image Lee M. Jefferson 49

3 The Memory of "Peter" in Fourth-Century Rome: Church, Mausoleum, and Jupiter on the Via Praeneslina Douglas Boin 87

4 From Victim to Victor: Developing an Iconography of Suffering in Early Christian Art Felicity Harley-McGowan 115

5 The Good Shepherd and the Enthroned Ruler: A Reconsideration of Imperial Iconography in the Early Church Jennifer Awes Freeman 159

6 Representing Ritual, Christianizing the pompa circensis: Imperial Spectacle at Rome in a Christianizing Empire Jacob A. Latham 197

7 Was the Presence of Christ in Statues? The Challenge of Divine Media for a Jewish Roman God Michael Peppard 225

8 The Visualization of the Imperial Cult in Late Antique Constantinople Katharine Marsengill 271

9 Does the Hinton St. Mary Mosaic Depict Christ? Adam Levine 301

Index 351