The clash of gods : a reinterpretation of early Christian art / Thomas F. Mathews.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mathews, Thomas F., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Art, Early Christian.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (256 p.) : 129 halftones 16 color plates

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [1993]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Between the third and sixth centuries, the ancient gods, goddesses, and heroes who had populated the imagination of humankind for a millennium were replaced by a new imagery of Christ and his saints. Thomas Mathews explores the many different, often surprising, artistic images and religious interpretations of Christ during this period. He challenges the accepted theory of the "Emperor Mystique," which, interpreting Christ as king, derives the vocabulary of Christian art from the propagandistic imagery of the Roman emperor. This revised edition contains a new preface by the author and a new chapter on the origin and development of icons in private domestic cult.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PREFACE

CHAPTER ONE The Mistake of the Emperor Mystique

CHAPTER TWO The Chariot and the Donkey

CHAPTER THREE The Magician

CHAPTER FOUR Larger-than-Life

CHAPTER FIVE Christ Chameleon

CHAPTER SIX Convergence

CHAPTER SEVEN The Intimate Icon

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

NOTES

LIST OF FIGURES

INDEX

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 183-203) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780691033501

0691033501

9780691246994

0691246998

OCLC:

1334106567