ENGLISH

The World’s Oldest Church: Bible, Art, and Ritual at Dura-Europos, Syria

By Michael Peppard

Book information

Publisher
Yale University Press
Year
2016
ISBN
0300213999, 9780300213997
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
6 MB (6456646 bytes)
Series
Synkrisis
Pages
xiv+320\343
Topic
Religion Orthodoxy
Orientation
yes
Paginated
yes
Scanned
portrait
Time added
2016-04-23 13:47:57
Религиоведение;Религиоведение христианства;История

Description

Michael Peppard provides a historical and theological reassessment of the oldest Christian building ever discovered, the third-century house-church at Dura-Europos. Contrary to commonly held assumptions about Christian initiation, Peppard contends that rituals here did not primarily embody notions of death and resurrection. Rather, he portrays the motifs of the church’s wall paintings as those of empowerment, healing, marriage, and incarnation, while boldly reidentifying the figure of a woman formerly believed to be a repentant sinner as the Virgin Mary. This richly illustrated volume is a breakthrough work that enhances our understanding of early Christianity at the nexus of Bible, art, and ritual.

Similar books