Early Christianity and Byzantine Flashcards
what does the Fall of Rome refer to
the decline in power and influence of Rome as a power center
what does the Roman Empire split into
East and West
What happened to the Western Empire
taken over in 476 CE
Late Roman Empire
235 to 410 CE
what was the Late Roman Empire marked by
instability
Early Christian Art
art from the earliest followers of Jesus (30 CE) to 476 CE in the Roman Empire
when was there identifiable Christian art
not until around late 250 CE
what happens in 313 CE
Constantine publishes the Edict of Milan
what did the Edict of Milan lead to
- changes in art
- allowing Christianity in the Roman Empire
when does Christianity become the state Religion of Rome
380 CE
When does the Western part of the Roman Empire collapse
476 CE
what leads to the separation of Rome into two parts
the fall of Western part of Roman Empire
Byzantine Empire
from 476 to 1453 CE
Western Europe
476 to 1000 CE
what is an indication of the importance of the Middle East
Constantine moving the Capital East
Byzantium is renamed ______ and is now ______
Constantinople and Istanbul
what happens to the Western Empire after it collapses
no clear leader and it was ruled by small city-states
When does Justinian come to power in the East
527
IS the Byzantine start date clear
NO
Function of a Roman Basilica
as a court of law
what was taken over by Christianity and used for a different purpose
The Roman Basilica
The Christian Faith believes in
one God
how many persons does the Christian God manifest into
3
Trinity of God
- God the Father
- God the Son
- God the Holy Spirit
What is the Holy Spirit often symbolized by
a dove
What was Jesus believed to be
the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies
what religion is the Old Testament often associated with
Jewish
what religion is the New Testament often associated with
Christianity
when is Jesus deemed fully divine and fully human
at the Councill of Nicaea in 325
what is Mary commonly called
the Virgin
what is it called when Mary was told she would have a son by Gabriel
annuciation
what does Jesus do at 30
called to his ministry and gathers his 12 followers
what are the 12 followers of Jesus known as
apostles or disciples
the last supper
when he foretells his death
what is the last supper and his death seen as
a sacrifice to save his followers in the afterlife
what does Jesus tell his disciples to do at the last supper
eat the bread and drink the wine as a symbol of his body and blood
clarification
Jesus is put to death
Resurrection
Rose from dead 3 days later
Ascension
Ascended into Heaven
what are the gospels
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
What happened to Christians before the Edict of Milan
they were often persecuted
what does being persecuted do to early Christian art
makes it ambiguous
what is the metaphor to describe Jesus
the Good Shepard
What does Jesus say about himself in the Gospel of John
He is the Good Shepard and will lay down his life for his flock
what does Christianity grow out of
Monotheistic Judaism
what is the reason there wasn’t lots of Christian art before the 200s
the 10 Commandments prohibited the worshipping of “false gods”
what were false gods often interpreted as
statues but also some paintings
what did Judaism often do when making art
be iconoclastic
is Early Christianity the first religion to show a shepard
NO
syncretism
melding of different belief systems or their forms
syncretism in art
refers to re-purposing of older visual traditions by newer religions
why was a Good Shepard image common
could pass as non-Christian
Orant figure
woman standing with outstretched arms
Catacombs
underground burial spaces around Rome
where were Roman cemeteries kept
outside the city
what shift happened in the 2nd Century CE with the dead
preserved some of the dead and kept them in the catacombs
one of the first openly Christian buildings
Old St. Peter’s Basilica
is the Old St. Peter’s Basilica still extent
NO
when was the St. Peter’s Basilica build
after the Edict of Milan
who supported the building of Peter’s Basilica
Constantine
what does the St. Peter’s Basilica show
- Christians adopted Roman forms
- points to fact about the Renaissnace
What fact does the St. Peter’s Basilica show about the Renaissance
The Basilica is torn down because they were confident they could build a better
what was the only Christian church in Europe
Catholic church
what shape becomes the standard church shape in the Western Empire
Basilica shape
What is the nave
center row that has a higher roof
what is the nave flanked by
side aisles with lower roofs
What structure do the windows of the churches often have
Round arch
What was highly decorated in early Christian churches
the interior
what was the common decoration in churches
mosaics
where is the alter in a church
the aspse portion
central plan buildings take forms from _______ and repurpose it
Greek and Roman
what are longitudinal buildings used for
ceremonial processions with big audiences
what were central plan buildings used for
smaller events like a Baptism or burial
where do central plans buildings become more used
in the Eastern (Byzantine) Christian world
what is an example of a central plan building
Church of Santa Constanze
what does the Harvesting of Grapes mosaic show
a shift away from realism, individuality in the figures and realistic scale
what is a clear symbolism for Christians
the miracle of turning wine into the blood of Christ
when does Christianity come to fruition in Roman empire
the 300s
what does the OT depict Jesus as
a shepard
what does the NT depict Jesus as
a Shepard that will lay down his life to protect his flock
what is the significance of the NT version of Jesus
new God is a nice and forgiving God
what site of worship was built by Romans
temples
what site of worship was built by Christians
basilicas that turn into churches
why would early churches burn down
the roof was wood and the lights were fire
what does Medieval mean (literally)
Middle Ages
time period of the Medieval
476 CE to Renaissance
rough date for the Renaissance
1400
what is Medieval seen as in the Renaissance
an insult for “crap” art
what does Early Christian mean
before 476
subdivisions of Medieval
- Medieval-Byzantine
- Medieval-Western Europe
The East/Byzantine State were ruled by
Byzantine Emperor is the Bishop and head of the church/state
The East/Byzantine State was completely separated from the West
NO
The East/Byzantine State in 726
Eastern church bans icons and destroys lots
was the Bishop of Rome the most powerful in the West
NO
The West state in the 800s
Charlemange was crowed Emperor and was the first emperor since 5th century
what happened in 1054
the Christian church officially splits into 2
Divisions of Christian Church
- Western/Roman Catholic
- Eastern/Orthodox churches
when is the Byzantine Empire taken over by Ottoman Empire
1453
when does the Protestant Reformation start
1517
what was more normal in Western Roman Empire
Longitudal churches
what was more normal in Byzantine
central plan churches
what happens to central plan churches in byzantine
they get bigger and more common
what is the Bishop doing with the Christ Enthroned mosaic
presenting a church to Jesus
what church depicts Justinian in mosaics
San Vitale
what is the Byzantine empire
the continuation of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire
Is the start of the Byzantine clear
NO
until when is Roman the strongest and richest state
it gets taken over by Ottoman in 1453
what happens in the later Byzantine
notable shift in how Jesus is protrayed
what is Jesus more focused on in later Byzantine
his role as judge
what Testament of the Bible has a cross on it
the NT
Cruciform halo
represents the trinity
what is a Byzantine style characterized by
abstracted forms
long noses
geometric eyes
wide wyes
heavy eyebrows
simple hair
when did Christians agree that Mary was a Virgin
431 CE
intercessor
someone who forwards your prayers on
who is an example of an intercessor
MARY
Iconography
the way things are usually represented and allow us to identify aspects of the art
(people for example)
what are common aspects of Iconography
figure is central
looking straight at us
sitting while others stand
