Symbols, Icons, Liturgy: Eschatology in the early Christian Art

Abstract

I will demonstrate that in the understanding of the early Church, expressed through artistic symbols and images and complemented by liturgy, eschatology should not be placed at the end of history, as the finale of divine revelation and human fulfilment, but at the core of personal and historical drama.Although the NewTestament writers and other second century Christian authors expressed their eschatological vision in writing, there is a striking lack of both Christian imagery as well as relevant literary material about ecclesiastical utilisation of this imagery, from the first two centuries of the Christian era.Therefore, this investigation focuses on the period from the third to the sixth centuries with regard to both the Christian imagery and the textual material which might serve as the dogmatic basis for this imagery