Art Crystal

Questions on religious art and architecture?

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Early Christian art and architecture, works of art exhibiting Christian themes and structures designed for Christian worship created relatively soon after the death of Jesus. Most date from the 4th to the 6th cent. A.D. See also Christian iconography under iconography.

Earliest Works

Little is known about Christian art in the first two centuries after the death of Jesus. Among the earliest manifestations extant are the early 3d-century paintings on the walls of the catacombs in Rome. Whereas the style resembles that of secular Roman wall painting, the subject matter consists mainly of biblical figures. Jonah, Daniel, and Susanna appear in scenes of miracles through divine intervention. Among the motifs that symbolized the hope of resurrection and immortality are the fish and the peacock. Following the official recognition of Christianity after the Edict of Toleration (313), the scope of Early Christian art was radically enlarged.

Mosaics and Manuscript Illumination

Elaborate mosaic narrative cycles covered the upper walls, triumphal arch, and apse of basilican churches (see basilica. Some are preserved in Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Pudenziana in Rome and Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna. The use of gold backgrounds heightens the effect of otherworldliness and transcendence. In contrast to paganism, the Christian faith was bound by the authority of sacred writings, and it placed increasing importance on the production of books and their illumination. Some fragments of the biblical text, written in silver and gold on purple vellum and sumptuously illuminated, are still preserved (see illumination). Foremost of these is the Vienna Genesis, a manuscript of the first half of the 6th cent.

Sculpture

The sculpture of the stone sarcophagus was extensively practiced in Roman art and was continued into the Christian era. In some cases subjects similar to those of the catacombs were used. In others, scenes of the life of Jesus or more ceremonious compositions were created, showing the enthroned Christ receiving the homage of the apostles. In addition, ivory carvers decorated book covers and reliquary caskets or larger objects, such as the throne of Maximianus in Ravenna, a work of the 6th cent.

Architecture

Before the legal recognition of the new faith in the early 4th cent., Christian places of worship were of necessity inconspicuous and had no fixed architectural form. Afterward, however, imposing cult edifices were erected in many parts of the Roman Empire, especially in its major cities, Rome, Constantinople, Milan, Antioch, and Ravenna. Early Christian builders adapted structures that had long been used in the Hellenistic and Roman worlds. The basilican hall, consisting of a nave flanked by lower aisles and terminated by an apse, was adopted as the standard structure in Christian congregational worship. Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna and Santa Sabina in Rome still survive as largely unaltered examples of this type.

In Early Christian architecture a distinct emphasis was placed on the centralized plan, which was of round, polygonal, or cruciform shape. Baptisteries and memorial shrines (martyria) were based on the traditionally centralized Roman funerary monument. Martyria were erected on sites connected with certain events in the life of Jesus and other places held to be sanctified by the sacrifice of the martyrs. In such buildings as Saint Peter’s in Rome and the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the martyrium structure and basilica were combined, creating a new formal synthesis of great significance for the religious architecture of the medieval period.

Eastern Traditions

A distinct type of Christian art and architecture was evolved in Egypt (see Coptic art). In the eastern part of the Roman Empire the development of the Early Christian tradition was continued under the auspices of the Byzantine emperors (see Byzantine art and architecture).

Bibliography

See R. Krautheimer, Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture (1965); J. Beckwith, Early Christian and Byzantine Art (1970).

Christian art is art produced in an attempt to illustrate, supplement and portray in tangible form the principles of Christianity, though other definitions are possible. Most Christian groups use or have used art to some extent, although some have had strong objections to some forms of religious image, and there have been major periods of iconoclasm within Christianity. Images of Jesus and narrative scenes from the Life of Christ are the commonest subjects, and scenes from the Old Testament play a part in the art of most denominations. Images of the Virgin Mary and saints are much rarer in Protestant art than that of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

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Past Life

Past Life Experiences

Such as people can use guided visualization, meditation and past life regression the psychological feelings of existence in the earlier period with a different personality and body are called past life experiences. There are many ways to experience the past life techniques. Even, a psychological expert’s session is effective in visualizing past life experiences.

Past life experiences are an ideal way for people to find what kind of people they were in the past, and help to know what all mistakes they did in those days and to rectify those in the present life.

As experiences indicating past lives are not as odd as they are thought to be. Often individuals who have past life experiences do not wish to share them with others for many reasons, for instance, due to fear of guilt or reluctant to share personal matters. Past life experiences represent problems in numerous ways.

Recover Past life Experiences:

For people who believe in reincarnation may recover some of their past life experiences by different methods such as:

1. Reading books on the subject of reincarnation and life experiences, since this develops better understanding and techniques to experience the past life experience.

1. Visit a local psychiatrist, who may help to experience past lives. Ask other people, who have experienced their past lives by taking help of such professionals.

1. Find an approved facilitator, who is indulged in holotropic breath work. This breathing technique helps to regain some of the past life experiences. Do thorough research on this topic to decide, if this approach is comfortable and affordable to you or not.

1. Learn the techniques of meditation and become a pro in it. If possible, discuss with professional people involved in various meditation techniques and ask them how to experience past lives with effective meditation.

1. Maintain a dream diary to record it. Often, analyzing dreams also helps to provide some practical information on past lives.

1. Hypnotherapy is also a good option to experience past lives.

Overview:

However, try only those approaches, which are easy to perceive past life experiences. If necessary, consult a psychologist to rectify mental troubles. People can even undergo past life regression therapy to get to know and experience their past lives. Many people have benefited from this unique approach to perceive past life experiences.

Unless people make an effort to experience their past lives, they may never get to know who were they and what achievements they have made during their past lives.

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Reincarnation- past life evidence (P 1)

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