Faith Resources and More

Last evening I began a new book… one that I was particularly excited to start. Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of this World for Crucifixion and Empire by Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker (c2008, Beacon Press) is a hefty tome, but from it’s prologue, I can see this is a promising read. The authors employ the imagery of early Christianity to reevaluate the understanding of paradise that we have inherited.

I will more thoroughly review the book at a future date but briefly here I would like to highlight an example of an early Christian theme rarely seen today. Catacomb and sarcophagus artists of this early period loved the story of the Three Hebrews. Thomas Mathews, in his book The Clash of Gods: A Reinterpretation of Early Christian Art (c1993, Princeton University Press), provides several excellent examples and a more thorough explanation than I can give here. Briefly, the story of the Three Hebrews from the book of Daniel (Daniel 3:1-18) became a bridge story, relating the Hebrew scriptures to the Gospels. These three young men in their distinctive Persian attire are seen rejecting the worship of an idol of King Nebuccadnezzar (portrayed as a Roman emperor) , for which they were sentenced to perish in the fiery furnace. God saved them and their survival was understood by the Christians to prefigure Christ’s resurrection. Even more startling, these images are paired with imagery of the adoration of the Magi, who are identified as the same three young men who endured the fiery furnace. (Sarcophagus lid relief, at left above, depicting the 3 Hebrews rejecting the idol & in the broken portion of the lid on the right the same 3 men taking their gifts to the baby Jesus.)  I invite you to explore these ancient images and discover all the nuances of meaning in their visual storytelling.