Monuments of the early church . figures are only a remnant of a larger composition, which wasoriginally painted between them, and is now destroyed. Therecan be no doubt that it represented the Eucharistic banquetunder one or another of the forms which we have alreadystudied. But how complete is the symbolism of these two ter- PAINTING — The Eucharistic Banquet 231 minal figures alone! Beside each fish is placed a basket fullof bread, and through the wicker work of the basket one candetect by its red color a glass of wine. The baskets, like thefish, were an abbreviation of the miraculous feedin
Monuments of the early church . figures are only a remnant of a larger composition, which wasoriginally painted between them, and is now destroyed. Therecan be no doubt that it represented the Eucharistic banquetunder one or another of the forms which we have alreadystudied. But how complete is the symbolism of these two ter- PAINTING — The Eucharistic Banquet 231 minal figures alone! Beside each fish is placed a basket fullof bread, and through the wicker work of the basket one candetect by its red color a glass of wine. The baskets, like thefish, were an abbreviation of the miraculous feeding of themultitude, but the wine was added expressly with reference tothe Eucharist. It is known that glass chalices were in use;it may be that the basket too had not merely a symbolical sug-gestion. It seems as if Jerome were commenting on thispicture when, mentioning the meanest utensils which could beused for the Eucharist, he says: jSTo one is so rich as he whocarries the body of Christ in a wicker basket, and his blood in. catacomb of Callistus. It symbolizes the Eucharist, representing two fish, -svlth basketsand a glass of mne. a cup of glass. The symbolism of the fish comes to clearerexpression in this picture : the fish is Christ, it is he who offersthis food, and the food he offers is himself. This picture andthe Fractio Panis are the earliest monuments in which the fishoccurs. We have not far to seek for the association of ideas whichmade these symbols of the Eucharist so popular in Christiancemeteries. Christ himself said, He that eatetli my flesh anddrinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up atthe last day. Eternal life and the Eucharist are two ideaswhich for the Church are inseparable. In the short liturgy inthe Teaching of the Twelve Apostles the Eucharist is expressly 232 PICTORIAL AliT regarded as the nourisliment for eternal life, and this idea isoften associated with it in early Christian literature. S. Igna-tius calls the Eucharist the me
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectchristi, bookyear1901
