The church in the catacombs : a description of the primitive church of Rome : illustrated by its sepulchral remains . The miracles wrought by our Saviour werealways a standard subject for sculpture: a suite ofthem was generally placed on one side of everylarge sarcophagus. Among them may be particu-larised the resurrection of Lazarus, the multipli-cation of the loaves and fishes, the restoration ofsight to the blind, and the cure of the the resurrection of Lazarus, here copied from amarble sarcophagus deposited in the Vatican li-brary, the usual arrangement is observed. THE ORIGIN
The church in the catacombs : a description of the primitive church of Rome : illustrated by its sepulchral remains . The miracles wrought by our Saviour werealways a standard subject for sculpture: a suite ofthem was generally placed on one side of everylarge sarcophagus. Among them may be particu-larised the resurrection of Lazarus, the multipli-cation of the loaves and fishes, the restoration ofsight to the blind, and the cure of the the resurrection of Lazarus, here copied from amarble sarcophagus deposited in the Vatican li-brary, the usual arrangement is observed. THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIAN ART. 259. The temple-shaped tomb is hung with garlands, inthe manner of a Roman sepulchre, and altogetherunlike the gospel description of a cave and mummy of Lazarus, and the reduced figure ofhis sister Mary, are repeated in innumerable forms,many of which would be unintelligible withoutthe aid of comparison. In all the pictures and sculptures of our Lordshistory, no reference is ever found to his sufferingsor death: an apparent exception is met with in thebas-relief representing Pilate washing his hands ;but a moments reflection will explain the sculptors s 2 260 THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIAN ART. motive for choosing that subject. The Christians,never forgetting the crime of treason originally im-puted to them, were anxious to clear themselves ofthe charge; and employed their best eloquence toprove that, by daily praying for their Emperor,they were rendering him greater service than theheathen possibly could. Every acquittal of aChristian by his judge was triumphantly adducedin their own j
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade, booksubjectchristianartandsymbolism
