Description
Book SynopsisIn this text, the author refutes the traditional assumption that early Christians were opposed in principle to visual images and thus produced no art. He asserts that once Christians acquired legal status and were able to own property and places of worship, they produced art to decorate them.
Trade ReviewWell-documented scholarly monograph. * Religious Studies Review *
a monograph which is scholarly to an extreme, not only mastering all the primary texts but also surveying with exemplary elegance the conclusions and discussions of more than a hundred years of scholarship in German, French, English and Italian. Indeed, Finney is at his best when unpicking the unwarranted assumptions made by the historiography of the field. * John Elsner, University of London, Ecclesiastical History, Volume 46, No. 4 - Oct 1995 *
Some of the author's best discussions are those to be found within the general framework. He is an authority on early Christian lamps ... Likewise on the vexed question of the San Sebastiano site and its development there is a clear and helpful discussion. The learning displayed throughout is immense, and the organization of such a vast amount of material is achieved without sacrificing the clarity of structure which makes the book easy to read. It integrates the results of recent work in an impressive manner, mostly in the form of notes ... an interesting and informative book. * Mary Charles Murray, Journal of Theological Studies, Vol. 48, No. 1 Apr '97 *
