Overview

The Christian canon of scripture known as the New Testament excluded many of the church's traditional stories about its origins. These apocrypha included well-known tales such as those of the ox and the ass at the Nativity, the Assumption of the Virgin, and the martyrdoms of St Peter and St Paul. Although not in the Bible, these popular stories have had a powerful influence on the church's traditions and theology, and a particularly marked effect on visual representations of Christian belief. This book provides a lucid introduction to the relationship between the apocryphal texts and the paintings, mosaics, and sculpture in which they are frequently paralleled, and which have been so significant in transmitting these non-Biblical stories to generations of churchgoers. It reveals the enduring power of the Christian apocrypha in both text and art, and displays the artworks themselves in a new light. The volume contains more than 100 plates, and numerous extracts from the apocryphal texts.

Full Product Details

Author:   David R. Cartlidge ,  J. Keith Elliot
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Dimensions:   Width: 17.40cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 24.60cm
Weight:   0.560kg
ISBN:  

9780415233927

ISBN 10:   0415233925
Pages:   304
Publication Date:   06 September 2001
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Reviews

Those interested in the development of Christian art through the centuries will especially appreciate this volume.. <br>-The Bible Today <br> Helpful for both art historians and those in religious studies, it is written for graduate or upper-level undergraduate courses. <br>-Religious Studies Review <br> The joint effort of two specialists in their field has created a book that is not only a pleasure to read but also a pleasure to look at. The publisher has given an excellent design to this volume, up to the point that the perhaps most beautiful of all the pictures in this book is shown on the front cover of the paperback edition: Caravaggio's Rest During the Flight into Egypt, with Mary and the boy Jesus sound asleep, Joseph holding the music and a juvenile angel playing the violin. Hans-Josef Klauck, University of Chicago. <br>

'[This] tough and prodigiously learned, and amply illustrated, [book considers] ... subjects of immediate importance not only to art historians, but also to all concerned with the roots of Christianity.' - Pamela Tudor-Craig, Church Times 'The book forms a highly accessible guide to the main apocryphal sources for Christian iconography ... [it] is very well written, simply structured, and has informative illustrations.' - Andrew Spira, Reviews in Religion and Theology ' ... an important document for all lovers of Christian art.' - Nouvelle Revue Thelogique ' ... it is superbly illustrated with over a 100 plates and has evidently been a labour of love. It is a book which will stimulate and open up new avenues for the student in search of Christian origins.' - Koninklijke Brill NV 'The entire work, by text and illustration, demonstrates the influence of the New Testament apocrypha on art from the third or fourth century down to the sixteenth ...' - The Heythrop Journal

Author Information

David R. Cartlidge is Professor Emeritus of Religion at Maryville College, Tennessee, USA. Keith Elliot is Professor of New Testament Textual Criticism at the University of Leeds, UK.

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