道成肉身的上帝：論早期基督教藝術的起源、發展及影響

The Origin, Development and Influence of Christian Art from The Perspective of Early Christian Murals and Catacombs Art

李曉曼(Liz Lee)

《華神期刊》 13期 (2022/12) Pp. 36-63

並列摘要

This article focuses on the origins and development of Christian art, analyzing its Jewish roots through archaeological data as well as, the reason why it has gained a foothold and has even developed in the process of intermingling with the Greco-Roman culture of the pagan world. In short, the reason is based on the "Incarnate" Jesus. God became the image of Jesus Christ through the incarnation and revealed Himself in human history. This physical image that is within reach is the only "image" of God and is therefore the true "image" of religious art. Because of this, the incarnate Jesus has become an object depicted by artists of the past generations in history. This depiction is not a simple imitation of an existence by art creators, but a kind of artistic creation that reflects reality. It is not meant to create a "fictional Jesus" but to manifest God as reality. Images or sculptures are never real, they are just a way to point to the only real "Christ". The mission of art is to show the "truth". "The Word incarnate" is a wonderful example of this mission, and it is also God's divine light on art. When Christian art has grasped the mystery and is truly on the path to the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty, its charm does not only attract believers to recognize their community throughout the ages. At the same time, when it achieves a manifestation of reality, it has already assumed the mission of "reality" and is thus a critique of the "unreality", "unkindness" and "unbeautifulness" of pagan culture. The word Incarnation, as the ontology of early Christian Art, as well as today's, has never changed.