Deck 7: Jewish and Early Christian Art

Question 1

The youthful, beardless Jesus, depicted in the Catacomb of Commodilla, holds a book to emphasize his role as______.

A) King of Heaven
B) a teacher
C) the son of God
D) a judge

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which architectural element, sometimes seen in Early Christian longitudinal churches, did NOT derive from the Roman basilica?

A) the apse
B) the nave
C) the transept
D) the atrium

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Images of putti figures harvesting grapes in the Church of Santa Costanza refer to __________________.

A) the ritual of the Eucharist
B) the pagan cult of Bacchus
C) the death and resurrection of Christ
D) all of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Orant figures are associated with which religious group?

A) Christians
B) Jews
C) Pagans
D) All of the above

Question 5

What image does NOT appear on the mosaic floor found at the Beth Alpha Synagogue?

A) signs of the zodiac
B) a Torah shrine
C) a menorah
D) orant figures

Question 6

The Christian Good Shepherd image draws on pagan images of all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Apollo
B) Hermes
C) Orpheus
D) Herekles

Question 7

Like the Romans, early Christians first used central-plan buildings as _________.

A) libraries
B) tombs
C) baths
D) gathering places

Question 8

Most examples of Early Christian sculpture created before the fourth century are ____________.

A) large free standing figures
B) sarcophagi and small statues
C) found in places of worship
D) portable diptychs used for private devotion

Question 9

The first synagogue at Dura Europos was located in a(n) __________

A) temple with two bronze pillars
B) underground chamber
C) structure similar to a Roman basilica
D) house

Question 10

Most of the earliest surviving examples of Jewish art date from the __________period(s).

A) Neo-Babylonian
B) Hellenistic and Roman
C) Minoan and Mycenaen
D) Achaemenid Persian

Question 11

The followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all __________, which means that the followers believe that only one god created and rules the universe.

A) polytheistic
B) monotheistic
C) post theistic
D) unitheistic

Question 12

The Jewish law prohibiting the worship of idols made the production of ___________most suspect.

A) narrative subjects
B) symbolic imagery
C) sculpture in the round
D) all of the above

Question 13

Discoveries at Dura-Europos in the 1930s contradicted what long-held scholarly belief?

A) Early Christians did not decorate their places of worship.
B) Jews of this period did not create any sort of figural art.
C) Early Christian congregations were never more than 20-25 people for fear of discovery
D) All of the above.

Question 14

Why were central-plan structures used for baptisteries, as well as for martyr's churches and tombs?

A) Christians "died" in baptism and were reborn as believers.
B) The rotunda was logistically well-suited for the ritual of baptism.
C) There was no need for congregational space.
D) Early Christians adhered to existing Roman burial practices.

Question 15

The small rooms in catacombs, _______________, were frequently plastered and painted

A) cubicula
B) loculi
C) lunettes
D) ceilings

Question 16

The two parts of the Christian Bible are the __________ and the __________.

A) Old Testament; New Testament
B) Apocryphal; Old Testament
C) New Testament; Apocryphal
D) Torah; Old Testament

Question 17

Early Christians often employed stories from _______________ as prefigurations of important events in the Christian Bible.

A) Greek mythology
B) Roman history
C) the Hebrew Bible
D) the Ancient Near East

Question 18

What is the significance of the contrast between the plain exterior of the Oratory of Galla Placidia and its highly decorated interior?

A) It reflects the economic needs to limit the decorative programs of churches.
B) It symbolizes the transition from the real world into a supernatural realm.
C) It is the result of later generations stripping the original decoration from the exterior.
D) It symbolizes Christianity's development from humble origins to a great religion.

Question 19

The Eucharist is an elaborate ceremony in Christian worship involving the ritual consumption of bread and wine, identified as the _______________of Christ.

A) heart and soul
B) mind and spirit
C) body and blood
D) food and drink

Question 20

What specific aspect of Christian practice helped determine the architectural design of early churches?

A) ritual secrecy in performing the Mass
B) fear of persecution
C) congregational worship
D) a hierarchy of clergy with distinct ceremonial roles

Question 21

An example of ___________in art is the Good Shepherd, a Christian symbol that was based on pagan images of Apollo, Hermes, Orpheus, or the personification of philanthropy.

A) prefiguration
B) symbolism
C) syncretism
D) typological parallel

Question 22

The daughter of the Roman emperor Theodosius I, ________________, ruled the western part of the Roman Empire as regent for her son.

A) Helena
B) Galla Placidia
C) Constantia
D) Beta Alpha

Question 23

Any large room where Torah scrolls are kept and read publicly can function as a ___________.

A) synagogue
B) house-church
C) basilica
D) martyrium

Question 24

Jews and Christians used ___________for burials and funerary ceremonies, not as places of worship.

A) basilicas
B) martyria
C) catacombs
D) synagogues

Question 25

The peacocks on the Sarcophagus of Constantina symbolize __________.

A) Bacchus
B) religious freedom
C) eternal life in paradise
D) the Eucharist

Question 26

In contrast to earlier images of the good shepherd, Christ _______________ in the Oratory of Galla Placidia.

A) appears as an adult emperor
B) is clothed in a humble tunic
C) commands the disciples to follow him
D) is surrounded by a mandorla of light

Question 27

Both the figures and the backdrop of the mosaics in the rotunda of St. George possess ______________ features.

A) tetrarchic
B) highly abstract
C) classical
D) pagan

Question 28

The Greek city of ____________ was the capital of the Roman east under Galerius.

A) Thessaloniki
B) Ravenna
C) Constantinople
D) Athens

Question 29

The mosaics in the rotunda of St. George in Thessaloniki depict

A) gods and goddesses
B) Jonah and the Whale
C) Christ as the Good Shepherd
D) standing saints

Question 30

In the Oratory of Galla Placidia, the ____________ symbolize eternal life.

A) bookcases
B) doves flanking a fountain
C) floral designs
D) geometric patterns

Question 31

The ____________, which provided space for the clergy and pilgrims, was an innovative feature of St. Peter's.

A) aisles
B) apse
C) nave
D) transept

Question 32

In the central scene of the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, Christ appears as _____________.

A) a miracle worker
B) Roman emperor distributing legal authority
C) an Old Testament prophet
D) the sun god Helios

Question 33

Christian art includes ________ images that act as tangible signs of intangible concepts, and ___________ images that recount a specific event.

A) symbolic; narrative
B) allegorical; metaphorical
C) symbolic; iconic
D) iconic; narrative

Question 34

The blind wall between the nave arcade and the clerestory in Early Christian churches was typically decorated with paintings or __________of biblical scenes.

A) mosaics
B) stained glass
C) reliefs
D) stucco

Question 35

Along with Judaism and Christianity, __________ is the other world religion that was born in the Near East and dominates today's Western world.

A) Taoism
B) Islam
C) Mithraism
D) Mythology

Question 36

_________________ was a Roman official who commissioned an elaborate sarcophagus.

A) Junius Bassus
B) Augustine
C) Galerius
D) Dionysos

Question 37

The image of Christ in the Cubiculum of Leonis is iconic because _______________.

A) it is located in a catacomb
B) Christ appears as the good shepherd
C) he performs miracles
D) it symbolizes an idea

Question 38

The Roman basilica provided the basic design for Christian ________-plan churches.

A) central
B) longitudinal
C) domed
D) mausoleum

Question 39

Examples of Christian sculpture before the fourth century include all of the following EXCEPT ____________.

A) sarcophagi
B) small statues
C) reliefs
D) large-scale figures

Question 40

The church of ___________ in Thessaloniki was initially a tomb for Galerius.

A) Santa Costanza
B) St. George
C) Santa Sabina
D) St. Peter's

Question 41

What were the architectural elements of the basilica plan and the central church plan?

Question 42

Trace the development of Early Christian architecture from its origins in pagan structures.

Question 43

How does Santa Costanza represent a tholos?

Question 44

What is the origin of the Jewish people?

Question 45

What was the purpose of Baptism?

Question 46

What was the use of the catacombs?

Question 47

What is the history of the First and Second Temple in Jerusalem?

Question 48

What are the basic meanings of the Christian symbols of the dove, fish, and lamb?

Question 49

Geographically and administratively, how was the early church organized?

Question 50

What are at least two types of synagogue designs?

Question 51

How is the Bible organized?

Question 52

What are the basic beliefs of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims?

Question 53

What scenes are shown on the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus ?
Essay

Question 54

Discuss the iconographic motifs that developed during the Early Christian period for representing events from the Life of Christ.

Question 55

What scenes are portrayed in the mosaics of Galla Placidia ?

Question 56

What was the purpose of the Edict of Milan?

Question 57

Where do Jews gather for study and worship?

Question 58

What are the different types of Christian art in existence from the time prior to Constantine?