Deck 7: Jewish and Early Christian Art

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In the Catacomb of Commodilla, Jesus is depicted as

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

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What did Early Christians often employ as prefigurations of important events in the Christian Bible?

A) stories from Greek mythology
B) accounts from Roman history
C) episodes from the Hebrew Bible
D) tales from the Ancient Near East

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The Good Shepherd, a Christian symbol that was based on pagan images of Apollo, Hermes, and Orpheus, is considered an example of

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

Question 5

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

A) synagogue.
B) church.
C) basilica.
D) martyrium.

Question 6

Which two words are typically used to describe Christian art?

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

Question 7

Which term describes the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam that believe that only one god created and rules the universe?

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

Question 8

From which period do most of the earliest surviving examples of Jewish art date?

A) Neo-Babylonian and Egyptian
B) Hellenistic and Roman
C) Minoan and Mycenaean
D) Persian and Greek

Question 9

The first synagogue at Dura Europos was located in a

A) temple.
B) catacomb.
C) basilica.
D) house.

Question 10

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 to 25 people for fear of discovery
D) Jews of this period used purely original iconography.

Question 11

The Eucharist is an elaborate ceremony in Christian worship involving the ritual consumption of bread and wine, which are identified as Christ's

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

Question 12

What is the significance of the contrast between the plain exterior of the Oratory of Galla Placidia (Figs. 7-19, 7-20, and 7-21) 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 13

Which scene from the life of Jesus shows the archangel Gabriel informing the Virgin Mary that God has chosen her to bear his Son?

A) Visitation
B) Annunciation
C) Nativity
D) Baptism

Question 14

What was considered suspect because Jewish law prohibited the worship of idols?

A) narrative subjects
B) symbolic imagery
C) sculpture in the round
D) abstract forms

Question 15

What did Jews and Christians use for burials and funerary ceremonies, not as places of worship?

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

Question 16

The wall between the nave arcade and the clerestory in Early Christian churches was typically decorated with

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

Question 17

Why were central-plan structures used for baptisteries, as well as for martyrs' 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 18

What features do both the figures and the backdrop of the mosaics in the rotunda of St. George possess?

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

Question 19

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 20

The small rooms in catacombs that were frequently plastered and painted were called

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

Question 21

Compare and contrast the decorative characteristics of the interiors and exteriors of Early Christian churches, such as the Church of Santa Sabina, Rome, and Galla Placidia, Ravenna.

Question 22

What innovative feature of St. Peter's provided space for the clergy and pilgrims?

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

Question 23

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

Question 24

What scenes are portrayed in the Mosaic Floor of the Beth Alpha Synagogue (Fig. 7-5)?

Question 25

Describe the form, perspective, and composition of The Good Shepherd (Fig. 7-21).

Question 26

How does Santa Costanza represent a tholos?

Question 27

What symbolizes eternal life in the Oratory of Galla Placidia?

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

Question 28

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

Question 29

The peacocks on the Sarcophagus of Constantina symbolize

A) Bacchian ritual.
B) religious freedom.
C) eternal life in paradise.
D) the Eucharist.

Question 30

What is the origin of the Jewish people?

Question 31

Geographically and administratively, how was the early church organized?

Question 32

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

A) it is located in a catacomb.
B) he appears as the Good Shepherd.
C) he performs miracles.
D) it symbolizes an idea.

Question 33

What was the purpose of the Edict of Milan?

Question 34

How do Classical themes and symbols continue to be incorporated into Christian art and architecture?

Question 35

What are at least two types of synagogue designs?

Question 36

Which 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 37

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

Question 38

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

Question 39

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

Question 40

What was the purpose of baptism?