Understanding Early Christian Art (Understanding the Ancient World) - Softcover

"[M]anageable and accessible..."Understanding Early Christian Art is the obvious choice of a textbook in early Christian art and is ideal as supplementary reading for courses in early Christian history.." -"Journal of Early Christian Studies, March 2002 ""Understanding Early Christian Art is the best available book on the subject. Jensen's ability to 'touch every base' is commendable and remarkable.." -"Currents in Theology and Mission, February 2002 ""Understanding Early Christian Art is an excellent place to start in rediscovering the rich use of symbol by the early Christian church. [Jensen] not only introduces the reader to numerous extant art objects of the early church, but also masterfully guides the reader through an informative and rich analysis of the various interpretive traditions within art history of early Christian art.This book offers the reader a helpful and intriguing study of early Christian art. It will be of interest to church historians, archeaologists, and those who are interested in the interaction of Christian faith and the arts." -Steve W. Lemke, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary "The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, November 2002 ..."she presents all the issues in an unbiased manner snd reveals an up-to-date knowledge of theology, history, art history, and scriptoral studies. It is a masterful feat. The book belongs on the shelf of every seminarian and student of theology." -"Theological Studies "Jensen discusses... questions and others in an orderly, careful, and clear manner... Jensen is careful to give all plausible scholarly opinions an honest hearing but is not afraid to express her own judgement." -LawrenceS. Cunningham, "Commonweal

Understanding Early Christian Art is designed for students of both religion and of art history. It makes the critical tools of art historians accessible to students of religion, to help them understand better the visual representations of Christianity. It will also aid art historians in comprehending the complex theology, history and context of Christian art. This interdisciplinary and boundary-breaking approach will enable students in several fields to further their understanding and knowledge of the art of the early Christian era. Understanding Early Christian Art contains over fifty images with parallel text.