Sacred and legendary art, volume 1 (of 2): Containing legends of the angels and archangels, the evangelists, the Apostles, the doctors of the church, and St. Mary magdalene, as represented in the fine arts.Jameson, Mrs. (Anna)
Religion
Sacred and legendary art, volume 1 (of 2): Containing legends of the angels and archangels, the evangelists, the Apostles, the doctors of the church, and St. Mary magdalene, as represented in the fine arts.
Jameson, Mrs. (Anna)
Christian art and symbolism; Christian saints in art
In St. Peter’s at Rome, we have of course every scene from the life of
the apostle which could well be expressed by Art; but none of these are
of great merit or interest: most of them are from the schools of the
seventeenth century.
* * * * *
ST. PAUL, though called to the apostleship after the ascension of the
Saviour, takes rank next to St. Peter as one of the chief witnesses of
the Christian faith. Of all the apostles he is the most interesting;
the one of whose personal character and history we know most, and
through the most direct and irrefragable testimony. The events of his
life, as conveyed in the Acts and the Epistles, are so well known, that
I need not here particularise them. The legends connected with him are
very few.
* * * * *
The earliest single figure of St. Paul to which I can refer was found
painted on the walls of the cemetery of Priscilla, near Rome.[196] He
stands, with outstretched arms, in the act of prayer; (in the early
ages of Christianity the act of supplication was expressed in the
classical manner, that is, not with folded hands, but with the arms
extended;) he has the nimbus; his dress is that of a traveller, the
tunic and pallium being short, and his feet sandalled, perhaps to
indicate his many and celebrated travels; perhaps, also, it represents
Paul praying for his flock before he departed from Macedon to return
to Jerusalem (Acts xx.): over this ancient figure, which, though ill
drawn, is quite classical in sentiment and costume, is inscribed
PAULUS. PASTOR. APOSTOLOS; on his right hand stands the Good Shepherd,
in reference to the title of PASTOR, inscribed over his effigy. Another
figure of St. Paul, which appears to be of later date, but anterior to
the fifth century, was found in the catacombs at Naples: in this effigy
he wears the dress of a Greek philosopher; the style in which the
drapery is worn recalls the time of Hadrian: he has no nimbus, nor is
the head bald; he has sandals on his feet: over his head is inscribed
his name, PAULUS; near him is a smaller figure similarly draped, who
offers him fruit and flowers in a vase; probably the personage who was
entombed on the spot.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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