The Adoration of the Magi: Images from Two Sarcophagi, Rome Above is section of a early Christian sarcophagus originally located in the catacombs of Rome and now in the Pio Christiano section of the Vatican Museums. It depicts the Magi bearing gifts for the Christ-child. They wear what the Romans...
Mosaic with Christ, Vatican Necropolis, Rome, 3rd century A splendid mosaic found in a mausoleum near the burial place of St. Peter. It shows Christians adapting pagan imagery and mythology to convey the mystery of Christ. In its pagan form, this is an image of the sun god, Helios. The...
Christ in Majesty from St. Sernin in Toulouse, c. 1096 This image of Christ in Majesty, beautifully wrought in stone, shows us the mystery of Christ’s present existence: the heavens, framed by the mandorla, have been opened to allow us to see Christ in his heavenly glory. His right hand emerges...
Who'd be a king? Invested with so much, placed so high - and yet always, in the end, divested, miniaturized, even done away with altogether. Kings begin well - too well - but are forever ending badly. There is at first such abundance, such potency - origins and authority and charisma...
Perhaps the most intriguing and suggestive of all the details surrounding St John the Baptist is the one which tells us of what was among his very first experiences: the leap in utero which the presence of Christ drew forth from him. How should we characterize that leap? We should...