The cross before Constantine
Subtitle: the early life of a Christian symbol
By: Bruce W. Longenecker
Publisher: Fortress Press
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Minneapolis, MN
Language: eng
Number of pages: 232
ISBN-13: 9781451490305; 9781506400365
Copyright date: 2015
Subjects: Christian art and symbolism; Crosses; Krucifix; Kristen konst och symbolik
Other titles: Early life of a Christian symbol
Description: "Upending a longstanding consensus, Bruce W. Longenecker presents a wide variety of material artifacts to illustrate that Christians made use of the cross as a visual symbol of their faith long before Constantine appropriated it to consolidate his power in the fourth century. Constantine did not invent the cross as a symbol of Christian faith; for an impressive number of Christians before Constantine's reign, the cross served as a visual symbol of commitment to a living deity in a dangerous world."--Back cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-206) and indexes.
Table of contents: title: The cross in its place; title: The cross and non-Christian society; title: The cross in a Jewish cradle; title: The cross in textual images; title: The cross in the material record; title: The cross in a Pompeii bakery; title: The cross in the literary record; title: The cross and its advocates; title: A very short conclusion.