Visual symbols of Christianity are the topic of this research. An analysis of the function, form, and meaning of a selected group of visual symbols was conducted for three periods of Christian history: Early, Medieval and Contemporary The hypothesis being tested is that the meanings and forms of the symbols have remained relatively unchanged through time, while the function of visual symbols during each of. these periods was determined by the cultural milieu. The data was collected from three sources: (1) the archaeological record for the Early period; (2) existing documentary records for the Medieval period, and (3) from interviews with contemporary clergy.This study has clearly demonstrated that through time the cultural milieu has determined the function of the symbols and the position of the church in society, but it has had little or no affect on their form and meaning. It has also demonstrated that the previous cultural milieu affects the coming cultural milieu.

In the Western tradition and beyond, there is a long history of art that has sought to describe and present Jesus of Nazareth from a historical and documentary perspective. The challenge I endeavor is to express the coexistence of the seen and unseen world in the present.As a Christian and an artist this project is an effort to see a marriage between my creative process and my spiritual ethos. My hope in this project is to engage a diverse audience and challenge its perspectives on the merging of faith and art. / Department of Art

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 420-451).

Thesis--Berlin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1987. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 420-451).

Bibliography: leaves 289-313. A study which takes as its focus five gemstones, each engraved with an image of the Crucifixion and previously dated to the Late Antique period. The study undertakes an examination of the gems' iconographic as well as compositional, physical and epigraphic evidence, and demonstrates the way in which critical information regarding the evolution of the Crucifixion image in Late Antiquity has been seriously obstructed in previous studies through the dismissal, misapplication and misinterpretation of the gems. Focusing on iconography, it presents a revised chronology for the gems, suggesting that only three are Late Antique, the fourth being early Byzantine.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Religion)--Vanderbilt University, Dec. 2008. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Vanderbilt University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 283-302). Also available on the Internet.

Bibliography: leaves 289-313. / v, 316 leaves., 17 p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / A study which takes as its focus five gemstones, each engraved with an image of the Crucifixion and previously dated to the Late Antique period. The study undertakes an examination of the gems' iconographic as well as compositional, physical and epigraphic evidence, and demonstrates the way in which critical information regarding the evolution of the Crucifixion image in Late Antiquity has been seriously obstructed in previous studies through the dismissal, misapplication and misinterpretation of the gems. Focusing on iconography, it presents a revised chronology for the gems, suggesting that only three are Late Antique, the fourth being early Byzantine. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Centre for European Studies and General Linguistics, 2001

Diss. : Philos. : Tübingen : 1982.