Activity 1

As you know, the four gospels and other books of the New Testament were combined with the Old Testament books to form the Christian Bible. Collectively, these books became known as the Canon-the texts accepted by the church that contained the genuine foundation of its doctrine. The Gospel of John, of course, is one of these canonical texts; the most recent of the four, it is the one that clearly displays the influence of Greco-Roman philosophy. Read the following excerpt from the Gospel of John. As you do, notice how God, the act of divine creation, and Jesus are presented in terms of the Stoic concept of the Logos. When formulating the Canon, church authorities rejected a large body of texts that dealt with Jesus and various Christian themes. Some of these are anonymous, while others were allegedly written by Jesus' followers. For example, take a look at this passage from the Gospel of Thomas, supposedly composed by the Apostle who became known as "Doubting Thomas." Now read an excerpt from the Gospel According to Mary. Finally, read the anonymous early Christian poem, Thunder Perfect Mind. How do this poem and the gospels of Mary and Thomas differ in their language and tone from the Gospel of John? How do non-canonical texts present God, Jesus and/or the experience of Christian spirituality; how do those representations of God, Jesus, and spiritual experience differ from those you can detect in the Gospel of John? Why do you think the early church rejected these writings from the canonical Bible?

Activity 2

Before Christianity achieved the status of an established church, it had developed a distinctive artistic tradition. This tradition formed the basis of the sacred art of the early church. Take a few moments to compare some examples of early Christian art with some examples of earlier Greco-Roman art. First, consider the Hellenistic mosaic depicting Battle of Issus, during which Alexander the Great defeated the Persian emperor Darius. Now compare with it an early Christian mosaic from the Baptistery of the Arians. Next, compare this relief sculpture from the Ara Pacis Augustae, representing a religious ceremony led by the emperor Augustus, with a similar sculpture from the early Christian Good Shepherd Sarcophagus. Finally, compare the classical Greek Grave Stele of a Little Girl with this early Christian image of the Archangel Michael. How do the early Christian pieces resemble and differ from their earlier Greco-Roman counterparts? How is the human body and the space it occupies represented in the Greco-Roman artifacts? How are those represented in the early Christian pieces? How do the Greco-Roman pieces exemplify the Greek tradition of rational representation? How do the early Christian pieces exemplify the Christian world-view that came to dominate the Roman Empire?