God, Cosmos, and Humankind: The World of Early Christian Symbolism.

Einband berieben und mit leichten Randl�ren, Bleistiftanmerkung auf Vorsatz, sonst sehr gut und sauber / binding rubbed and with light edge wear, pencil annotation on endpaper, otherwise very good and clean. - God, Cosmos, and Humankind, a work of remarkable scholarship and great conceptual range, is the crowning achievement of one of the world�s preeminent authorities on medieval history and religion. As a benchmark study of symbolism during the first five hundred years of Christianity, Gerhart Ladner's bold synthesis of art history, social and intellectual history, and the history of religion is unlikely to be surpassed. The early Christians, as Ladner shows, lived in a world where everything was seen to be both real and representative of something else � mainly of the divinity. Drawing on a wealth of primary materials, including the works of PseudoDionysius the Areopagite, who was believed to be a disciple of the apostle Paul, and the mystical zoologist Physiologus, Ladner interprets for a modern audience the myriad symbols used in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. In doing so, he provides an essential key not only to the art but to the entire thought-world of the period. In three broad categories�the symbolism of theology, of the cosmos, and of humankind � the author maps the complete system of symbols by which the early Christians conceived of and gave order to their existence. We learn, for instance, that the sun was a primary symbol for God, that fire and water could mean both life and death, and that the mathematical symbolism of Martianus Capella was different from that of Pope Gregory the Great. Throughout, Ladner illustrates his discussion with references to late antique and early medieval art, an astonishing representation of which is interspersed with the text. / CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART I. THEOLOGICAL SYMBOLISM 1. The Incarnation 2. The Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ 3. The Holy Spirit and the Trinity 4. Mary�Virgin and Mother of God 3. Eschatology According to the New Testament and the Sibylline Oracles The kingdom of Heaven and the Second Coming of Christ The resurrection of the bodies, the Last Judgment, and Christ as king and priest Matthew 24-23 The Revelation of John The Christian Sibyls Jesus Christ as king and priest PART II. COSMOLOGICAL SYMBOLISM 6. Creation Symbolism from the Book of Genesis to Augustine The biblical story of creation The first creation account The second creation account The Fall and its consequences, the serpent The Gnostic worldview The creation symbolism of the Church Fathers Irenaeus of Lyon Clement and Origen Basil and Ambrose Augustine 7. Symbolism of the Divine Unity and of the Hierarchies in Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite 8. Symbolism of the Cosmos and of Numbers The cosmic cross Symbolism of the quadrivium: From Plato to Macrobius, Martianus Capella, and Gregory the Great Cosmas the Indian Navigator (Indicopleustes) Geometric and arithmetic symbolism, in Boethius in particular 9. Late-Antique and Early-Christian Nature-Symbolism and Natural Science General remarks Medicinal and magical botany: Dioscorides and the Cyranides Mystical zoology: The Physiologus Sacred mineralogy: Precious stones and metals Other nature-symbols of biblical and classical provenance The symbolism of nature located between God and humankind The seasons and the months, solar and lunar cycles Shepherd symbolism and the symbolism of the lamb Paradise and garden symbolism Wine symbolism Bread symbolism The symbolism of the fisher of men and of the fish The symbolism of the wilderness PART III. ANTHROPOLOGICAL SYMBOLISM: SYMBOLS OF AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE INDIVIDUAL 10. The Symbolism of the New Man in the Gospels The parables of Christ, the genealogy and name of Christ, the precursor John the Baptist The Sermon on the Mount and the kingdom of Heaven The miracles of Christ and faith 11. The Symbolism of the New Man in the Apostolic and Patristic Periods The restoration of the image of God (eikon tou Theou, imago Det) Man�s likeness to God and his becoming like God (homoiosis, similitudo) The two paths, light and darkness, virtues and vices Gnostic anthropological myths Mandaeism Manichaeism Martyrdom and holiness PART IV. ANTHROPOLOGICAL SYMBOLISM: SYMBOLS OF HUMAN COMMUNITIES 12. The Christian Roman Empire in Relationship to the Kingdom of God 13. Church, Liturgy, and Sacraments The symbolism of the Church The symbolism of the Eucharist and the rite of the Mass The symbolism of the church year The Advent season The Christmas season The season of Lent The Easter season from Holy Week to Pentecost The symbolism of baptism and of the other sacraments and sacrament� Virginity and monkhood Ecclesiastical architecture, implements, insignia, and vestments PART V. ANTHROPOLOGICAL SYMBOLISM: LANGUAGE SYMBOLISM AND RELATED MATTERS 14. The Symbolism of the Word and the Name, the Etymologies ofLsidore of Seville 13. The Fourfold Meaning of Holy Scripture, Miracles, and Signs, Primarily According to Gregory the Great conclusion NOTES INDEX Plates 3�10 follow. ISBN 0520085493