Scene sacramentali nelle catacombe romane Per un’interpretazione storico-artistica e teologica delle rappresentazioni paleocristiane dei sacramenti
Sacramental Scenes in Roman Catacombs On the Historical-Artistic and Theological Interpretation of Early Christian Depictions of the Sacraments

Summary/Abstract: The research illuminates sacramental depictions in the Roman catacombs for the purpose of a hermeneutical, historical-artistic, and theological interpretation that can provide answers to questions regarding the use, meaning, and destination of images in early Christian visual culture. The article is divided into five parts: the first part, theoretical in nature, addresses the question of the origin of the Christian image and its rootedness in classical art; the second part deals with phytomorphic and zoomorphic symbols and depictions that point to the sacraments; the third and fourth parts discuss baptismal and eucharistic symbols, documenting the multiple layers of meaning drawn from biblical and patristic sources as well as from ritual and late antique culture. Finally, the fifth part offers an interpretation of the threefold meaning of the early Christian image: liturgical, moral, and eschatological.

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