Chapter V: Their Paintings and Sculpture

Primitive Christian art almost a new subject of Christian
archæology—Most of the paintings in the Catacombs, and the
best of them, belong to the first four centuries—Resemblance
between the most ancient specimens and cotemporary works
of Pagan art—Pagan forms of ornamentation freely used, but
Christian subjects—The Good Shepherd—Peculiarities in the
mode of treatment—Symbolical character of early Christian
art; examples, the anchor, lamb, dove, fish—Typical
representations of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, followed
by the Resurrection, in the Sacramental chapels of St.
Callixtus—Biblical subjects, Noe, Jonas, &c.—Representations
of Christ and His Apostles, and of His Holy Mother—Three
successive periods in the development of Christian painting
before the age of Constantine—Characteristics of each—Sculpture
not so freely used by Christians at first—Subjects carved on
sarcophagi 61

CHAPTER VI.

THEIR INSCRIPTIONS.

Number and importance of ancient Christian
inscriptions—Destruction of very many of them—Preservation
of others by the Popes—Points of resemblance to Pagan
epitaphs—Points of difference—Absence of any token of
social distinctions—Birth of Christian epigraphy—Active
love its chief characteristic—Prayer for the dead—Prayer
to the Saints—Examples—Other characteristics of later
epitaphs—Age—Date of death—Unmeaning titles of praise—Words
used to denote death, _in pace_, _contra votum_, &c. 108