The Oxford Companion to Christian Art and Architecture is a unique and fascinating exploration of the art and architecture that has been influenced and inspired by Biblical stories and Christian history and beliefs. Richly illustrated and with a Glossary of Architectural Terms and an extensive Bibliography, the Companion combines important general essays on the periods and styles important in the history of Christian art with hundreds of shorter entries that describe specific works, artists, themes, and visual images and which give the reader practical guidance on where in Europe to locate the works described. The most comprehensive reference work on Christian art and architecture available includes: * Detailed essays on periods and styles in art and architecture: Anglo- Saxon, Byzantine, Carolingian, Coptic, Early Christian, Gothic, Irish, Ottonian, Renaissance, Rococo, Romanesque; Mannerism, Neoclassicism, * General background on Christian doctrine, beliefs, and tradition: liturgical year, colours, vessels, and vestments; the Ten Commandments, Seven Deadly Sins, and the Two Trinities; Candlemas, Holy Week, Stations of the Cross, and religious orders * Forms of art influenced by Christian ideas: altarpieces, tombs, and caskets; illuminated manuscripts, mosaics, frescoes, and brasses; stained glass, portal sculpture, and standing crosses; fonts, fountains, and rose windows * Specific references to individual artists and sculptors and to their works: Fra Angelico, Bernini, and Botticelli; Marc Chagall, Eric Gill, and Stanley Spencer; the great painters of the Italian Renaissance: Raphael, Titian, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci * Places, buildings, and architects: Assissi, Ravenna, Venice, and Sistine Chapel; baptistery, belfry, cloister, chapter house, and churches: twentieth century, centrally planned, abbey, collegiate; Bentley, Brunelleschi, Wren, and Gibbs * Biblical themes, stories, and people as the subject ofart: from the Old Testament Adam and Eve, Abraham, and Tower of Babel; the Nativity, Circumcision, Baptism, Life, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ from the Gospels; Miracle at Bolsena, Good Samaritan, parables, Apocalypse * Descriptions and explanations of images, icons, and symbols: allegory, attribute, emblem, and type; angels and archangels, symbolic beasts, birds, dove, serpent, and dragon; Signs of the Zodiac, rainbow, labyrinth, and Wheel of Fortune * Significant saints, popes, rulers, and patrons: saints Agnes, Agatha, and Catherine of Siena; saints Peter, Paul, Francis, and Jerome; Charlemagne and Emperor Constantine the Great; popes Clement VII, Urban VIII and Leo X; Doctors of the Church, St Augustine, Erasmus, and Knights Templar

The Dictionary of Christian Art, now rebranded in the best-selling Oxford Paperback Reference series, is a unique and fascinating exploration of the art and architecture that has been influenced and inspired by biblical stories and Christian history and beliefs. The Dictionary combines general essays on the periods and styles important in the history of Christian art with lots of shorter entries that describe specific works, artists, themes, and visual images, and which give the reader practical guidance on where in Europe to locate the works described. The Dictionary of Christian Art, now rebranded in the best-selling Oxford Paperback Reference series, is a unique and fascinating exploration of the art and architecture that has been influenced and inspired by biblical stories and Christian history and beliefs. The Dictionary combines general essays on the periods and styles important in the history of Christian art with lots of shorter entries that describe specific works,artists, themes, and visual images, and which give the reader practical guidance on where in Europe to locate the works described. Among the many features of this dictionary are: detailed essays on periods and styles in art and architecture, including Byzantine, Renaissance, Baroque; general background to the Old and New Testaments, and to Christian tradition and beliefs; forms of art influenced by Christianity, such as illuminated manuscripts, stained glass; artists and architects and theirworks, for example Fra Angelico, Donatello, Pugin, and many others; and places and buildings, including Assisi, Roma, St Paul's, the Sistine Chapel. There are also descriptions and explanations of features of Christian churches, significant saints, popes, saints, and rulers, and a glossary of Architectural Terms and detailed bibliography.

Embracing the viewpoints of Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox thinkers, of conservatives, liberals, radicals, and agnostics, Christianity today is anything but monolithic or univocal. In The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought, general editor Adrian Hastings has tried to capture a sense of the great diversity of opinion that swirls about under the heading of Christian thought. Indeed, the 260 contributors, who hail from twenty countries, represent as wide a range of perspectives as possible.Here is a comprehensive and authoritative (though not dogmatic) overview of the full spectrum of Christian thinking. Within its 600 alphabetically arranged entries, readers will find lengthy survey articles on the history of Christian thought, on national and regional traditions, and on various denominations, from Anglican to Unitarian. There is ample coverage of Eastern thought as well, examining the Christian tradition in China, Japan, India, and Africa. The contributors examine major theological topics such as resurrection, the Eucharist, and grace as well as controversial issues such as homosexuality and abortion. In addition, short entries illuminate symbols such as water and wine, and there are many profiles of leading theologians, of non-Christians who have deeply influenced Christian thinking, including Aristotle and Plato, and of literary figures such as Dante, Milton, and Tolstoy. Most articles end with a list of suggested readings and the book features a large number of cross-references.The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought is an indispensable guide to one of the central strands of Western culture. An essential volume for all Christians, it is a thoughtful gift for the holidays.

This dictionary is a fascinating guide to the broad range of terms used in the study of the history of Christian art and architecture, including themes, artists, and movements. The long-awaited new edition includes entries by over a dozen expert contributors, and a fully revised online bibliography, bringing it up to date for the 21st century.

Nearly every form of religion or spirituality has a vital connection with art. Religions across the world, from Hinduism and Buddhism to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, have been involved over the centuries with a rich array of artistic traditions, both sacred and secular. In its uniquely multi-dimensional consideration of the topic, The Oxford Handbook of Religion and the Arts provides expert guidance to artistry and aesthetic theory in religion. The Handbook offers nearly forty original essays by an international team of leading scholars on the main topics, issues, methods, and resources for the study of religious and theological aesthetics. The volume ranges from antiquity to the present day to examine religious and artistic imagination, fears of idolatry, aesthetics in worship, and the role of art in social transformation and in popular religion-covering a full array of forms of media, from music and poetry to architecture and film. An authoritative text for scholars and students, The Oxford Handbook of Religion and the Arts will remain an invaluable resource for years to come.

The Oxford Companion to Christian Art and Architecture is a unique and fascinating exploration of the art and architecture that has been influenced and inspired by Biblical stories and Christian history and beliefs. Richly illustrated and with a Glossary of Architectural Terms and an extensive Bibliography, the Companion combines important general essays on the periods and styles important in the history of Christian art with hundreds of shorter entries that describe specific works, artists, themes, and visual images and which give the reader practical guidance on where in Europe to locate the works described. The most comprehensive reference work on Christian art and architecture available includes: * Detailed essays on periods and styles in art and architecture: Anglo- Saxon, Byzantine, Carolingian, Coptic, Early Christian, Gothic, Irish, Ottonian, Renaissance, Rococo, Romanesque; Mannerism, Neoclassicism, * General background on Christian doctrine, beliefs, and tradition: liturgical year, colours, vessels, and vestments; the Ten Commandments, Seven Deadly Sins, and the Two Trinities; Candlemas, Holy Week, Stations of the Cross, and religious orders * Forms of art influenced by Christian ideas: altarpieces, tombs, and caskets; illuminated manuscripts, mosaics, frescoes, and brasses; stained glass, portal sculpture, and standing crosses; fonts, fountains, and rose windows * Specific references to individual artists and sculptors and to their works: Fra Angelico, Bernini, and Botticelli; Marc Chagall, Eric Gill, and Stanley Spencer; the great painters of the Italian Renaissance: Raphael, Titian, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci * Places, buildings, and architects: Assissi, Ravenna, Venice, and Sistine Chapel; baptistery, belfry, cloister, chapter house, and churches: twentieth century, centrally planned, abbey, collegiate; Bentley, Brunelleschi, Wren, and Gibbs * Biblical themes, stories, and people as the subject ofart: from the Old Testament Adam and Eve, Abraham, and Tower of Babel; the Nativity, Circumcision, Baptism, Life, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ from the Gospels; Miracle at Bolsena, Good Samaritan, parables, Apocalypse * Descriptions and explanations of images, icons, and symbols: allegory, attribute, emblem, and type; angels and archangels, symbolic beasts, birds, dove, serpent, and dragon; Signs of the Zodiac, rainbow, labyrinth, and Wheel of Fortune * Significant saints, popes, rulers, and patrons: saints Agnes, Agatha, and Catherine of Siena; saints Peter, Paul, Francis, and Jerome; Charlemagne and Emperor Constantine the Great; popes Clement VII, Urban VIII and Leo X; Doctors of the Church, St Augustine, Erasmus, and Knights Templar