Jean-Michel Spieser

The Representation of Christ in the Apses of Early Christian Churches

In this paper, I address the evolution of the pictures in the main apses of early Christian churches. Considering the data gathered by Christa Ihm, I propose a new evolutionary classification of these pictures. We have no secure evidence of such images before the last third of the fourth century. At this time, images of Christ acquired a new meaning emphasizing his divinity. I concur with T. Mathewss thesis that Christ is represented as God and not as emperor; my affirmation introduces some nuances to this position. In funeral art, the change is exemplified by the replacement of images of Christ performing miracles by images like the central scene on Junius Bassuss sarcophagus and the so-called Traditio Legis. It is related to discussions from the end of the Arian controversy about the relation between the Father and the Son. The issue of anthropomorphism, which arose in Jerusalem by the end of the century but was particularly vexed in Egypt, gives indications of the relation between representation and adoration. The apse of Santa Pudenziana may be considered typical of this stage of the evolution. Later, by the middle of the fifth century, but especially in the sixth century, we notice some reluctance to directly represent God as present in the church and the desire to introduce distancing imagery (e.g., San Vitale in Ravenna, Hosios David in Thessalonike). This evolution comes to an end with the introduction of new images in the apses, like the Transfiguration and the image of the Theotokos.

Nicole Thierry, La Cappadoce de l'antiquité au moyen âge

cating the precise correspondence of Cyrillic letters and the Latin letters used for their transliteration. Lastly, a few minor inaccuracies in the translation of the Bulgarian can be noted: basta (p. 75) means “father” rather than “man”, bistъr (p. 85) means “clear, lucid” rather than “fast”, and troj is not the ordinal “third” (p. 50), but corresponds to the root in trojka, “triad”. These very minor oversights do nothing to reduce the value of this study by Professor Symeonides. Indeed, it is an essential treatment of a subject that has hitherto received little scholarly attention: philologists and linguists interested in the historical links between Old Slavonic, Bulgarian and Greek will find it an invaluable source of reference.

Les fondations d’ Ambroise à Milan et la question des martyria

Μια σeιρά παλαιοχριστιανικών βασιλικών που ιδρύθηκαν κατά τα τέλη του 4ου αιώνα στο Μιλάνο συνδέονται μe την προσωπικότητα του eπισκόπου Αμβροσίου και ιδιαίτeρα η ονομαστή Αμβροσιανή βασιλική. Το eνδιαφέρον στους ναούς αυτούς δeν eντοπίζeται στη χωροθέτησή τους eκτός των τeιχών της πόλης, αλλά στο γeγονός ότι η καθαγιάσή τους, eιδικά της βασιλικής του Αμβροσίου, έγινe μe λeίψανα αγίων που τοποθeτήθηκαν στην αγία τράπeζά τους. Οι ναοί αυτοί δeν eμπίπτουν στην κατηγορία των eκκλησιών-μαρτυρίων που χτίστηκαν μe αφορμή την ανακάλυψη του τάφου κάποιου μάρτυρα. Αντίθeτα, eίναι ναοί στους οποίους η λατρeία των αγίων eντάχθηκe στο eυρύτeρο λeιτουργικό πλαίσιο της Θeίας Eυχαριστίας. Μe την eισαγωγή αυτής της πρακτικής, που θeωρeίται καινοτομία του Αμβροσίου, και την παγίωση της Eυχαριστιακής λατρeίας, η Eκκλησία eπιχeίρησe να eλέγξeι τα νeκρόδeιπνα, τις ιδιωτικές τeλeτές, αλλά και την eξάπλωση του αιρέσeων.