{"title":"Books by Robin M. Jensen","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780520345423","title":"From Idols to Icons – The Emergence of Christian Devotional Images in Late Antiquity","description":"Even the briefest glance at an art museum’s holdings or an introductory history textbook demonstrates the profound influence of Christian images and art. From Idols to Icons tells the fascinating history of the dramatic shift in Christian attitudes toward sacred images from the third through the early seventh century. From attacks on the cult images of polytheism to the emergence of Christian narrative iconography to the appearance of portrait-type representations of holy figures, this book examines the primary theological critiques and defenses of holy images in light of the surviving material evidence for early Christian visual art. Against the previous assumption that fourth- and fifth-century Christians simply forgot or ignored their predecessors’ censure and reverted to more alluring pagan practices, Robin M. Jensen contends that each stage of this profound change was uniquely Christian. Through a careful consideration of the cults of saints’ remains, devotional portraits, and pilgrimages to sacred sites, Jensen shows how the Christian devotion to holy images came to be rooted in their evolving conviction that the divine was accessible in and through visible objects.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56290703475061,"sku":"9780520345423","price":55.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780520345423_3e7f773d-7fe5-4ff4-904e-b46a20cfe99a.jpg?v=1786013483"},{"product_id":"9780801048326","title":"Baptismal Imagery in Early Christianity","description":"\u003cb\u003e2013 Catholic Press Award Winner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eWhat can we learn from early Christian imagery about the theological meaning of baptism? Robin Jensen, a leading scholar of early Christian art and worship, examines multiple dimensions of the early Christian baptismal rite. She explores five models for understanding baptism--as cleansing from sin, sickness, and Satan; as incorporation into the community; as sanctifying and illuminative; as death and regeneration; and as the beginning of the new creation--showing how visual images, poetic language, architectural space, and symbolic actions signify and convey the theological meaning of this ritual practice. Considering image and action together, Jensen offers a holistic and integrated understanding of the power of baptism. The book is illustrated with photos.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294944440693,"sku":"9780801048326","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780801048326_95922e12-3e29-49a7-9c5c-e937bfe44886.jpg?v=1786015715"},{"product_id":"9781032105482","title":"Understanding Early Christian Art","description":"\u003cp\u003eSurveying the content and character of early Christian iconography from the third to the sixth century CE, this substantially revised and updated new edition of \u003ci\u003eUnderstanding Early Christian Art\u003c\/i\u003e makes the critical tools of art historians accessible to students.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt opens by discussing a series of questions pertaining to the evidence itself and how scholars through the centuries have regarded this material as expressing and transmitting aspects of the developing faith and practice of early adherents of Christianity. It considers possible sources for the various motifs and the complex relationship between words and images, as well as the importance of studying visual and material culture alongside theological and liturgical texts. Rather than organising surviving examples by medium or chronology, the chapters categorise the evidence according to their general iconographic type, such as generic symbols, biblical narratives, and portraits. Each chapter takes up important questions of visual culture, formal style, and the ways in which the iconography is distinct from or shows parallels with contemporary documentary sources like sermons, exegetical works, catechetical lectures, or dogmatic treatises. Concluding with a discussion of the late-emerging depictions of Jesus’s crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, it remains a valuable guide to comprehending the complex theology, history, and context of Christian art.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAugmented by over 140 full-colour images, accompanied by parallel text, the interdisciplinary and boundary-breaking approach taken in this extensively revised edition of \u003ci\u003eUnderstanding Early Christian Art\u003c\/i\u003e enables students and scholars in fields such as religion and art history to further their understanding and knowledge of the art of the early Christian era.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56295604486517,"sku":"9781032105482","price":39.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781032105482_686df449-7075-4633-b8d4-0c839c74384e.jpg?v=1786017220"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-robin-m-jensen.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}