No images of Jesus dead exist in Christian church art for a millennium. Instead, churches filled spaces with images of paradise as this world. What are the implications of this for Christian faith today?
If you went to an exhibition of early Christian art – first millennium stuff – what would you expect to see? The surprising discovery that leading theologian Rita Brock made was that images of the crucifixion were almost entirely absent. Instead, these early public works showed not death, but earthly joy. How did we become so infected with the Tamsin Omond Described in the media as ‘the pin-up girl of the environmental movement’ Tamsin Omond is used to having precious column inches wasted on her looks rather than her message. But having climbed the Palace of Westminster to campaign against expansion of Heathrow, it is clear that this is someone who is deadly serious about the huge challenges that face us. The founder of Climate Rush, Tamsin has spoken at the Howies ‘Do Lectures’ and been very prepared to face jail for her views, something that might appear at odds with her aristocratic lineage and early thoughts of getting ordained. Now bailed under conditions of not going within 1km of parliament, we are pleased she is still able to travel freely to Greenbelt. myth of redemptive violence that dominates later Christian art? Rita’s book Saving Paradise, one of Publishers Weekly’s top picks for 2008, is a unique mix of historical discovery and spiritual devotion, that challenges us of the importance of recovering an ancient view of our faith in these violent times.
