Discuss the motif of the Good Shepherd. What is the source of this visual tradition and how does the Good Shepherd mosaic at Galla Placidia demonstrate the development of this motif?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal Answer should include:
1. The Good Shepherd was a Greco-Roman pagan motif associated with the god Hermes, who was sometimes represented as a shepherd carrying a lamb or calf, and the figure of Orpheus, who was believed to have charmed flocks with his music.
2. In Jewish scripture, Psalm 23 describes God as an all-providing shepherd, and in the Christian Gospels, Christ is described as a good shepherd who sacrificed his life for his sheep.
3. Christians adopted the visual tradition of the Good Shepherd as a subtle way to symbolize Christ at a time when Christians were persecuted for their faith.
4. By the fifth century, however, Christianity had become the state religion, and the Good Shepherd mosaic at Galla Placidia symbolizes the triumph of the Christian faith by depicting the Good Shepherd explicitly as Christ; instead of shepherd's tunic and crook, Christ wears gold imperial robes and holds a golden cross standard.