Discuss the theme of the "good shepherd" in Early Christian and Byzantine art. What was its importance to Christians? What antecedents did it have? How did it change over time?

What will be an ideal response?


Essay responses should include these points:
The "good shepherd" image originated with a Greco-Roman pagan motif associated with notions of the afterlife as a pastoral idyll.
The image became an allegorical representation of Jesus for Christians familiar with their oral traditions or scriptural heritage.
Jesus had used the theme himself in parables as an effective way to make God's love understandable to his listeners.
The theme originated in agrarian societies, where a shepherd watching over his flock or carrying a wounded lamb was a powerful image.

Art & Culture

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