. Examine the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus and explain the connections among the Classical, Old Testament, and New Testament elements represented there

Question

Please provide the best answer for the statement.

Answer 1

1. The columns framing the central two scenes are decorated with Classical putti, seen harvesting grapes, symbolic of the blood of Christ and his sacrifice. In the top panel, Christ’s feet rest on what is generally taken to be a symbolic personification of the sky, the figure of Aeolus, suggesting Christ’s position in heaven.
2. Four scenes from the Old Testament prophesy the story of Christ, as well as the arrest and persecution of Paul and Peter, who in turn represent the fate of all Roman Christians up until the Edict of Milan: 1) Abraham ready to sacrifice his son Isaac, prefiguring God’s sacrifice of Christ; 2) Job in his distress, evidence of humankind’s testing by God; 3) Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, at the moment when they succumbed to the Temptation of Satan; and
4) Daniel in the lion’s den where, because of his faithfulness to God, he was spared.
3. The bottom center panel represents Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the top his presentation of the Christian law to Peter and Paul after the Resurrection. The top right-hand scenes represent Christ’s arrest, just after Judas has kissed him at Gethsemane,