Excavation of an early Christian catacomb- Catacomb of Priscilla - Research Paper Example

The Catacomb of Priscilla The Catacomb of Priscilla is situated in what used to be a quarry during the Roman emperor. This quarry was used by Christian for burials between the 2nd and the 4th century. The Catacombs of Priscilla are known to be named after Priscilla who was a member of the gens Acilia. She was probably the spouse of the Consul Acilius who was the Christian killed following the orders of Domitian. By the virtual that the catacomb was named after a Christian family describes the significance of the art in the building of the Christian history.

On the walls and the ceiling of the Priscilla’s catacomb, there exists some display of fine decorations that illustrates various Biblical scenes. One of the most phenomenon paintings presents the oldest-known image of Mary the mother of Jesus. The image depicts her nursing the Infant Jesus. This painting that emphasizes on the Key figure in Christianity-Jesus-clearly explains the significant role of Jesus in the Christian history. The significant of the image is that it gives an idea that Christianity has been in existence as early as the 2nd century.

This gives confidence to Christians of the existence of their faith based on the painting that were created very many years ago. Further, the painting of Jesus and her mother serves as an evidence of some biblical perspectives. In this case, the painting can be taken to represent some fact as the artist who put together the piece of art must have been existing during the time of Jesus. The catacomb of Priscilla also has a depiction of the Annunciation. The piece of art in the catacomb explains the incident of the announcement of the manifestation by the angel Gabriel to Mary the mother of Jesus.

The piece of art is represented as a ceremony festival commemorating this incident. According to the painting, an angle is seen appearing to Mary to make announcement of the birth of Jesus. Similarly, this piece of art found in the Catacomb of Priscilla is significant as it gives confirmation that the incident took place according to the records in the Bible. Art, being a reflection tool in the society, clearly shows that the story of Jesus was very much told during the time. The societies in the 2nd Century totally embraced the Kingship of Jesus and hence the many art work on the subject, (Neiman 15)In our societies today, every person is looking for proof and evidence on various incidents that are explained in the Bible.

As such, various sections of the Bible have been challenged by scholars and philosophers concerning their practicability. As such, the evidence available in the form of art inside the Catacomb of Priscilla serves to explain that the probability of existence is very high. Since the art was done in the 2nd Century, the artist could not have been manipulated or influenced to put such drawings if they actually did not exist. Similarly, the art painting found in the catacomb can be considered as an evidence of early Christian dedication in the work that Jesus initiated.

In this case, it serves as a challenge to other Christians to be devoted to the work that their savior initiated. Work cited"Neiman Marcus Catacomb of Priscilla." Luxury Daily RSS.N.p., 10 Feb. 2013. Web. 07 May 2015