Artistic Issues in Religion - Essay Example

Believers held that faith alone enable them to become accepted by God. They also taught scriptures (Kleiner, 145). They refused to socialize with others at public events, did not eat sacrificial meals, and also refused to worship in Roman temples.

Jews and Judaism got tolerated in Rome pre-Constantine through a diplomatic treaty. The Jews shared various common beliefs and practices as those of pre-Constantine Rome. They were exempted from official roman sacrifices under different periods of Roman rule under various conditions.

Early Christians in Rome worshipped in private homes as congregational families in dwellings called ‘Tituli’ or Christian community houses. In these dwellings, the Christians would share dinner and remember the life of Jesus Christ. They would partake in the Eucharist, a Sermon given, and readings from the Old Testament would be shared. Jews also similarly conducted their worship to Christians within private dwellings known as Jewish community houses. A further place of worship for early Christians was the ‘catacombs’, which were deep underground tunnels that served as burial places too (Kleiner, 198). They offered a destination for intense pilgrimage for early Christians as well. Catacombs also served as meeting houses for persecuted Christian during the time. These dwellings in modern times can be viewed as the church for Christians and synagogues or temples for Jews.

The Romanesque period of art and architecture was characterized by sacred rulers. The sacred nature of the rulers saw the art and architecture of the time become influenced by religion. The structure of Christian worship at the time was the church, which became viewed as a sacred building by the rulers (Kleiner, 212). The Romanesque period saw an increase in the height and overall size of the church building. The roofs became vaulted and got supported by massive pillars, thick stone walls, and rounded arches.

The creation of large churches during the Romanesque period was fuelled by the new devotion to Christianity and the church. It was largely believed within the Christian faith that the world would end 1000 years after the birth of Christ (Kleiner, 254). When this failed to come to pass, it invoked a new devotion within the Christians to commit more to the church. This new commitment also saw a surge in the number of people who converted to Christianity and attended the church in large masses. An increase in the size of churches was also fuelled by social and political reasons during the period. Large churches served as attraction centers for passersby and would thus serve to generate revenues for the people. Churches represented centers of economy and culture aside from being places of worship.