TY  - BOOK
AU  - Peppard,Michael
TI  - The World's Oldest Church: Bible, Art, and Ritual at Dura-Europos, Syria 
SN  - 9780300216516
PB  - Yale University Press
KW  - History
KW  - bisacsh
KW  - Electronic books
N1  - Access copy available to the general public
N2  - Michael Peppard provides a historical and theological reassessment of the oldest Christian building ever discovered, the third-century house-church at Dura-Europos. Contrary to commonly held assumptions about Christian initiation, Peppard contends that rituals here did not primarily embody notions of death and resurrection. Rather, he portrays the motifs of the church's wall paintings as those of empowerment, healing, marriage, and incarnation, while boldly re-identifying the figure of a woman formerly believed to be a repentant sinner as the Virgin Mary. This richly illustrated volume is a breakthrough work that enhances our understanding of early Christianity at the nexus of Bible, art, and ritual.This title was made Open Access by libraries from around the world through Knowledge Unlatched
UR  - https://openresearchlibrary.org/content/f4522ff6-1303-426a-8ef0-616f2c070ece
ER  -