Architectural Orders, Plans, and Early Jewish-Christian Art (Key Concepts)

Doric vs Ionic/Corinthian frieze: Doric frieze typically segmented by triglyphs and metopes; Ionic/Corinthian friezes tend to be more continuous.
Column proportions: columns taper as height increases; entasis can give a subtle curve.
Capital and base: Doric capital is plain and often described as a “stack of pancakes”; Doric often lacks a prominent base.

Longitudinal plan: axis runs along the length of the building; common in basilicas.
Central plan: circular or centrally organized; can be more compact and symmetric.
Basilica: a major type of longitudinal plan with a nave flanked by aisles (colonnades/arcades); apse and transepts may appear in later iterations.
Terminology to know: nave, aisles, arcades, colonnades, apse, transepts, ambulatory.

Santa Fe church (interior described) as a central plan circle with an altar at the center and an ambulatory around it; mosaics and a sarcophagus of marble were notable.
Mosaics: built from tiny stones or glass; a rich visual program in early Christian spaces.
Imagery and adaptation: early Christian art borrows and adapts Greco-Roman imagery (e.g., Dionysus/Bacchus, Hermes, Good Shepherd) to convey Christian narratives.
Sacred iconography evolves as communities share space across traditions; imagery travels between Greco-Roman, Jewish, and Christian contexts.

Timeline context: Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, Babylonian exile, return and Second Temple period, Herod’s expansion, AD 70 destruction, diaspora.
Ark of the Covenant: houses the tablets of the Ten Commandments, plus the staff of Aaron and other sacred objects.
Menorah, shofar, lulav, etrog: key liturgical and ritual items described in Exodus and related texts.
Dura-Europos (modern Syria): multi-faith city where synagogues, houses, and early Christian spaces coexisted; key discovery in the 20th century reshaped understanding of early Jewish art.
Synagogue architecture and wall programs: central niches used for sacred imagery; the assembly space, adyphula, and nave-like arrangements appear in various forms.
Jewish iconography in catacomb-like spaces shows reverence for sacred objects (Ark, menorah) and narrative scenes, including Moses parting the Red Sea; hierarchic scale often used to mark importance.
Use of Roman/Greco-Roman motifs continues in Jewish spaces (e.g., fish motifs, curved walls) and in adjacent Christian contexts.

Imagery circulation: Good Shepherd, Hermes-derived motifs, and Dionysian imagery persist across Jewish, Christian, and Greco-Roman contexts.
Christian adaptations of Jewish and pagan motifs become widespread, including the conversion of certain decorative programs and narrative cycles.
In Ravenna (late Roman era), lavish mosaics in places like the Oratory (e.g., Oratory of the Valladolida) showcase integrated iconography, including Saint Lawrence and other martyr Figures.
Stories such as the Sacrifice of Isaac appear in mosaic programs, illustrating the blending and reinterpretation of biblical narratives.

Lunettes: crescent or semicircular frames used for imagery.
Medallions: circular framing devices for images.
Tondi: round spaces or roundels used for scenes.
These terms recur in both Jewish and Christian artistic programs and in different architectural contexts.

Central plan churches emphasize a circular/central arrangement around an altar; ambulatory space is common.
Longitudinal basilicas emphasize processional movement along the nave with aisles on the sides.
Early Jewish art often emphasized sacred objects (Ark, menorah) and scriptural narratives; later, more figurative imagery appears in sites like Dura-Europos.
Early Christian art frequently borrows from existing Mediterranean visual language and repurposes it to convey Christian themes.