MUSEUM TRIP

Go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Collection at The Cloisters in Ft. Tryon Park (I know, I know, it is a long way, but it is good for you!). You should also visit the Metropolitan Museum itself for more information.

Look at the amount of materials that Christianity has produced as a result of the religion allowing iconography. The images are often sybolic and give information about historical changes in the religion. For example - does Christ's divinity grow with him or is it there from the start? In those times when it was seen as there from the start, haloes appear around the child. At other periods when it was thought that divinity grew with him, the halo is not there.

There are similar questions about the "nature" of the cross. What kind of changes ocur in it, especially in terms of its decoration? Is it a symbol of Christ's death, or is it a symbol of his resurrection?

Other people in Christianity are often represented by animals. Can you find them in the art work?

You might want to take a look at the following books: