Signs and Mysteries: Revealing Ancient Christian Symbols (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Lea Marie Ravotti (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: Jesus Christ, Clement of Alexandria, Ancient Sources (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mike Aquilina's Signs and Mysteries provides a popular yet academically rigorous guide to symbols in the early church. The immediately accessible prose -- which quotes thoughtfully from the church fathers, classical and Jewish sources -- is complemented by generous illustrations. He has not only drawn on the obvious archaeological and epigraphic record, he has also delved into the fascinating world of Christian graffiti. An essential book to keep to hand when visiting early Christian sites." --Adrian Murdoch Fellow, British Royal Historical Society

Product Description

Imagine the dangerous life of a First Century Christian. You've embraced your newfound faith in Christ but fear the risk of persecution or death at the hands of the pagans living around you. Then a trusted friend tells you about some of Jesus followers who secretly meet. He whispers into your ear, Look for a fish carved into the entranceway to the burialchambers beside the Via Tiburtina. You smile in gratitude.

Comparatively, modern society is awash in those same Christian symbols that kept early Christians safely connected: they appear on churches, bumper stickers, mugs even mints and stuffed animals. Yet, we are often ignorant of the origins of these symbols having lost the urgency of our spiritual ancestors hostile environment.

Noted author Mike Aquilina conducts an intriguing tour of symbols that guided the first four centuries of the Church s existence. He explains how Christians borrowed pagan and Jewish symbols, giving them new, distinctly Christian meanings. Recover the voice and urgency of our spiritual ancestors symbolic language and discover the impact the symbols still have.

Black and white illustrations by Lea Ravotti of artifacts uncovered throughout the Middle East beautifully complement the text, showing the variety of contexts in which they were found and the range of skills displayed in their execution.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor (September 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592764509
• ISBN-13: 978-1592764501
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #174,505 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Fantastic, September 9, 2008

By	Julie D. (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This book is a delight that many will both enjoy and profit from. Mike Aquilina writes simply yet clearly in explaining where many of Christianity's oldest symbols originated and their many-layered meanings within Judaism and Christianity. If you ever wondered why your church has symbols of a dolphin, a peacock, or an anchor, this is the book for you. And you'll be surprised at just how many "new" symbols you might discover once you have read about it in this fine book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent -- highly recommended, November 11, 2008

By	Karen Edmisten - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A great read and a great reference source, and beautifully illustrated as well. But, "Signs and Mysteries" is more than that: it takes us on a pilgrimage of sorts, delivering "urgent messages" from our ancient brothers and sisters in Christ, because, as Mike Aquilina tells us of the symbols he explicates:

"The first Christians traced those lines because they wanted them to stand forever as a perpetual prayer, for remembrance of the dead, for the perseverance of the living, and for deliverance in times of trial."


Exploring these ancient (but still relevant) symbols is far more than an archaeological exercise. "Signs and Mysteries" is a fascinating read and a valuable reference, as well as a visual feast, but just as importantly, it's about connections to our Christian family. It is a personal book in the best sense of the word -- a book that connects us, through the shared and vital language of symbols, to the person of Jesus Christ.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on symbols used in the early church, September 8, 2008

By	Jeffrey Miller "The Curt Jester" (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Signs and Mysteries: Revealing Ancient Christian Symbols is the latest book by patristic scholar Mike Aquilina and a book I was looking forward to reading. In most cases we have some idea as to the root of some of the symbols that have been associated with Christianity, though we might not have the details of how this came to be and their significance in the early Church. Mike Aquilina looks the the symbols that came about in the first four centuries of the Church and does a chapter on each ones that explains their meanings and what historical information we have on them and where they were used. Included are plenty of drawings of these symbols throughout the book that show precisely how they were used.

When early uses of some symbols are more clouded in history he nicely gives some of the theories explaining their meanings. Often we also get references to writings of the Fathers of the Church along with others when it helps to illuminate how these symbols were used in liturgy or devotional practice. I really learned a lot from this book and while I had a general idea of meaning of many symbols I found a wealth of details. For example I will never look at the Ichthys when I see it on someone's bumper the same way. I knew how it came about and that it was a Greek acronym and often used in the early Church, but I had no idea about the Eucharistic overtones and some of the other theological depths involved. Being an ex-Navy Chief I was also pleasantly surprised to see how the anchor was another common symbol used and it's meaning.

This book is not meant to be an exhaustive reference of symbols used within the Church, but just the first four centuries. I enjoyed this book so much I would love to see another book in the same style that explains the symbols the Church used in later years and especially in the Middle Ages.

My one caveat about the book is not the content, but the color of the font used. The text is a dark brown color with a light font weight that I found more difficult to read. The color makes drawings turn out beautifully, but I would have much preferred they have had black text with the drawings being the color they used. Our Sunday Visitor has published books in recent years with multiple colors that made the book quite effective and I wish the same was done here. Though this is no real reason not to get this book.