The Oxford Companion to Christian Art and Architecture

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. first edition. hardcover. Book VG+: mild shelf wear to boards and outer edge of text block, else clean, square, tight, unmarked./no DJ. 8vo 596pp. from Preface: "...This encyclopaedic dictionary is intended to help. but the problem is that anyone who does not know that a dove (not a pigeon) is a symbol of the Holy Ghost is not likely to find the answer to his problem by looking up 'pigeon.' So far as possible, therefore, we have provided a web of cross-references, so that individual definitions, not perhaps adequate in themselves, can be integrated into a larger scheme. Thus, given the title of the picture, The Baptism of Christ, it will be possible not only to learn that John in his Gospel (Ch. 1:32) says specifically 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him,' but also by following up the trail of cross-references to realized the significance of Baptism in the Gospels and in the life of the individual Christian, as well as its role in the planning and internal arrangements of churches. The whole book is intended to demonstrate the inspiration and creative drive provided by the Christian religion from its beginnings to the present century." #01905.