Catacombs: Rediscovered Monuments of Early Christianity (Ancient Peoples and Places)

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Summary: Christian Catacombs
Review: We usually think of Rome when we hear about the catacombs. And we associate them with early Christianity. However, they were common for thousands of years before that time, and in many other places, such as Sicily, Tunisia, Naples and Malta. This book is richly illustrated with photographs and drawings. The text gives meaningful insight into early Christian beliefs that are discerned from the catacombs themselves. This information is not necessarily available from literary sources. The author states that the theological reason for Christian care of the dead was the firm belief in a bodily resurrection. A popular belief is that ealy Christians woshipped regulary in the catacombs and hid there in time of danger. The author states that this idea is generally erroneous. This is a very interesting book for those who love history and the study of the beginnings of one of today's major religions.