medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Diana, Of all times for you to leave us!!!!
Doctissimi, I have a friend who took some pictures in Ravenna and requested my Byzantinely-challenged comments on his picture captions. BTW, if anyone would be willing to look at his pictures and comment directly to him, let me know OFF LIST and I'll forward your willingness to him.
Here are my questions:
1) Is Justinian depicted with the round halo of a saint vs. the square one of a living person? Or was Justinian dead by the time San Vitale (I think) was decorated? Or did the Eastern Church not make such a distinction?
2) Would Jeremiah be depicted with a bunch of lambs?
3) In a ceiling/dome mosaic with the Baptism of Christ at the center, friend has a person in the water identified as a pagan god. IX, JBap and Holy Spirit are all duly represented but the hand from the heavens often used as the First Person of the Trinity is missing. Is it possible that the so-called pagan god is God the Father? I know it's a huge stretch but also wonder what a river god (the Jordan personified?) is doing in a church.
Details in mosaics are terribly difficult to see so cut me some slack if I've posed some idiotic questions.
And thanks in advance,
MG


Marjorie Greene
http://medrelart.shutterfly.com


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