Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible

by J. Warner Wallace

How could gathering believers “set [their] hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1) in spaces that neither reflected the light of Christ nor the nature of “things above”? A desire to better reveal the identity of Jesus and the reality of heaven initiated a movement unique in the history of architecture, art, and music. As Christian groups grew, their creativity and engineering skills were put to the test. How could they build roofs to span greater distances? How could they increase the lighting within these larger spaces? What could they do to create a heavenly environment? Early Christian church architects solved the first problem, even if they did little—at first—to solve the second two. Churches in the first centuries of the Common Era were still relatively dark, uninspiring spaces, although they were much larger than their house church counterparts.4 But even in these heavy spaces, a simple architectural development would eventually point believers heavenward. Domes were not unknown to the Greek and Roman world, of course, but they were mastered by Christian church builders who stretched the limit of the archetype.5 These arched ceiling surfaces provided opportunities to paint images of the angelic realm, and architects designed them to be illuminated in heavenly ways with hidden light wells and strategically placed window openings. Many domes also allowed for the placement of statues, providing yet another artistic ave...