Table of Contents

The Reason Why by Rush H. Kress
An Introduction by George Ferguson
I. Animals, Birds, and Insects
II. Flowers, Trees, and Plants
III. Earth and Sky
IV. The Human Body
V. The Old Testament
VI. St. John the Baptist
VII. The Virgin Mary
VIII. Jesus Christ
IX. The Trinity, the Madonna, and Angels
X. The Saints
XI. Radiances, Letters, Colors, and Numbers
XII. Religious Dress
XIII. Religious Objects
XIV. Artifacts
List of Plates
Index of Names and Subjects

About the Author

The late George Ferguson was Rector of Saint Philip's In the Hills Episcopal Parish in Tucson, Arizona.

Reviews

"A tremendous help to so many students who haven't been raised with the exposure to Christian iconography. Thanks!"-- Nancy Noonan-Morrissey, Front Range Community College
"Excellent reference book--well-organized and highly informative--also, moderately priced!"--Marie Canaves, Cape Cod Community College
"Ferguson has brought a dead language back to life. He writes simply and clearly."--The Chicago Tribune
"[A] superb volume."--The Christian Century
"An extraordinarily beautiful and useful book....For clergymen, both Protestant and Catholic, who are interested in liturgies and symbolism, for architects and artists, and for all devotees of art this is an unusually valuable volume."--Kirkus Reviews
"A good book of reference for the general reader."--The Nation
"The publication of this book is an important event. There is no comparable guide in English to the profoundly beautiful symbolism of Christian art."--John Walker, Director Emeritus of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
"Whether as a reference work or as an invitation to fascinating browsing, the book is a treasure."--Journal of Bible and Religion
"An excellent resource with its nicely organized and easy-to-find explanations of persons, symbols, events/beliefs depicted in Christian art. My students found it to be a useful tool as they worked on their interpretations of paintings and other artistic renderings of NT texts. I hope this book will stay in print."--Professor Benjamin Fiore, Canisius College