"All Power over Ouranos and Gaia": The Maiestas Domini Supra Caelum Motif in Matthew 28:18 and the Junius Bassus Sarcophagus

Authors

Calan Christensen, Brigham Young UniversityFollow

Keywords

iconography, Greek, Christianity, biblical, Roman

Abstract

The maiestas domini supra caelum motif, as depicted in the central vignette of the upper register of the Junius Bassus sarcophagus, is widely understood as epitomizing a Christian ideal or an eschatological adventus as opposed to a representation of any “historical” biblical narra- tive. Nevertheless, this paper addresses the compelling iconographical al- lusion between the Bassus enthronement scene over Caelus and the final chapter of Matthew, specifically highlighting Jesus’s declaration of divine power “ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς.”

Through an examination of the relevant contemporaneous theological and ritual literature produced during the period of Matthew’s authorship and the crafting of the Bassus sarcophagus, augmented by a grammatical analysis of the merismatic epigram “ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς,” this study aims to elucidate the enduring resonance of Ouranos and Gaea within the collective consciousness of the Greco-Roman milieu during the imperial period. Recognition of this context will demonstrate that the depiction of Jesus enthroned over Caelus exhibits striking parallels with Matthew 28.18. Examining this passage through the interpretive lens of the en- thronement scene of the Junius Bassus sarcophagus potentially offers valuable insights into how early Christian laypeople could have construed this passage as Jesus asserting divine dominion over both Ouranos and Gaea.

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

Christensen, Calan. ""All Power over Ouranos and Gaia": The Maiestas Domini Supra Caelum Motif in Matthew 28:18 and the Junius Bassus Sarcophagus." Studia Antiqua 23, no. 1 (2024). https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studiaantiqua/vol23/iss1/1