15 I - THE SIGN OF THE STAR On the frescos in the catacombs and also in the sculptures of the sarcophagi, the theme of the Adoration of the Magi, which symbolizes mankind’s reception of the Savior, appears before the theme of the Nativity strictly speaking. the early 5th century—present none of the images of mourning that were customary in antiquity: noweeping womenwith disheveled hair, and no lamentations, but instead green trees and birds of paradise inspired more or less by the Elysian fields. In the midst of them, the Christ, with the conventional features of a young herdsman, with a sheep on his shoulders: This is the Good Shepherd who came to seek and save the lost sheep. So he is depicted right beside the Nativity. Light foliage—the graceful branches of a tree of life with superabundant fruits—traces around theman atmosphere of gladness, an imperceptible space, with neither volume nor weight. A “space” that refers to the new life over which death no longer has power. Tragedy is no longer the coin of the realm here: The images assert hope, a taste of assurance. This hope corresponds to the expectation of the Jewish Scriptures— which the Christians nowcall the “old” Testament, in comparison to the “newness” of theGospel. For them, Christ fulfills all the prophecies, and this is how they present the Nativity: as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Balaam. A fulfillment, though, that infinitely surpasses it. Out of Israel has arisen a Light that has come to enlighten not only the Jewish people but human beings of all races, nationalities, and religions—including these foreign magi who practice the religion of Zoroaster and are painted in nearby frescos on their journey toward the Child. The sign of the star is extremely eloquent for the earliest Christian community: it signifies that the coming of Christ renders obsolete the beliefs in any control that the stars might exercise over human beings, and it forcefully proclaims that his Gospel is addressed to all mankind. In the obscurity of the catacombs, the prophet with the star and theMagi arriving from the East testify to a Light that is capable of dispelling all darkness, whether of ignorance of or sin, the darkness of death or the darkness of persecutions. ❖
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