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The scala coeli, literally “ladder of heaven,” refers primarily to Jacob’s vision of angels ascending and descending a ladder to heaven (Gen 28:10–17). In iconography, the essential components include Jacob reclining on the ground, asleep, and one or more angels on a ladder above him. This visual motif is also used to depict the spiritual ascent of souls to heaven.Biblical SourcesNumerous accounts of ascents to heaven are found in biblical and extrabiblical texts (e.g. Gen 5:18–24; Kgs 2; Luke 24:50–52; Acts: 1–12; 2 Cor 12:1–12; 1 Enoch), but the primary source for the scala coeli is the…

In early Christian art, the good shepherd motif refers to the symbolic representation of Jesus Christ (Christ, Jesus, 01: Survey) in a variety of media; he is typically pictured as a beardless, tunic- and sandal-clad man who carries a bag of stones on his belt or a milk bucket in one hand. He either stands bearing a sheep or goat on his shoulders or sits on a rock, often accompanied by one or more other sheep or goats. The shepherd may also be depicted milking an ewe. This motif had its o…

The term “halo” is often used generically to label a family of symbols in sacred art that are in fact distinguishable. Halo derives from the Greek for “disk of the sun” and nimbus from the Latin for “cloud.” Both terms can be applied to the aura that surrounds the heads of holy, divine, and allegorical figures in visual art. Similarly, the aureaole, which is diminutive of the Latin “aurea,” meaning “golden,” can refer either to a halo of the head or of the full body – usually more of an ambiguous glow than a distinct shape. The mandorla refers to an almond-shaped full-body aura. The vesica piscis (“f…