Early Christian iconographic motifs developed during the early period borrowed great value from Roman and Jewish art for cultural and personal expression. From chapter seven, with the recognition of Christianity in the fourth century, the well-educated, upper-class Romans joined the Christian Church, and with them came the establishment of increasingly elaborate organizational art and architecture works.
The other associated elaborations consisted of organized doctrines, rituals, and structures. Further, with Christian worship becoming more ritualized and complicated, the buildings developed continued to borrow from special baptistries and churches that contained specialized ritual equipment.
Moreover, Stokstad and Cothren show the ritualization and complicated nature of worship led to the use of art to visualize the most significant ideas and stories associated with the life of Christ. Based on the earliest surviving Christian art, the developed motifs were attributed to early third-century art and derived their styles and imagery from the visual traditions linked to the Romans and the Jews.
With the legalization of Christianity, the Early Churches adapted and adopted the Roman structures in how they built their churches. For example, the basilica was a structure used for judicial proceedings, and the Christians appreciated its ability to accommodate large gatherings.
The Romans used the semi-circular area of the basilica as the judge’s seat, while the Christians used the same area for their altar, the seating of the priests, the bishop’s chair, and sometimes for the tombs of the saints. On modifying the basilica, the Roman sign of authority became the Christian sign of worship.