This thesis examines the symbolism of the pomegranate from antiquity to the late nineteenth century. Beginning with the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone and the literature of the Old Testament, this fruit was employed to symbolize the cosmic cycle of life and death as well as the promise of immortality. The early Christians adopted this powerful image to represent the same themes in the life and work of Jesus Christ and the Church itself. This symbolism appears in art and literature throughout the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance period as well as in the nineteenth century. In both of these latter periods the pomegranate appears as a symbol of ancient myths and Christian themes.
The pomegranate can thus be seen as an archetypal image representative of fertility, death, rebirth and resurrection. This thesis demonstrates how the ancient seeds of Persephone flowered into the symbolism of Christianity and continued to inspire artists and writers through the nineteenth century.
-Thesis excerpt-
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis examines the symbolism of the pomegranate from antiquity to the late nineteenth century. Beginning with the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone and the literature of the Old Testament, this fruit was employed to symbolize the cosmic cycle of life and death as well as the promise of immortality. The early Christians adopted this powerful image to represent the same themes in the life and work of Jesus Christ and the Church itself. This symbolism appears in art and literature throughout the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance period as well as in the nineteenth century. In both of these latter periods the pomegranate appears as a symbol of ancient myths and Christian themes.</p> <p>The pomegranate can thus be seen as an archetypal image representative of fertility, death, rebirth and resurrection. This thesis demonstrates how the ancient seeds of Persephone flowered into the symbolism of Christianity and continued to inspire artists and writers through the nineteenth century.</p> <p>-Thesis excerpt-</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hadley, Kathryn"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Humanities","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Leslie Ross, PhD","James Mullane, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1998,"date_issued":"1998-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1998-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:05:51Z","subjects":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/201","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Leslie Ross, PhD","James Mullane, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hadley, Kathryn"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Humanities"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/201"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis examines the symbolism of the pomegranate from antiquity to the late nineteenth century. Beginning with the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone and the literature of the Old Testament, this fruit was employed to symbolize the cosmic cycle of life and death as well as the promise of immortality. The early Christians adopted this powerful image to represent the same themes in the life and work of Jesus Christ and the Church itself. This symbolism appears in art and literature throughout the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance period as well as in the nineteenth century. In both of these latter periods the pomegranate appears as a symbol of ancient myths and Christian themes.
The pomegranate can thus be seen as an archetypal image representative of fertility, death, rebirth and resurrection. This thesis demonstrates how the ancient seeds of Persephone flowered into the symbolism of Christianity and continued to inspire artists and writers through the nineteenth century.
-Thesis excerpt-
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Seeds of Change: A History of he Pomegranate as Symbol in Art and Literature"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Leslie Ross, PhD","James Mullane, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Hadley, Kathryn"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis examines the symbolism of the pomegranate from antiquity to the late nineteenth century. Beginning with the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone and the literature of the Old Testament, this fruit was employed to symbolize the cosmic cycle of life and death as well as the promise of immortality. The early Christians adopted this powerful image to represent the same themes in the life and work of Jesus Christ and the Church itself. This symbolism appears in art and literature throughout the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance period as well as in the nineteenth century. In both of these latter periods the pomegranate appears as a symbol of ancient myths and Christian themes.
The pomegranate can thus be seen as an archetypal image representative of fertility, death, rebirth and resurrection. This thesis demonstrates how the ancient seeds of Persephone flowered into the symbolism of Christianity and continued to inspire artists and writers through the nineteenth century.
-Thesis excerpt-
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/201"],"dc:subject":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"dc:title":["Seeds of Change: A History of he Pomegranate as Symbol in Art and Literature"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Humanities"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:05:51Z"}