Vatican Museums

This large sarcophagus, created by a eminent figure in the Roman Church, buried in St. Paul's Basilica around 340, is a masterpiece of early Christian art. Its name originates from the three figures involved in the Creation of Eve (the scene at the top left), in which it is suggested that the the first depiction of the divine Trinity may be recognised; more generally, the iconographic structure seems to reflect the doctrinal climate that followed the Council of Nicaea in 325, which resulted in the first formulation of the trinitarian “Creed”. The close relationship between the biblical narratives of the Old and New Testament also explains why the sarcophagus is also referred to as being "of the two Testaments". Indeed, the Creation scene in the upper register - alongside the delivery to the progenitors of the symbols of work following Original Sin - recalls the event of the Redemption, in the lower register, passing through the scenes of the Epiphany and the healing of the blind man. Returning to the top, above the round plate with the unfinished portraits of the deceased, there are the three miracles that emphasise the creative power of Christ (the wedding at Cana, the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and the resurrection of Lazarus, in part lost). Below them are scenes from the iconographic cycle of Peter: the prediction of the denial, the arrest of the Apostle and the miracle of the fount (the last two episodes are taken from the apocryphal Acts of Peter). Finally, in the centre, below the portraits of the deceased, Daniel among the lions prefigures the passion and resurrection of Christ along with the Pauline hope of the salvation of the faithful.