in two-dimensional art, "hermes kriophoros" transformed into the christ carrying a lamb and walking among his sheep: "thus we find philosophers holding scrolls or a hermes kriophoros which can be turned into christ giving the law (traditio legis) and the good shepherd respectively". the good shepherd is a common motif from the catacombs of rome (gardner, 10, fig 54) and in sarcophagus reliefs, where christian and pagan symbolism are often combined, making secure identifications difficult.