11th-century Christ Pantocrator with the halo in a cross form, used throughout the Middle Ages

There is no undisputed historical depiction of Jesus. The most common illustrations are Christian icons. Images flourished in Medieval art. Most surviving images of Jesus have in common a number of appearance traits which are now almost universally associated with Jesus despite lack of evidence for the accuracy of these depictions. The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... For other uses, see Pantokrator (disambiguation). ... A halo (Greek: ; also known as a nimbus, glory, or Gloriole) is a ring of light that surrounds an object. ... A reliquary in the form of an ornate Christian Cross Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Topics in Christianity Preaching Prayer Ecumenism Relation to other religions Movements Music Liturgy Calendar Symbols Art Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... This article is about the religious artifacts. ... Byzantine monumental Church mosaics are a crowning glory of Medieval Art. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

General history

No detailed physical description of Jesus is contained in any of the canonical Gospels. During the Roman Empire's persecution of Christians, Christian art was necessarily furtive and ambiguous. The earliest surviving Christian art comes from the late 2nd and early 4th centuries on the walls of Christian tombs in the catacombs of Rome. Here, Jesus is portrayed in two different ways: older, bearded and robed, and as a bare-faced youth holding a staff. He uses the staff to change water to wine, multiply the bread and fishes, and raise Lazarus. When pictured healing, he only lays on hands. The staff is thought to be a symbol of power. The bare-faced youth with the staff may indicate that the Jesus was thought of as a user of magic or a wonder worker by some Early Christians.^[1][2] Some scholars suggest that the Gospel of Mark, the Secret Gospel of Mark and The Gospel of John (the so-called Signs Gospel), portray such a wonder worker, user of magic, a magician, or a Divine man.^[3] (Only the Apostle Peter is also depicted in ancient art with a wand). The mysterious images of "The Good Shepherd" a beardless youth in pastoral scenes collecting sheep; also found in this early art, are also interpreted by some as Jesus, or the Shepherd of Hermas.^[4][5] Once the bearded, long-haired Jesus became the official and traditional representation of Jesus, his facial features slowly began to be standardised, although this process took until at least the 6th century. Egyptologist John Romer, in his Seven Wonders of the World, has pointed out the portrayal of Jesus is very similar to the surviving portrayals of Zeus or Jupiter, the father of the pagans Gods, who was the protector of the Roman empire. The apostle Paul urges first century Christian men not to have long hair^[6]. Jesus was a practicing Jew so presumably had a beard. A biblical canon is a list of Biblical books which establishes the set of books which are considered to be authoritative as scripture by a particular Jewish or Christian community. ... For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... A Christian Dirce, by Henryk Siemiradzki. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... For the New York prison see The Tombs. ... A procession in the catacomb of Callistus. ... In the Christian New Testament, the Gospel of John refers a number of times to a town called Cana of Galilee. ... The Feeding of the 5000 redirects here. ... Resurrection of Lazarus by Juan de Flandes, around 1500 For other uses, see Lazarus (disambiguation). ... The laying on of hands is a religious practice found throughout the world in varying forms. ... The Early Christians is a term used to refer to the early followers of Jesus of Nazareth, before the emergence of established Christian orthodoxy. ... The Gospel of Mark, anonymous[1] but traditionally ascribed to Mark the Evangelist, is a synoptic gospel of the New Testament. ... The Secret Gospel of Mark refers to a non-canonical gospel which is the subject of the Mar Saba letter, a previously unknown letter attributed to Clement of Alexandria which Morton Smith claimed to have found transcribed into the endpapers of a 17th century printed edition of Ignatius. ... The Gospel according to John is the fourth gospel document in the sequence of the canon of the New Testament, and scholars agree it was the fourth to be written down. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The 5th-century Ravenna mosaic illustrating the parable. ... For other uses, see Pastoral (disambiguation). ... Species See text. ... The Shepherd of Hermas is a Christian work of the first or second century which had great authority in ancient times and was considered by some as one of the books of the Bible. ... Born in 1941 in Surrey, John Romer is a noted British Egyptologist, historian and archaeologist, who has created and appeared in many acclaimed TV archaeology series, including Romers Egypt, Ancient Lives, Testament, The Seven Wonders of the World, Byzantium and Great Excavations: The Story of Archaeology. ... For other uses, see Zeus (disambiguation). ... For the planet see Jupiter. ...

Christian depiction of Jesus

The earliest Christians did not often depict Jesus, if they did at all, using instead symbols such as the Ichthys (fish), the Labarum (or Chi-Rho), or an anchor. Common themes in early Christian art are Jesus as a healer and the baptism of Jesus (who is generally shown standing in water up to the ankles, as John the Baptist pours water over his head). This sort of imagery dominated the first centuries of Christian art. The ichthys has been used to represent a number of ideas. ... The Labarum An image of the labarum, with the Greek letters Alpha and Omega inscribed. ... This article is about the Christian religious act of Baptism. ... For the hip-hop producer with the same name, see John the Baptist (producer). ...

As Christianity emerged from the catacombs and became a state religion, the images of Jesus began to take on a more imperial look. He was depicted in royal robes, and the halo became very prominent. Themes of the Good Shepherd still remain, as can be seen on the apse mosaic in the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano in Rome, where the twelve apostles are depicted as twelve sheep below the imperial Jesus. By this time Jesus had begun to be depicted with the distinctive "look" that dominated much of the history of art, with shoulder-length hair and a beard. Jesus is usually depicted with a round halo bearing a cross, as in this dome mosaic from the Church of Daphni in Athens. ... This article is about an architectural feature; for the astronomical term see apsis. ... This article is about a decorative art. ... View of the Neapolitan Crib of the Basilica from the Palatine Hill. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      For...

French scholar Paul Vignon has listed fifteen similarities (like tilaka) between most of the icons of Jesus at the time, particularly in the icons of "Christ Pantocrator" ("The all-powerful Messiah"). He claims that these are due to the availability of the Image of Edessa (which he claims to be identical to the Shroud of Turin) to the artists. In Hinduism, the tilaka (pronounced tilak) is a mark worn on the forehead and other parts of the body. ... According to the legend, King Abgarus received the Image of Edessa from the apostle Thaddeus. ... The first photo of the Shroud of Turin, taken in 1898. ...

Alexamenos graffito

Main article: Alexamenos graffito

Engraving of a crucified donkey believed to be an early anti-Christian graffito, it reads: "Alexamenos worships god."

The earliest image believed by some to be of Jesus is a piece of wall graffiti near the Palatine hill in Rome. The inscription has been ascribed dates ranging from from the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD. ^{[7][8][9][10][11]}.It was apparently drawn by a Roman soldier to mock another soldier who was a Christian. The caption reads, in Greek, "Alexamenos worships God", while the image shows a man raising his hand toward a crucified figure with a donkey's head. The head of the donkey seems to refer to a Roman misconception about Jewish religion, so that the image would be at once anti-Semitic and anti-Christian. A small minority of scholars dispute whether this image depicts Jesus, proposing that this image may be a reference to another deity.^[12] The Alexamenos graffito The Alexamenos graffito (also known as the graffito blasfemo[1]) is an inscription on a wall near the Palatine hill in Rome. ... The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). ... 17th century aviaries on the hill, built by Rainaldi for Odoardo Cardinal Farnese: once wirework cages surmounted them. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... Anti-Christianity is the criticism of the Christian religion based on alleged mischaracterizations, stereotypes, and negative prejudices. ...

Conventional depictions

Conventional depictions of Christ include:

• Madonna and child
• Nativity of Jesus in art
• Adoration of the Shepherds
• Adoration of the Magi
• Christ among the doctors
• Baptism of the Lord
• Man of sorrow
• Pensive Christ
• Crucifixion
• Descent from the Cross
• Pieta (mother and dead son)
• Resurrected Christ
• Lamb of God
• Christ in Majesty
• Christ Pantokrator
• Sacred Heart
• Last Judgement

In Jörg Breu the Youngers painting, the Madonna and Child fix the spectator with a gaze that invites the pious to contemplation and prayer The Madonna and Child is one of the central icons of Christianity. ... Anbetung der Hirten (Adoration of the Shepherds) by Carlo Crivelli (1490) The Adoration of the shepherds, in Christian iconography, is a scene in which shepherds are near witnesses to the birth of Jesus, at his birthplace, typically depicted as a barn, near Bethlehem. ... Adoration of the Magi by Bartolomé Estéban Murillo The Adoration of the Magi is the name traditionally given to a Christian religious scene in which the three Magi, almost always represented as kings, having found Jesus by following a star, lay before him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh... The Baptism of the Lord is the name of a feast day observed in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican (Episcopalian) Church. ... For other uses, see Crucifixion (disambiguation). ... Rogier van der Weyden. ... This article is about a form of art. ... A diagram of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre based on a german documentary, claimed to be the site of Calvary and the Tomb of Jesus. ... For the band, see Lamb of God (band). ... The Christian icon of Christ in Majesty, in the Greek-speaking East the Deesis, was developed under Imperial patronage and survives, in its earliest examples, in Byzantine mosaics. ... Pantocrator or Pantokrator (from the Greek Παντοκράτωρ) is one of many titles ascribed to the divine in Western religion. ... Typical illustration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ The Sacred Heart is a religious devotion to Jesus physical heart. ... The Last Judgment is a Christian notion that is the topic of many significant paintings, including: The Last Judgment (Angelico) - Fra Angelico The Last Judgment (Bosch) - Hieronymus Bosch The Last Judgment (Memling) - Hans Memling The Last Judgment (Michelangelo) - Michelangelo The Last Judgment (Roger van der Weyden) - Roger van der Weyden...

Unconventional depictions

Many modern artists have focused on the incarnational aspects of the Jesus story and thus some have created images with unconventional depictions of Jesus, sometimes to reflect a belief in the universality and non-literal existence of Jesus. Hence there are paintings of black, European, and Chinese Jesuses, and also of Jesus as a woman. Look up incarnation, incarnate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Miraculous images

Main article: Acheiropoieta

Secondo Pia's negative of his photo of the Shroud of Turin. Many Christians believe this image to be the Holy Face of Jesus

There are, however, some images which have been claimed to realistically show how Jesus looked. One early tradition, recorded by Eusebius of Caesarea, says that Jesus once washed his face with water and then dried it with a cloth, leaving an image of his face imprinted on the cloth. This was sent by him to King Abgarus of Edessa, who had sent a messenger asking Jesus to come and heal him of his disease. This image, called the Mandylion or Image of Edessa, appears in history in around 525. Numerous replicas of this "image not made by human hands" remain in circulation. As recently as the 19th century, it was not uncommon to find prints of this icon in the homes of Anglicans, along with framed copies of the correspondence between Jesus Christ and the King of Edessa.^{[citation needed]} Image of the Saviour Not Made by Hand: a traditional Orthodox iconography in the interpretation of Simon Ushakov (1658). ... Categories: Stub ... The first photo of the Shroud of Turin, taken in 1898. ... Secondo Pias negative of the image on the Shroud of Turin. ... Eusebius of Caesarea Eusebius of Caesarea (c. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Tenth-century icon of Abgar with the mandylion, the image of Christ Abgar V or Abgarus V of Edessa (4 BC - AD 7 and AD 13 - 50) is a historical ruler of the kingdom of Osroene, holding his capital at Edessa. ... According to the legend, King Abgarus received the Image of Edessa from the apostle Thaddeus. ... Events Bernicia settled by the Angles Ethiopia conquers Yemen The Daisan river, a tributary of the Euphrates, floods Edessa and within a couple of hours fills the entire city except for the highest parts. ... Image of the Saviour Not Made by Hand: a traditional Orthodox iconography in the interpretation of Simon Ushakov (1658). ...

The current image used by the Vatican is based on the Shroud of Turin, whose records go back to 1353. Controversy still surrounds the Shroud of Turin and some have speculated it to be the same image as the Mandylion of Edessa, which disappeared in the wars surrounding the fall of the Byzantine Empire shortly before then. The image from the Shroud of Turin is based on amateur photographer Secondo Pia's photograph of 1898 and is used by the Vatican as part of the official Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. The image can not be clearly seen on the Shroud of Turin with the naked eye and surprised Pia to the extent that he stated that he almost dropped and broke the photographic plate when he first saw the developed image on it the evening of May 28, 1898. The first photo of the Shroud of Turin, taken in 1898. ... Events The Decameron was finished by Giovanni Boccaccio. ... Byzantine redirects here. ... Categories: Stub ... Secondo Pias negative of the image on the Shroud of Turin. ... The first photo of the Shroud of Turin, taken in 1898. ...

Prior to 1898 devotions to the Holy Face of Jesus used an image based on the Veil of Veronica, where legend recounts that Veronica from Jerusalem encountered Jesus along the Via Dolorosa on the way to Calvary. When she paused to wipe the sweat from Jesus's face with her veil, the image was imprinted on the cloth. Secondo Pias negative of the image on the Shroud of Turin. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A Reenacting of the event in the Via Dolorosa Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic... Golgotha redirects here. ...

The establishment of these images as Catholic devotions traces back to Sister Marie of St Peter and the Venerable Leo Dupont who started and promoted them from 1844 to 1874 in Tours France, and Sister Maria Pierina De Micheli who associated the image from the Shroud of Turin with the devotion in 1936 in Milan Italy. Catholic devotions are prayer forms which are not part of the official public liturgy of the Church but are part of the popular spiritual practices of Catholics. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A Stained Glass image of Venerable Father Samuel Mazzuchelli in St. ... The Venerable Leo Dupont Leo Dupont (1797 – †1876), also known as The Holy Man of Tours, was a religious figure in the Roman Catholic faith who helped spread various Catholic devotions such as the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and the nightly adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. ... Tours is a city in France, the préfecture (capital city) of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. ... Sister Maria Pierina De Micheli (1900 - †1945) was a Roman Catholic nun who was born near Milan Italy. ... For other uses, see Milan (disambiguation). ...

There are also icon compositions of Jesus and Mary that are traditionally believed by many Orthodox to have originated in paintings by Luke the Evangelist. This article is about the religious artifacts. ... in Christianity: Eastern Christianity Oriental Orthodoxy Orthodox Christianity Orthodoxy by country in Judaism: Orthodox Judaism Modern Orthodox Judaism Jewish organisations: Orthodox Union Categories: ... Luke the Evangelist (לוקא, Greek: Loukas) is said by tradition to be the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the third and fifth books of the New Testament. ...

Jesus in Islam

Several Hadith quote the Prophet Muhammad describing Isa (the Islamic name of Jesus) as he appeared in a dream, and during prophet Muhammad's ascension to Heaven: Hadith ( transliteration: ) are oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of Prophet Muhammad. ... Look up isa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Isra is an Arabic word referring to what Muslims regard as Muhammads miraculous night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem - specifically, to the site of Masjid al-Aqsa - alluded to in Surat Al-Isra 1: سبحان الذي أسرى بعبده ليلاً من المسجد الحرام إلى المسجد الأقصى الذي باركنا حوله Glory...

"Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet mentioned...While sleeping near the Ka'ba last night, I saw in my dream a man of brown color the best one can see amongst brown color and his hair was long that it fell between his shoulders. His hair was lank and water was dribbling from his head and he was placing his hands on the shoulders of two men while circumambulating the Kaba. I asked, 'Who is this?' They replied, 'This is Jesus, son of Mary.'" (Bukhari 4:55:649)

"Narrated Salim from his father: No, By Allah, the Prophet did not tell that Jesus was of red complexion but said, "While I was asleep circumambulating the Ka'ba (in my dream), suddenly I saw a man of brown complexion and lank hair walking between two men, and water was dropping from his head. I asked, 'Who is this?' The people said, 'He is the son of Mary.'" (Bukhari 4:55:650)

"Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "On the night of my Ascension to Heaven...I saw Jesus who was of average height with red face as if he had just come out of a bathroom." (Bukhari 4:55:607)

Examples

Sculpture

See also

• Christ the Redeemer (statue)
• Christ the Redeemer (icon)
• Crucifixion
• Holy card
• Iconography
• The Last Supper (Leonardo)
• Michelangelo's Pietà
• Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena
• Race of Jesus
• Salvator Mundi
• Veil of Veronica

Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro Christ the Redeemer (Portuguese: ), is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ... Christ the Redeemer is an icon painted by Andrei Rublev in 1409. ... For other uses, see Crucifixion (disambiguation). ... A German holy card from around 1910 depicts the Crucifixion. ... Look up Iconography in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the painting by Leonardo da Vinci. ... This article is about the most famous Pietà Florentine Pietà (or Deposition), the Rondanini Pietà and the Palestrina Pietà The Pietà (1498–99) by Michelangelo is a marble sculpture in St. ... Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena include sightings of images with religious themes, especially the faces of religious figures, in ordinary phenomena. ... Black Jesus redirects here. ... Titians version of Salvator Mundi (1570). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

1. ^ New Catholic Encyclopedia: Portraits of the Apostles
2. ^ The Two Faces of Jesus by Robin M. Jensen, Bible Review, 17.8, Oct 2002
3. ^ Jesus, the Magician by Morton Smith, Harper & Row, 1978.
4. ^ The Two Faces of Jesus by Robin M. Jensen, Bible Review, 17.8, October 2002
5. ^ Understanding Early Christian Art by Robin M. Jensen, Routledge, 2000
6. ^ 1 Corinthians 11:7: 1 Cor 11:7
7. ^ Michael Green, Evangelism in the Early Church, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, p. 244
8. ^ David L. Balch, Carolyn Osiek, Early Christian Families in Context: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003, p. 103
9. ^ B. Hudson MacLean, An introduction to Greek epigraphy of the Hellenistic and Roman periods from Alexander the Great down to the reign of Constantine, University of Michigan Press, 2002, p. 208
10. ^ p. 207
11. ^ http://faculty.bbc.edu/rdecker/alex_graffito.htm
12. ^ B. Hudson MacLean, An introduction to Greek epigraphy of the Hellenistic and Roman periods from Alexander the Great down to the reign of Constantine, University of Michigan Press, 2002, p. 208

External links

• Orthodox Iconography by Elias Damianakis
• Icons of Jesus in the Byzantine tradition at monasteryicons.com
• Pictures of Jesus Perhaps Derived from the Shroud of Turin December 2005
• Pictures of Jesus gathered from sites along the Old Silk Road, most dating to his lifetime: includes color paintings found in Ajanta Caves.
• Pictures of Jesus & His Tomb
• Christ Pantocrator Icon and the Shroud of Turin Visual comparison and analysis
• Picture of Jesus, Mystery of the Second Face
• Warner Sallman's Head of Christ: An American Icon