Catholic ping!
The earliest Christians were Jewish and they had no tradition of human forms in their religion. That changed when other peoples adopted Christ.
When Greeks (or Greek influenced peoples in the Near East) became Christianized, they adopted the human forms that made most sense to them; Jesus as the young shepherd, and the older bearded mature man (who was a teacher).
#3, which I also associate with the style of Russian iconography, I have heard shares an amazing correspondence with what the shroud of Turin reveals.
It’s always impressive to me that the incarnated Lord came with so much love that He was willing to endure being viewed as asinine, before being viewed as anything higher. The graffiti may have been intended to blaspheme, but the scripture tells us “He made Himself nothing, and took on a servant’s nature.”
Even those who hate Jesus serve as witness, against their will even, to His grace.
Are we, too, willing to show an “asinine” degree of love? I’m not touching on any political metaphor here, please, let’s stay out of that (well, we could say His love is also larger than an elephant to balance the symbolism out, but that’s all I would want to say). The problem is not God, it’s our own lack of faith to see where Jesus wants to lead. Our very best human moralizing, whether “conservative” or “liberal,” is going to fail. If Christianity only became known as a good morals society, it would have fallen short. To garb oneself in Jesus and forever listen for the heavenly Voice is the only way to succeed.
Those look like what Jesus would look. There are too many images of Christ as a European white guy. Or Tab Hunter.
Thanks for posting this.
I was lucky to see the portrait of Jesus Pantocrator in person when I visited the Monastery of St. Catherine in the Sinai in 1989. It is life-size and painted in colored wax over gold leaf and it seems almost alive in person. One minute it seems that Jesus has a stern look and the next the portrait seems to smile at you.
Isaiah 53:2b “He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”
I don’t think I will even begin to point out that without a photo, we have next to no idea what Jesus looked like.
"Little children, guard yourselves from idols."Apostle John, I John 5:21
Most believe this to be a messianic scripture. Based on this I think it's pretty fair to say that Jesus didn't want to get by on good looks. No pretenses and no airs. It does a disservice to Jesus when we try to pretend he was some greek god with wavy perfect hair.
Isn’t the mosaic image of Christ in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul older than the one in Saint Catherine’s Monastery?
Fascinating. Thank you, NYer.
For later.
In truth, only the 3rd image is a representation of Christ, as the 1st is an insulting caricature and the 2nd is a moskophoros adaptation assigning Christian ideals to a prior-use image. The fact that the oldest representation comes some 500+ years after his life does make for difficulties among the skeptics but for the believers, the Word and the Action (Gospels and Acts) are quite sufficient.
Unlike the rich and powerful of that era, a itinerate rabbi had no one to preserve his likeness for posterity. Indeed, a contemporary portrait would almost be a sign of falseness given the anti-icon attitude of that society. Is it possible that there were earlier renditions that the listed Pantocrator? Almost certainly, but with the persecutions and normal wear and tear of ordinary life, it seems fitting that this oldest image comes from the arid and preservative desert of the Sinai.
I like the Graffiti one. And of course Jesus rode into Jeruselum on a young donkey. Talk about being humble. Any other God would have said “Really? Ride in on a donkey, and in a week be Crucified!? We’ll be the laughing-stock of the world!”
My pastor likes to use the example of Judo - where one uses the strength of the opponent against them. I imagine Satan figured he had one watching Jesus die on the cross, but then Jesus used that against Satan.
A quibble, that is not a "traditional teacher's gesture," it is a depiction of the two natures of Christ- the two fingers together - and the Holy Trinity - the three fingers touching. Orthodox make the sign of the Cross with their fingers held in this same manner.
A notable feature of this icon is that the two sides of Christ's face are different; this shows His two natures.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD
thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my
commandments" (Ex. 20:4-6 AV; cf Deut. 5:7-21).
Even so:
"Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is
a shame unto him?" (1 Cor. 11:14 AV).
"Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long;
they shall only poll their heads" (Ezek. 44:20 AV).
The last Icon, from the source of the corrupted "Codex Aleph" (Codex
Sinaiticus) found by Tischendorf in the burn barrel there.
*******
He has not just one visage.
See Jesus looking out of the faces of those in whose heart He lives.