Healed King Abgar of Edessa in modern-day Urfa, Turkey, through a miraculous imageĪ similar legend adopted by Western Christianity between the 11th and 14th centuries This belief originated in the seventh century A.D., based on a legend that Christ To be self-portraits: the miraculous “image not made by human hands,” or acheiropoietos.Īcheiropoietos. The first portraits of Christ, in the sense of authoritative likenesses, were believed The theologian Richard Viladesau argues that the mature bearded Christ, with long hair in the “Syrian” style, combines characteristics of the Greek god Zeus and the Old Testament figure Samson, among others. In other common depictions, Christ wears the toga or other attributes of the emperor. Probably the most popular syncretic image is Christ as the Good Shepherd, a beardless, youthful figure based on pagan representations of Orpheus, Hermes and Meaning they combined visual formats from other cultures. To clearly indicate these roles, early Christian artists often relied on syncretism, Of Christ than about clarifying his role as a ruler or as a savior. They were less about capturing the actual appearance The earliest images of Jesus Christ emerged in the first through third centuries A.D.,Īmidst concerns about idolatry. Saul and David are explicitly called tall and handsome in the Bible, there is little indication of Jesus’ appearance in the Old or New Testaments.Įven these texts are contradictory: The Old Testament prophet Isaiah reads that theĬoming savior “ had no beauty or majesty,” while the Book of Psalms claims he was “ fairer than the children of men,” the word “fair” referring to physical beauty. ThereĪre no known images of Jesus from his lifetime, and while the Old Testament Kings But no one knows exactly what Jesus looked like. The historical Jesus likely had the brown eyes and skin of other first-century Jews from Galilee, a region in biblical Israel. Pictures of Christ made in their own image. Sallman’s painting culminates a long tradition of white Europeans creating and disseminating Through Sallman’s partnerships with two Christian publishing companies, one ProtestantĪnd one Catholic, the Head of Christ came to be included on everything from prayerĬards to stained glass, faux oil paintings, calendars, hymnals and night lights. Sallman, a former commercial artist who created art for advertising campaigns, successfully It is Warner Sallman’s light-eyed, light-haired “Head of Christ” from 1940. Sistine Chapel, were produced during this period.īut the all-time most-reproduced image of Jesus comes from another period. Some of the best-known depictions of Christ, from Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” to Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” in the Prominent scholars and the archbishop of Canterbury have called to reconsider Jesus’ portrayal as a white man.Īs a European Renaissance art historian, I study the evolving image of Jesus Christ from A.D. His concerns about the depiction of Christ and how it is used to uphold notions of Shaun King went further, suggesting that murals and artwork depicting “white Jesus” should “come This period of introspection over the legacy of racism in society.Īs protesters called for the removal of Confederate statues in the U.S., activist The portrayal of Jesus as a white, European man has come under renewed scrutiny during Art history professor Anna Swartwood House writes in The ConversationĪbout the complicated history of the images of Christ and how historically they have served many purposes. Posted on: JUpdated on: July 22, 2020Īnna Swartwood House, one knows exactly what Jesus looked like, and there are no known images of himįrom his lifetime. The long history of how Jesus came to resemble a white European Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.Library Annex and Conservation Facility.College of Information and Communications.College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management."God's Word for Me When." and "God's Word for Me About.The ESV Children’s Bible is a colorful Bible that kids will love! such as salvation, prayer, and Bible reading/memorization. Additional content includes a dictionary, Old and New Testament timelines, child-friendly maps and charts, and help in directing children to key Scriptures on various topics. A redesign of the original, the ESV Children's Bible helps children ages 5–10 see Bible stories come to life.Īn ideal "intermediary" between storybook and study Bibles, the ESV Holy Bible for Kids offers God's Word along with features young readers love!Īn ideal "intermediary" between storybook and study Bibles, it includes the complete ESV Bible text with more than 200 vibrant, full-color illustrations of Bible events and characters.
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