Face to Face: Portraits of the Divine in Early Christianity

Robin Margaret Jensen

Fortress Press - 234 pages

Examining how God and eventually Christ are portrayed in early Christian art, Jensen explores questions of the relationship between art and theology, conflicts over idolatry and iconography, and how the Christological controversies affected the portrayals of Christ. Since much of this art comes from ancient Rome, she places her analysis in the context of the history of Roman portraiture. One hundred photographs enhance the discussion.

Table des matières

• Visual Art Portraits and Idolatry: 1
• Historical Analyses: 4
• Art and Idolatry in the Early ThirdCentury Christian Writings: 9
• Jewish Background for Christian Rejection of Visual Art: 15
• Church Regulation: 19
• A Particular Kind of Problematic Image: 23
• The First Portraits: 30
• Image and Portrait in Roman Culture and Religion: 35
• Idealization versus Realism in Roman Portraiture: 37
• The SaviorType and the Philosopher: 42
• Funerary Portraits: 44
• Portraits and PresenceThe Image of the Emperor: 51
• The Images of the Gods: 59
• The Invisible God and the Visible Image: 69
• Refutation of Idols and Divine Theophanies: 71
• The Unity of God against the Gnostics: 74
• The Dignity of the Incarnation and the Distinction of the Persons of the Trinity: 77
• Philosophical Aniconism and the Futility of Idols: 81
• Ancient Roman Precedents for Christian Aniconism: 83
• The Philosophical Argument in the First Four Centuries CE: 86
• FirstCentury and Early Rabbinic Teachings on the Invisible God: 89
• Salvific Vision Seeing God and Living: 91
• Seeing the Divine in the Fourth and Early Fifth Centuries: 101
• The Invisible God in the Fourth Century: 103
• The Anthropomorphite Controversy: 108
• Augustine and the Problem of the Invisible God: 109
• Portrayals of God and the Trinity in Visual Art of the Third and Fourth Centuries: 115
• Portraits of the Incarnate One: 131
• Traditions and Legends regarding Jesus Appearance: 134
• Jesus Variant and Changing Appearances in Literary Sources: 139
• Jesus Variant and Changing Appearances in Art: 142
• The Beautiful Youth: 146
• The Bearded Type: 154
• Christology and the Image of Christ in Ravenna: 159
• The Transfigured Christ and the Two Natures Controversy: 165
• Christology Salvation and the Role of the Image: 170
• Early Portraits of the Saints and the Question of Likeness: 173
• Descriptions of Saints Portraits in Literary Documents: 179
• Specific Examples of Holy Portraits: 186
• Conclusion: 196
• Notes: 201
• Glossary: 223
• Select Bibliography: 225
• Index: 231

Informations bibliographiques

• Titre: Face to Face: Portraits of the Divine in Early Christianity
• Auteur: Robin Margaret Jensen
• Éditeur: Fortress Press
• ISBN: 1451417519, 9781451417517
• Longueur: 234 pages