Face to Face : Portraits of the Divine in Early Christianity

by Jensen, Robin Margaret

• ISBN13: 9780800660925
• ISBN10: 0800660927
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-11-01
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Pub

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Robin Margaret Jensen is Luce Chancellor's Professor of the History of Christian Worship and Art at Vanderbilt University Divinity School.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Abbreviations	xv
1. Visual Art, Portraits, and Idolatry	1	(34)
Early Christian Views of Visual Art: Historical Analyses	4	(5)
Art and Idolatry in the Early Third-Century Christian Writings	9	(6)
Jewish Background for Christian Rejection of Visual Art	15	(4)
The Earliest Examples and Types of Christian Visual Art: Church Regulation	19	(4)
Portraits: A Particular Kind of Problematic Image	23	(7)
The First Portraits	30	(5)
2. Image and Portrait in Roman Culture and Religion	35	(34)
Idealization versus Realism in Roman Portraiture	37	(5)
The Savior-Type and the Philosopher	42	(2)
Funerary Portraits	44	(7)
Portraits and Presence-The Image of the Emperor	51	(8)
The Images of the Gods	59	(10)
3.The Invisible God and the Visible Image	69	(32)
Justin Martyr: Refutation of Idols and Divine Theophanies	71	(3)
Irenaeus: The Unity of God against the Gnostics	74	(3)
Tertullian: The Dignity of the Incarnation and the Distinction of the Persons of the Trinity	77	(4)
Clement of Alexandria: Philosophical Aniconism and the Futility of Idols	81	(2)
Ancient Roman Precedents for Christian Aniconism	83	(3)
The Philosophical Argument in the First Four Centuries C.E.	86	(3)
First-Century and Early Rabbinic Teachings on the Invisible God	89	(2)
Theophilus, Novatian, and Origen: Salvific Vision ("Seeing God and Living")	91	(10)
4. Seeing the Divine in the Fourth and Early Fifth Centuries	101	(30)
The Invisible God in the Fourth Century	103	(5)
The Anthropomorphite Controversy	108	(1)
Augustine and the Problem of the Invisible God	109	(6)
Portrayals of God and the Trinity in Visual Art of the Third and Fourth Centuries	115	(16)
5. Portraits of the Incarnate One	131	(42)
Traditions and Legends regarding Jesus' Appearance	134	(5)
Jesus' Variant and Changing Appearances in Literary Sources	139	(3)
Jesus' Variant and Changing Appearances in Art	142	(4)
Jesus as Savior and Healer: The Beautiful Youth	146	(8)
Jesus as Teacher, Philosopher, and Ruler: The Bearded Type	154	(5)
Christology and the Image of Christ in Ravenna	159	(6)
The Transfigured Christ and the Two Natures Controversy	165	(5)
Christology, Salvation, and the Role of the Image	170	(3)
6. Early Portraits of the Saints and the Question of Likeness	173	(28)
Descriptions of Saints' Portraits in Literary Documents	179	(7)
Specific Examples of Holy Portraits	186	(10)
The Question of Likeness: Conclusion	196	(5)
Notes	201	(22)
Glossary	223	(2)
Select Bibliography	225	(6)
Index	231