Israeli scientists have discovered a poorly preserved portrait of Jesus Christ, which is very different from the traditional Christian image. It is located on the apse wall of a dilapidated church located in the ancient city of Shivta. An article about the find was published in the journal Antiquity. The relic picture depicts the face of a young man without a beard, with short curly hair, large eyes and a long nose.
The portrait was part of a larger scene, since another face was painted next to it, surrounded by a halo. The image was painted over a cruciform font, and since this arrangement is typical for scenes of the baptism of Christ, archaeologists concluded that the drawing is his portrait. The version is confirmed by the fact that baptism scenes are often found in early Christian and Byzantine art. Artists of that time traditionally painted the figure of John the Baptist much larger than Jesus.
New face of Jesus Christ discovered
Israeli scientists have discovered a poorly preserved portrait of Jesus Christ, which is very different from the traditional Christian image. It is located on the apse wall of a dilapidated church located in the ancient city of Shivta. An article about the find was published in the journal Antiquity. The relic picture depicts the face of a young man without a beard, with short curly hair, large eyes and a long nose.
The portrait was part of a larger scene, since another face was painted next to it, surrounded by a halo. The image was painted over a cruciform font, and since this arrangement is typical for scenes of the baptism of Christ, archaeologists concluded that the drawing is his portrait. The version is confirmed by the fact that baptism scenes are often found in early Christian and Byzantine art. Artists of that time traditionally painted the figure of John the Baptist much larger than Jesus.
According to researchers, such iconography of Jesus Christ was widespread in Egypt and the Levant (the territory that includes Syria and Palestine), but it disappeared from the art of Late Byzantium. It is known that at the beginning of the 6th century AD, religious authors were controversial about the appearance of Jesus. The portrait on the wall of the church most likely belongs to the same period.