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Jesus Image Gallery What did Jesus look like?
A gallery of images of Jesus, arranged in chronological order from the most ancient to the most recent.
What did Jesus Christ look like? No one knows for sure. The New Testament provides almost no physical descriptions. The earliest surviving portraits of Jesus date from over two hundred years after his lifetime.
Jesus was first represented by symbols like a lamb or fish. The earliest known image of Jesus is a fresco of the healing of the paralytic at Dura-Europos (c. 230-40). Jesus first appears with a beard in the late 4th century (and then not consistently). The earliest depiction of the crucifixion is on a sarcophagus dated c. 420.
To illustrate how Jesus has been depicted throughout history, ReligionFacts presents the following Jesus Image Gallery: portraits of Jesus arranged in chronological order from the most ancient to the most recent. Some of these images of Jesus might give us clues about what he may have really looked like, such as the alleged shroud imprints and modern forensic reconstructions. But the vast majority are symbolic representations or reflections of the artist's own time, culture and perceptions of Jesus, not attempts to show what he actually looked like.
Alexamenos Graffito, Rome, c. 200
Healing the Paralytic, Dura-Europos, c. 232
Christ as Sun God, Vatican, 3C
Good Shepherd, Italy, c. 290
Good Shepherd, Rome, c. 320-40
Raising of Lazarus, Arles, c. 330
With Chi-Rho, English Villa, 4C
Raising of Lazarus, Toulouse, 4C
Teaching, Roman Catacomb, c. 350-75
Teaching, Vatican, c. 360
Crucifixion, Roman Ivory, c. 420-30
Christ Enthroned, Ravenna, early 5C
Casting Out Demons, Ravenna, early 5C
Good Shepherd, Ravenna, c. 430
Crucifixion, Rome, c. 430
Giving Keys, Rome, 5C
Baptism of Christ, Ravenna, late 5C
Raising of Lazarus, Ravenna, c. 500
Youthful Redeemer, Ravenna, 526-47
Christ with Dolphins, Ravenna, 526-47
Second Coming, Rome, c. 530
Christ Pantocrator, Sinai, 6C
Crucifixion, Rabbula Gospels, Syria, 6C
Christ in Majesty, Northumbria, c. 700
Christ Enthroned, Book of Kells, c. 800
Ceiling Mosaic, Rome, c. 850
Arrest of Christ, Ireland, c. 900
Christ Enthroned, Constantinople, mid-10C
Christ Enthroned, Armenia, 989
Trial of Christ, Hildesheim, 1015
Crucifixion, Verona, c. 1100
Christ and Apostles, Catalan, c. 1100
Post-Resurrection, France, c. 1112
Supper at Emmaus, Chartres, c. 1150
Transfiguration, France, 12C
Deposition of Christ, Parma, 1178
Pharisees Turn Away, Canterbury, c. 1180
Raising of Lazarus, Chartres, c. 1205-15
Christ in Majesty, Chartres, c. 1220
Christ with Saints, Anagni, 1237
Christ in Majesty, Florence, 13C
Disciples Following, Chartres, 13C
Baptism of Christ, Parma, c. 1270
Shroud of Turin, c. 1300?
Bust of Christ, Oxford, c. 1300
Islamic Jesus, Iran, 1307-8
Crucifix, Lippo di Benivieni, early 14C
Trial of Christ, England, 14C
Christ the Redeemer, Andrei Rublev, c. 1425
Transfiguration, Raphael, 1516-20
With Adulterer, Lucas Cranach, 1532
Christ Blessing Children, Germany, c. 1550
Mandylion Icon, Simon Ushakov, 17C
Christ at 33, Heinrich Hofmann, 1889
Head of Christ, Walter Sallman, 1940
Black Jesus, Vincent Barzoni, 20C
Jesus Christ, Superstar, 1973
Christ the Yogi, 1984
Mormon Jesus, Del Parson, 1992
Forensic Reconstruction, 2002
The Passion of the Christ, 2004
Article Info
| Title | Jesus Image Gallery |
|---|---|
| Published | January 12, 2006 |
| Last Updated | May 19, 2017 |
| URL | www.religionfacts.com/ |
| Short URL | rlft.co/3763 |
| MLA Citation | “Jesus Image Gallery.” ReligionFacts.com. 19 May. 2017. Web. Accessed 26 Oct. 2018. <www.religionfacts.com/ |