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13 he Remarkable Sculpture fount* in On
of the Earliest Christian ^>omta in Asia
which Shows the Saviour as a ,Smiling
orroios
| f | Constantinople. According to Dr Franklin Hamilton, a high
Iprsfm authority on Christian art. It dates from the beginning of the
third century, or possibly the end of the second century. In
other words. It dates from somewhere between 190 and 210 A. D. This
means that It was made within two or three generations of the lifetime
of the Saviour. •
It was found In an early Christian tomb near Damascus, to which the
church extended in the lifetime of the apostles. Work of this character
is extremely scarce. Only for a brief period could It have been permis
sible to make a statue of the Saviour In the Byzantine Church, which
later developed In this region. It was forbidden to make statuary of Christ
or other sacred personages.
It is possible that some of the pictures of the Saviour in the cata
combs at Rome are somewhat though not considerably older than thft
statue. There Is also the Sacred Shroud preserved at Turin. wMch Is said
to bear the Saviour’s likeness made by the impression of His own body.
For the statue the claim is made that it is the oldest carved portrait
This statue represents the Saviour as a shepherd bearing a lamb upon
His back. The artist must have known exactly how a Hebrew shepherd
of the Saviour’s time looked.
"It Is of quaint design." says Dr Hamilton "It is battered, squat, un-
The Portrait in the Catacomb of Pontianus at Rome.
Said to Have Been Made by an Artist
The Statue
Constantinople,
Now
Declared to Be
Oldest Carved
Representation
of the
Saviour,
Dating Between
the End
of the
Second and
the
Beginning of
the
Third Century.
Who Had Seen the Saviour.
Ancient Byzantine Picture of the Saviour, Showing the
Beardless Type Followed by Some Early Artists.
piled an ingenious argument that the traditional portrait of the Saviour,
followed by nearly all the great painters of the Middle Ages, is an actual
likeness. This type shows a bearded face of long, delicate oval form and
regular features.
Sir Wyke Bayliss contends that it is based on the portraits in the
Catacombs. One of these portraits, that in the Catacomb of St. Callixtus,
he believes to have been made by an artist who had seen the Saviour.
Another of very early date is in the Catacomb of Pontianus.
If this bearded type Is a true likeness, then the shephem -»■
hardly be so. But the beardless type Is also found among the portraits s.
the Saviour in the Catacombs, and it is the type usually follower- ih the
early pictures of the Eastern Church. It is possible that among the first
Christians there were some who sought to make an authentic likened' of
the Saviour and others who preferred to create a type that best repre
sented their idea of the divine appearance- ,
Again, it is probable that the early Christians during the times of per
secution In Rome, were afraid to place actual likeness where they might
be seen by the authorities. They therefore used symbol in their art.
Thus Christ subduing the hearts of men is typified in the form Of
Orpheus attracting the wild beasts with his lyre. Christ as a shepherd is
represented by a youth carrying a lamb.
The shepherd symbol was naturally a favorite one with the first
Christians. The Saviour was regarded as a shepherd by the humble and
suffering people, who were the first to accept His teachings. In the pas
sages in the Old Testament foreshadowing His coming He is spoken of as
a shepherd who will save the sheep from the slaughter. It is a beautiful
symbol, and one that appeals naturally to a simple people, who were
largely following pastoral and agricultural pursuits.
symmetrical Untrained hands formed it. The casual eye would scarce
deign to rest upon such a monument, and yet how full of meaning, how
unspeakably precious is this rude monolith! It is the earliest known
carved representation of the Lord.
"It shows an Oriental shepherd of grotesque but gentle mien. He is
a toiler, a peasant. He is coarsely garbed and smiling. On his broad, bent
shoulders rests a lamb
"I am glad that those first Christians did not picture the Lord as a
conqueror, who builded His throne on the tears and blood of humanity.
He marched to conquest, but not with horses and chariots. He went with
music, a shepherd’s song.’’
Dr. Hamilton has collected a quantity of interesting evidence in favor
of the antiquity of the statue. There are many frescoes and drawings of
the Saviour dating from the earliest centuries, but the number of "free
statues” of Him is exceedingly small. There are four of them in Rome,
two being in the Lateran Museum under the direct authority of the Pope,
and one in Seville, Spain. They all represent the Saviour as a shepherd.
To none of these five does Dr. Hamilton concede a date earlier than
the fourth century, while the Constantinople statue is at least a century
earlier, as has been explained.
Dr. Hamilton admits that some of the pictured representations of the
Saviour are probably older. Among these he counts the pagan graffito, or
scratched drawing in the palace of the Caesars at Rome, which he dates
from the middle of the second century. Another of very early date is a
Catacomb portrait showing Jesus as Orpheus playing a lyre.
The question whether any of these pictures is an authentic likeness
of the Saviour has been much disputed. The late Canon Farrar held that
the true likeness was lost. Sir Wyke Bayliss, an English artist, has com-
The
Sacred
Shroud
Preserved
Turin.
Believed
the
Saviour's
Own
Body.
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