Early Depictions of Christ in the Ante-Nicene Period

<h1>Historical Background</h1> <p>In the formative years of the early church, depictions of the Messiah were a controversial subject. Important figures like Clement of Alexandria, and Irenaeus of Smyrna, drew ire toward the idea of artistic interpretations of the figure of Christ. These opinions reflect a reservation held by some early churches towards material icons (often called Aniconism), a philosophy that regularly manifested itself and receded throughout the Old World in both destructive Iconoclasms (such as the one in Byzantine), and more peaceful removals of Christ-like works from places of worship.</p> <h1>The Early Works</h1> <p>As with many early records of a historical period, the &ldquo;first depiction&rdquo; of Christ is subject to copious debate. Historical consensus currently shows that the earliest representations of Jesus appear between the 3rd and 4th century, CE. The first work we will discuss, however, is an oddly hostile one.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/@ZeekH/early-depictions-of-christ-in-the-ante-nicene-period-862ef2f6f25c"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>