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Archaeologists in Israel have discovered a painting of Jesus Christ from the Byzantine period. The early Christian art because of the depiction is not one that conforms to the traditional representation of Christ. Moreover, it can help researchers to better understand Byzantine religious culture and its development in the early Medieval period.
The painting was discovered by experts from the University of Haifa at a long-abandoned Byzantine village known as Shivta. This was once a significant settlement on the frontier of the Byzantine Empire, in the Negev desert in Israel. Shivta was a large Christian village with several churches and was at its peak just before the rise of Islam (6th century AD). After the Islamic conquests of the Eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire, the village went into rapid decline and was abandoned during the 9th century AD. It was only rediscovered in the 19th century.
The Northern Church, Shivta. (Dror Maayan)
Jesus' Face
A team from the University of Haifa was studying the ruin of the Byzantine settlement in the aftermath of the Islamic conquest. According to Cambridge Core, they were examining the 'Shivta churches' main features '' when the painting was identified. The researchers were documenting the surviving artwork on the village's southernmost Christian church's apse wall when a team member saw the remarkable image of Christ, completely by chance.
The painting on the wall was first identified in the 1920s. However, these were the layers of dirt and grime on the Church walls, which no one was really sure what was depicted. The painting was known to be of Jesus, but no one could really make the image.
However, one member of the team, Maayan-Fanar, was studying the apse when with the right angle of the sunlight. By a stroke of great luck, she was able to see traces of the painting under the influence of the sunlight streaming into the interior of the church. The Western Journal reports that Maayan-Fanar stated that suddenly, "It was the face of Jesus at his baptism, looking at us."
Remnants of the baptism-of-Christ scene (indicated by white arrow) on the apse of the Baptistery chamber. (Dror Maayan)
Fortunate Discovery
The painting of Christ is a young man who has been beardless, had long hair, long nose, and expressive eyes. In the early centuries of the Byzantine Empire, Christ was regularly depicted as a youth. Fox News reports that this was a style of portraiture that "was especially widespread in Egypt and Syro-Palestine, but gone from later Byzantine art." A similar image of the Christian Messiah has also been uncovered in Rome.
An image of a large figure who is shown with a halo was painted near the figure of Jesus. It is believed that this was possibly the figure of John the Baptist. According to Cambridge Core "the location of the scene-above the crucifix-shaped Baptist font-features its identification as the baptism of Christ." The baptism of Christ was a popular subject in the early history of Byzantine Art, especially outside Byzantium.
This sixth-century mosaic detail of the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna depicts Christ with a halo of mother of pearl on a precious gold background. (OP Lawrence / CC BY NC ND 2.0)
It is believed that Jesus' face was a part of a larger scene in the world, based on the discovery of paint fragments, and it is possible that it could be detected in the future. Experts want to continue to study the image and find ways of preserving it for posterity. The painting is extremely rare, as many early examples of Byzantine art were destroyed during the two periods of Iconoclasm during the 7th and 8th century AD. The scene is also helping experts to understand the development of Byzantine art in the regions of the Empire. It is also the only painting of Christ's baptism that has survived in the region.
Top image: The face of Christ. Source: Dror Maayan
By Ed Whelan
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