The Representation of Christ in the Apses of Early Christian Churches

Abstract

In this paper, I address the evolution of the pictures in the main apses of early Christian churches. Considering the data gathered by Christa Ihm, I propose a new evolutionary classification of these pictures. We have no secure evidence of such images before the last third of the fourth century. At this time, images of Christ acquired a new meaning emphasizing his divinity. I concur with T. Mathews's thesis that Christ is represented as God and not as emperor; my affirmation introduces some nuances to this position. In funeral art, the change is exemplified by the replacement of images of Christ performing miracles by images like the central scene on Junius Bassus's sarcophagus and the so-called Traditio Legis. It is related to discussions from the end of the Arian controversy about the relation between the Father and the Son. The issue of anthropomorphism, which arose in Jerusalem by the end of the century but was particularly vexed in Egypt, gives indications of the relation between representation and ...