Christ Pantocrator from Cathedral of Monreale in Sicily.
What is good in the arts . . . has its beginning from God.
—Clement of Alexandria
In the beginning was the Word.
Opening the Gospel of John with this statement, a writer declared the sanctity of words. Spoken and written words didn’t just express human thoughts. They embodied the Creator’s existence.
The Word was with God and the Word was God.
This entwined relationship of God-and-the-Word could have been incomprehensible. But when the Word became flesh in the form of Jesus, an image appeared and sharpened understanding. People saw, touched, and spoke to God. And he spoke back. If Christ’s followers and skeptics listened and observed with spiritual ears and eyes, they better understood the Word. When apostles wrote letters to the early Church, they wanted generations to comprehend, too.
Eventually Christian artists patterned after these writers, helping people glimpse God. They sketched, painted, and sculpted to represent Christ. They etched, molded, fused, and wove his story into public worship, private devotion, and everyday life. Artists illustrated Scripture so seekers and believers could not only hear, but also see the Word. Long after Christ’s ascension, he still dwelt among them.
See John 1:1-14.
For more about Christian images, purchase The Art of Faith by Judith Couchman at www.paracletepress.com. Use the code Judith25 for a 25 percent discount.
RSS Feed
