Face to Face: Portraits of the Divine in Early Christianity

by Robin Margaret Jensen

Examining how God and eventually Christ are portrayed in early Christian art, Jensen explores questions of the relationship between art and theology, conflicts over idolatry and iconography, and how the Christological controversies affected the portrayals of Christ. Since much of this art comes from ancient Rome, she places her analysis in the context of the history of Roman portraiture. One hundred photographs enhance the discussion.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Art, Theology

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

Reviews

[Amy Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book knowing embarrassingly little about visual art in early Christianity. Jensen helpfully connects context, technique, and the work of visual art with the making of theological meaning. A particular highlight was the discussions of portraiture of Jesus.