Early Depictions of Short Haired Clean Shaven Christ

[StevusMagnus]

Location	Time	Portrait
Fresco, Catacomb of Priscilla (Jesus Preaching)	Rome, mid 2nd Century	Clean shaven, short hair
Fresco, Catacomb of San Callisto, Crypt of Lucina, Fresco (Shepherd)	Rome, 2nd century	Clean shaven, short hair
Fresco, Catacomb of Priscilla (Last supper; Shepherd)	Rome, 3rd Century	Clean shaven, short hair
Ivory statuette (Shepherd)	Rome, c 300 A.D.	Clean shaven, short hair
Ring seal	3rd Century	Clean shaven
Fresco, Mausoleum of the Julii (Sol Invictus )	Rome, late 3rd Century	Bearded, short hair
Mosaic portrait of Jesus	Hinton St Mary 4th Century	Clean shaven
Catacomb of Sts Peter & Marcellinus   (Shepherd; Multiplication of the loaves)	Rome, early 4th  Century	Clean shaven, short hair
Fresco, Catacomb Via Latina (Raising Lazarus; at Jacob’s Well; Sermon)	Rome, 4th Century	Clean shaven, short hair
Fresco, Catacomb of Domitilla (12 Apostles)	Rome, 4th Century	Clean shaven, short hair
Sarcophagus (Jesus with Adam & Eve)	Rome, 4th Century	Clean shaven, short hair
Santa Costanza (Portrait)	Rome, c 350 A.D.	Clean shaven, short hair
Via Latina Catacomb (Raising Lazarus )	Rome, c 350-400 A.D.	Clean shaven, short hair
Sarcophagus (Jesus rides a Donkey)	Rome, c 359 A.D.	Clean shaven, short hair
Tomb (Resurrection)	Rome, c 400 A.D.	Clean shaven, short hair
Fresco, Catacomb of Praetextatus (Shepherd)	Rome 350 – 450 A.D.	Clean shaven, short hair
Sarcophagus, Catacomb of Praetextatus (Shepherd)	Rome 350 – 450 A.D.	Bearded, short hair
Ivory panel (Death of Jesus and Judas)	Early 5th Century	Clean shaven, short hair
Ivory panel (Healing the Leper)	Palermo, 5th Century	Clean shaven, long hair
Sarcophagus (Raising Lazarus )	Istanbul, 5th Century	Clean shaven, short hair
Mausoleum of Galla Placida (Shepherd)	Ravena, Italy, c 425 A.D.	Clean shaven, short hair
Baptism by John the Baptist	Ravenna, Italy, 5th Century	Clean shaven, long hair
Bapistry of the Orthodox (Baptism)	Ravenna, Italy, c 500 A.D.	Bearded, long hair
Ivory diptych, cover of Gospels	Italy, 6th Century	Bearded, long hair
Mosaic in St Apollinare Nuovo church	Ravenna, Italy, 6th Century	Clean shaven, short hair
Catacomb of Comodilla	Rome, 6th Century	Bearded, long hair
St Catherine’s Monastery (Transfiguration)	Sinai, c 565 A.D.	Bearded, long hair
Front cover of Lindau Gospels	Switzerland, c 880 A.D.	Clean shaven, long hair
Illustrated poem by Hrabanus Maurus	Vienna, 9th Century	Clean shaven, short hair

[didishroom]

Ok, so here we count about thirty depictions of Christ that are not even consistent with each other in the hair and beard department.

Most of these come from early Roman periods where the people shaved and cut their hair short.

Still there are THOUSANDS of others where Jesus is beared and has long hair.

And then there's THIS:



I dunno about you, but I'm going with heaven's depiciton.

[StevusMagnus]

It was a common characteristic of Jewish men to wear their hair in a close-cropped fashion. Eusebius copied the text of the Jewish historian Josephus in Against Apion I.22, para.173-4. In this section, Josephus was quoting an early Gentile author who gave some unique grooming styles of Jewish men. Josephus shows that the Jews were known, as Eusebius renders it, for “their close-cropped hair” (Preparation for the Gospel, IX.9, sect 412b).

[didishroom]

Funny, but the description from Josephus, that I remember, describes His hair as down to the shoulders and parted in the middle in the Nazarene fashion. I have to find it.
And if this quote os true why has no one else picked up on it?

And why do you take this over the Shroud of Turin?

[StevusMagnus]

Raising of Lazarus

[ONeill]

Yet the Shroud of Tourin depicts Him with shoulder length hair.

No it doesn't. It depicts Him with hair at least to the shoulder.

[WhollyRoaminCatholic]

Stevus, I mean this kindly: what's you're point?

Further, I'd like to offer this possibility: the artists of the portrayals that have come down to us through history had never actually SEEN Jesus.  They were all interpretations.  They were all opinions.  The closest that anyone's going to get to a real image is the shroud... which is kind of indeterminate evidence of beardity if you ask me.

[ONeill]

Stevus: I'm not sure what your point is, but all the apparitions of Christ as an adult had Him with long hair and a beard.

http://thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/image.php

Saint Faustina was concerned during the paintings of the image as it did not match exactly what she was shown. Jesus told her they did not have to be exact. They all have long hair and a man's beard.

[didishroom]

Umm, Stevus? You keep showing depcitions from ROMAN catacombs. Because the artists were ROMAN they depicted Christ in a familiar and ROMAN fashion.

Again: Why do you take these depcitions which are obviously affected by the times in which they were done over the countless depcitions of Him beared with long hair including one that the Church has revered to be miraculous?

[ONeill]

The closest that anyone's going to get to a real image is the shroud... which is kind of indeterminate evidence of beardity if you ask me.

Actually, Church approved apparitions are the closest :) All images from Church approved apparitions of Christ as an adult have him portrayed as a man with long hair (at least to shoulders, as it is only the front that is seen) and a beard.