Arthur Urbano: The Wardrobe of Jesus: Early Christian Portraits of Christ at the Intersection of Art, Philosophy, and Empire

Early Christian iconography of Christ has attracted a great deal of interest. Scholarly discussion has emerged primarily from art historical circles, with the work of André Grabar, Thomas Mathews, and Robin Jensen among the most significant. Historian Joan Taylor has published a study of the portraiture of Christ with a view to reconstructing the appearance of the historical Jesus. These contributions have helpfully situated the portraiture of Christ in the context of ancient Greco-Roman artistic traditions, focusing primarily on two issues: 1) facial portraiture, especially hair and beard styles; and 2) the relationship of Christ’s portraits to those of emperors and gods. In this communication, I argue that a third type—the philosopher/orator—, while acknowledged by art historians, has largely been underappreciated and its significance underanalyzed and oversimplified (with the notable exception of Paul Zanker). Early Christian textual and material evidence suggests that the earliest images of Christ drew significantly upon artistic models and cultural expectations surrounding the male philosopher’s appearance. Not limited to hair and beard styles, this also pertained to the distinctive garment donned by philosophers and orators – Greek: himation, schema, tribon; Latin: pallium –, accessories such as scrolls, codices, and staves, and gestures. By centering the iconography of the philosopher/orator, and focusing on visualizations of Christ’s clothing, I situate the earliest iconography of Christ in the social contexts of late ancient intellectual culture and suggest the visualized robe of Christ unites theological and art historical understandings of Christ as sage, ruler, and deity.