A Note on the Disappearance of the Good Shepherd from Early Christian Art
The image of the Good Shepherd was by far the most popular representation of Christ in the Church's first four centuries. In his article on the subject in the Dictionnaire d'archéologie chrétienne et de liturgie, Henri Leclerq gives more than three hundred examples, dating to the beginning...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
1983
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| In: |
Harvard theological review
Year: 1983, Volume: 76, Issue: 3, Pages: 375-378 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | The image of the Good Shepherd was by far the most popular representation of Christ in the Church's first four centuries. In his article on the subject in the Dictionnaire d'archéologie chrétienne et de liturgie, Henri Leclerq gives more than three hundred examples, dating to the beginning of the fifth century, and his list is by no means exhaustive. In the first half of the fifth century, however, the Good Shepherd suddenly vanishes from Christian art in both East and West, with perhaps a few relatively insignificant exceptions, to be replaced by the images of Christ as teacher and as king—images that had become increasingly important in the iconography of Christ over the course of the previous hundred years. The Good Shepherd did not reappear upon the scene until well into the Middle Ages. What was responsible for its disappearance? |
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| ISSN: | 1475-4517 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Harvard theological review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S0017816000001759 |