Publication at Catholic Theological Faculty |
2023
Abstract
In this paper I sketch the fundamental tension between the humanity and divinity of Jesus within which representations of Christ in the history of art have consistently moved. Jesus' divinity is manifested above all in his dignified position, his exaltation above the world, his power, glory and majesty.
In contrast, Jesus' humanity is most clearly recognized in the emphasis on his humbleness, humiliation, and suffering. Three examples of the iconographic treatment of the figure of Jesus Christ and his story - the Good Shepherd, the Pantocrator and the Man of Sorrows - show how the visual arts reflected contemporary spirituality, theology and the political situation in which the Church found itself.