First depiction of Jesus and Coins

 

The depiction of Jesus in pictorial form, as aniconism in Christianity was rejected within the ante-Nicene period (100 AD to 325 AD). Except for Jesus wearing tzitzit, the tassels on a tallit, in Mathew 14:36 and Luke 8:43-44, there is no physical description of Jesus contained in any of the canonical Gospels. It took several centuries to reach a conventional standardized form for his physical appearance, which has remained largely stable since then.

                       

Justinian II, 685-695 AD, gold, weight 4.4 gm, Constantinople, draped bust facing of Christ with cross behind head.

Christ's image did not appear on coinage until the first reign of Justinian II (AD 685 to 695 AD), about 350 years after Christianity had become the state religion of the Romans, and thus also their ''Byzantine'' successors. Prior to this, a portrait of the emperor was the usual obverse type for most Roman and Byzantine coins. The connection between the Christ portrait and the adoption in AD 692 of the Canon 82 of the Quinisext Council is obvious, as a symbol of Christ was prescribed in place of the Lamb. On that occasion a familiar image was chosen, the portrait of Christ Pantocrator (almighty), which prior to that had graced many icons, including a famous one in the imperial palace in Constantinople. This form and style of Christ image seems to have found its roots in the work of the sculpture Phidias, who had about 1150 years before had constructed a massive statue of the Greek god Zeus at Olympia. 

                       

Justinian II, first reign, 685-695 AD, gold, weight 4.4 gm, Constantinople, Obverse: draped bust facing Christ with cross behind head, raising his right hand in benediction and holding book of Gospels in left, Reverse: Justinian II, crowned, bearded and wearing loros, standing facing, holding cross potent on bases, and two steps in his right hand and akakia in his left.

                            

Justinian II, first reign, 685-695 AD, gold, weight 4.2 gm, Constantinople mint, struck 692-695 AD, Obverse: Nimbate bust facing Christ with cross behind head, raising his right hand in benediction and holding book of Gospels in left, Reverse: Justinian II, crowned, bearded and wearing loros, standing facing, holding cross potent on bases, on two steps and akakia.

 

In AD 695 Justinian II was ousted from power by an ambitious general and sent to exile. Ten years passed before he returned for a second reign (AD 705 TO 711 AD). This time Justinian II resumed the use of Christ's image on coinage, but instead of the long-haired image of his first coinage, he chose a radically different style of portrait, a Semitic type on which Christ's hair and beard are rendered in short, tight curls. The likely source of this style of portrait was icons, from the Holi Land and the Near East.

                         

Justinian II, with Tiberius, second reign, 705-711 AD, gold, weight 4.4 gm, Constantinople mint, Obverse: draped bust facing Christ with cross behind head, raising his right hand in benediction and holding book of Gospels in left, Reverse: Justinian II and Tiberius half-length busts, crowned, bearded and both wearing chlamys, standing facing, holding cross potent set on two steps between them with right hands.

  

Both types of Christ portraits used by Justinian II show Christ cradling the Book of Christ in his left hand in benediction. They also show the Holy Cross behind his head, an element which differs from most Byzantine coin portraits of Christ.  

The earliest surviving Christian art comes from the late 2nd to early 4th centuries.  

                           

The Healing of the Paralytic, one of the oldest known depictions of Jesus, from the Syrian city of Dura Europos, 235 AD.  

                       

Bearded Jesus between Peter and Paul, Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter, Rome. Second half of the 4th century.

                          

The oldest known icon of Christ Pantocrator, in Saint Catherine's Monastery, Senai Peninsula, Egypt, built between 548 and 565 AD.