Did anyone see The Dark Ages with Waldemar Januszczak?

[plowter]

Just watched BBC Four The Dark Ages: An Age of Light with the wonderful Waldemar Januszczak.

He covered the development of early Christian art.

He explained that the early images of jesus were of
hermaphrodites because gods, at that time, were expected to have both male and female properties.

Halos came from images of Apollo.
Angels came from images of pagan Victories.
Mother Mary came from images of the Egyptian goddess Isis.

Our current image of jesus (mature, beardy and wise) comes from Constantine's copying of images of zeus/jupiter.

Interesting how images develop.

[Mosaic]

Yep, all of the above is fascinating. And when you take Baal the Lord, his son and the good mother Astarte - or even earlier Osiris, Isis and Horus - makes you think, doesn't it?

[Svejk]

Interesting, yes. I wondered whether he 'cherry-picked' images to prove his hypothesis.
Strange I'd never seen those images of jesus before, must have seen thousands.

[naomi24]

I didn't see it but I'll look out for a repeat.

[FredPuli43]

His point about Jesus was interesting. Jesus was not portrayed early on but he was suggested by other images, cyptically referring to him. Then he was portrayed, but as a happy , youthful figure, beardless, because that's how early Christians thought of him in life, going through the world bestowing happiness. Only later did we get the bearded, serious, man who would suffer on the cross, because later Christians saw him as that.

The first episode was surprising. Who would think of the Dark Ages and Christian art ? The series looks to be excellent.

[keenonhist]

I saw the program. And it was as I have thought that the christian religion has been cobbled together from even older religions who have,no doubt,been cobbled together from even older beliefs.It`s all a merry go round really.
keenonhist

[Mosaic]

Fender - do you mean Waldemar Januszczak?