INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTOLOGY

 Who is Jesus? This is the fundamental question for Christology. From the first days of the
Christian community there have been various answers to this question. The earliest Christians used
various titles, most of them drawn from the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures, to express their faith
in Jesus. They called Him prophet, teacher, Messiah, Son of David, Son of Man, Lord, Son of God, Word
of God, and occasionally even God.

Images of Jesus

 The Christian tradition has been no less rich than the New Testament in reflecting on the
mystery of Jesus. The earliest representations of Jesus in Christian art, found in the catacombs portrayed
him as a shepherd. The Church Fathers saw the pierced side of Christ as the source of the Church and
the sacraments. Medieval Christians often saw Jesus as the coming judge who would separate the saved
from the damned. Monastics and mystics meditated on the wounds of Jesus and there was a growing
devotion to his heart, precursor to the Catholic devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

 The image of Jesus is infinitely adaptable. Under the influence of liberation theology, Jesus has
been portrayed as a social revolutionary, even as a guerilla clad in military fatigues. Some gay writers
have described Jesus as a gay man on the basis of his relationship with the "beloved disciple" of John's
Gospel. Feminists have changed his gender, using a cross with a crucified figure of a woman, "Chresta."
To celebrate the beginning of the Third Millennium, the National Catholic Reporter sponsored a contest
called "Jesus 2000," seeking an artistic representation of Jesus for the new millennium. The winning
portrait, chosen by Sister Wendy Beckett, shows a dark skinned, androgynous Jesus, obviously someone
from the Third World. The artist explains that though her Jesus was portrayed as a man, the actual
model was a woman.

 Popular Christianity tends to focus on the divinity of Jesus, often at the cost of his humanity.
Catholics refer to Jesus as Our Lord or simply as Christ. Many honor him as Christ the King. Protestants
call on Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

SHROUD OF TURIN

• The Shroud of Turin (or Turin Shroud) is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to
have been physically hurt in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the
Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. How and when the shroud and its image were created
is the subject of intense debate among scientists, believers, historians and researchers.