Preview of Early Icons, Volume II

Eusebius on the Statue of Christ at Panaeas

Blessed Lent to all. In honor of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, I will be posting selections from volume 2 of my Early Icons book series. This will be two articles about the veneration of a holy image dated by early Christian authors to the apostolic age (1^st century): the statue of Christ at Panaeas attested to by Eusebius of Caesarea. For those interested in evidence that images were venerated by first century Christians, this will be a big reveal.

In his Church History the bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260 – 339AD) describes at least two kinds of Christian art which, in the memory of the Church at his time, were regarded as originating in the time of Christ or at least His Apostles. In this first article I will consider the statue of Christ and the supplicant, attributed to the woman with the issue of blood from the Gospel. Arguments will be given for the authenticity of this image and its iconic quality, and one argument for its veneration. The second article will give additional evidences that it was venerated by Christians.