Once a Demon of the Deserts worshipped by the maniacs blinded by apocalyptic visions, later incarnated as a humble radical philosopher, eventually slain on a torture monolith, transcending ethereally into a muse, inspiring all from beggars to kings, into becoming a god once again.
HOLY CRAP I LOVE THIS. I first saw a photo of that graffiti in my masters-level History of Christ in Art course. It still packs a punch to this day and showed that the crucifixion imagery and story was already known in a context before the church utilized it. Well done!!!
Hmm. Not sure exactly what you mean by this. The graffiti seems to be recognized as a depiction of Christ, and not some other religious figure, and dates to around 200 AD, which would be some 150 years after the Christian church began (Pentecost).
For those unaware, this is based on the Alexamenos Graffito, a piece of Roman Graffiti thought to be the earliest known visual depiction of Jesus, from about the year 200-- a fascinating artifact.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexamenos_graffito
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexamenos_graffito