Oldest Image of St. Paul Discovered in Rome

Catholic Church Unveils 4th Century Fresco of the Apostle Paul

Jul 7, 2009

The oldest depiction of St. Paul has been found just a short distance from his tomb. What does it tell modern scholars about the birth of the Catholic faith.

Saint Paul, also called Paul the Apostle, was a Hellenistic Jew who called himself the "Apostle to the Gentiles" and was, along with Saints Peter and James , the most influential of early Christian fathers. In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI announced the Jubilee Year of St. Paul.

Now, after a full year of Pauline discussions and scholarship, perhaps the most exciting development of the year has occurred. In a bizarre coincidence St. Paul's Jubilee Year has concluded with the discovery of what appears to be the oldest depiction of St. Paul yet unearthed.

Fresco Discovered in Roman Catacomb

The discovery was made public by "L'Osservatore Romano" on June 28th 2008. Dating back to the fourth century, the image emerged in June 2007, as a result of excavations in a catacomb only a short distance from the basilica of the Apostle Paul. While using lasers to clean from the vault of a niche, the archaeologists saw a fresco reemerge from years of accumulated dust and grime.

After removing all of the obstructions they were able to analyze the fresco itself. At it's center they saw an image of the Good Shepherd, surrounded by the figures of Paul, Peter, and two other apostles. As posterity would have it Paul's was the best preserved of the group Catholic fathers.

The archaeologists Fabrizio Bisconti and Barbara Mazzei gave a full accounting of the discovery in the Vatican newspaper. However, one aspect of the fresco is most striking. This early fresco appears to depict the image of the Apostle Paul that has been passed down through the ages to Christians today. He is shown as a serious philosopher, with a deep expression, a high forehead, thinning hair, and a sharply pointed beard.

What is of course interesting is how this very image took root. In the ancient Jewish world human images were forbidden. Therefore these depictions had to have originated long after his death by Greek and Roman converts to the growing religion.

Archaeologists Theory on St. Paul's Image

Interestingly, Professor Antonio Paolucci, director of the Vatican Museums, has a theory. He claims that when the church decided to create images of the fathers of Christianity it looked to models in the Greek and Roman world for inspiration. Thus St. Paul takes on the stereotypical look of a Greek philosopher. Plenty of statuary and friezes of the ancient Greek philosophers existed for later-day artists to use. One can almost see Paul as the Christianized Plato.

The idea that the early church chose to depict one of the founders of Christianity as a philosopher is telling. As Christianity was spreading its wings it seemed to want to send a message to would-be converts that was both compelling and cautionary. This religion was not going to be simple, easy, or straightforward. It was going to be, and still is, a religion of deep thought, deep questions, and ultimately deep understanding.

This remains a timely reminder to those in the modern Roman church who question the relevance of a pope who is also a scholarly theologian, like Benedict XVI.

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