,
Basilica of San Lorenzo, Milan, 4th century, includes a scroll box at Christ's feet. From the latter part of the fourth century, a still beardless Christ begins to be depicted seated on a throne on a
dais, often with his feet on a low stool and usually flanked by Saints
Peter and
Paul, and in a larger composition the other
apostles. The central group of the
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus of 359 (
Vatican) is the earliest example with a clear date. In some cases Christ hands a
scroll to Saint Peter on his right, imitating a gesture often made by Emperors handing an Imperial decree or letter of appointment to an official, as in ivory consular
diptychs, on the
Arch of Constantine, and the
Missorium of Theodosius I. This depiction is known as the
Traditio legis ("handing over the law"), or
Christ the lawgiver – "the apostles are indeed officials, to whom the whole world is entrusted" wrote Saint
John Chrysostom. This depiction tends to merge into one of "Christ the teacher", which also derives from classical images of bearded philosophers. Other Imperial depictions of Christ, standing as a triumphing general, or seated on a ball representing the world, or with different companions, are found in the next centuries. By the seventh century the Byzantine Christ Pantocrator holding a book representing the
Gospels and raising his right hand has become essentially fixed in the form it retains in
Eastern Orthodoxy today. "Christ Triumphant" had a separate future development, usually standing, often with both hands raised high. in Constantinople The Pantocrator figure first became half-length because large versions filled the semi-dome of the
apse of many, if not most, decorated churches. A full-length figure would need to be greatly reduced for the head to make maximum impact from a distance (because of the flattening at the top of the semi-dome). The gesture Christ makes has become one of blessing, but is originally an
orators gesture of his right to speak. The
Deesis became standard at the centre of the
templon beam in
Orthodox churches and the templon's successor, the
iconostasis, and is also found as a panel
icon. Generally the Pantocrator has no visible throne, but the earlier Deesis does, and at least a single-step dais. The Deesis continues to appear in Western art, but not as often or in such an invariable composition as in the East.
Gospel Book, In the West the image showed a full-length enthroned Christ, often in a
mandorla or other geometrical frame, surrounded by the symbols of the
Four Evangelists, representing the vision of Chapters 4 and 5 of the
Book of Revelation. In the
Romanesque period the twenty-four
elders of the
Apocalypse are often seen. Christ also holds a book and makes the blessing gesture, no doubt under Byzantine influence. In both, Christ's head is surrounded by a crossed
halo. In Early Medieval Western art the image was very often given a full page in
illuminated Gospel Books, and in metalwork or ivory on their covers, and it remained very common as a large-scale fresco in the semi-dome of the apse in
Romanesque churches, and carved in the
tympanum of church portals. This "seems to have been almost the only theme of
apse-pictures" in
Carolingian and
Ottonian churches, all of which are now lost, although many examples from the period survive in
illuminated manuscripts. From the Romanesque period, the image in the West often began to revert to the earliest, more crowded conception, and
archangels, apostles and saints, now often all facing inwards towards Christ, appear, as well as the beasts emblematic of the Evangelists and the twenty-four elders. This development paralleled the movement towards a more "realistic" depiction of the "heavenly court" seen in the increasingly popular subjects of the
Maestà (the enthroned Virgin and Child) and the
Coronation of the Virgin by Christ. A Christ in Majesty became standard carved in the tympanum of a decorated
Gothic church portal, by now surrounded by a large number of much smaller figures around the
archivolts. In painting, the
Ghent Altarpiece is the culmination of the Gothic image, although a minority of
art historians believe that in this case it is
God the Father, not Christ, who is shown in majesty. ==Christ in Judgement==