Abstract
Through aspects of divine androgyny, deities are able to connect with all people through leaning into a wider array of gendered resonances, such as encapsulating both a maternal and paternal role. Although divine androgyny is, in itself, a complex and controversial topic, androgynous depictions of Christ have existed since the earliest days of Christianity and continue to be produced. While there is ongoing debate on whether these images intended to embody divine androgyny, the artworks themselves speak to a tradition wherein typical markers of masculinity on their own do not form a complete image of the divine. Through deep analysis of multiple early Christian artworks, this thesis examines important motifs within the gender signifiers, pagan influences and wider imagery curated around Christ to examine how they work together to create a larger iconography of Christ as an androgynous divine figure. In identifying this iconography, this paper aims to investigate the multifaceted gendered aspects of Christ as a divine figure that have led to adaptability in how he has been depicted, allowing him to stay a poignant figure to a wider audience throughout the two millennia in which he has been actively worshipped.
How to Cite
Collier, S., (2026) “Unification and Androgyny within Early Christian Portrayals of Christ”, Capstone, The UNC Asheville Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship 39(1).
5
Views
3
Downloads