How did one Christian faith inspire so many different depictions of the Divine? In her thesis, Therese Beabout argues that these images do not come from the “same”' understanding at all. Throughout history, theological controversy arises as a response to cultural and intellectual shifts, and Christian art provides a portrait of the understandings of its time. As theology changes, so does sacred art. This essay strives to demonstrate the theological influences on Christian art by examining the face of Christ as depicted throughout Church history. In doing so, Beabout also aims at demonstrating the significance of sacred art and the influence it has on man’s understanding of God. In an effort to more concisely compare the theological and artistic fluctuations between each image, rather than exploring the topic globally she has chosen to narrow this research to Christian European art as influenced by Roman Catholic theology.

Therese would like to thank her faculty sponsor Cynthia Stollhans for their support of this project.