Finding a rare face painting Jesus is more than 1,500 years old

A 1,500-year-old painting depicting an unprecedented face of Christ discovered at a Byzantine church located in Israel's Negev desert.

Although the painting only has small pieces, but experts from Haifa University, Israel were able to outline the face in the painting.

This is a new discovery of houses in the ancient Byzantine village of Shivta archaeological site (east of Nitzana city, southern Israel). Although the painting only has small pieces, but experts from Haifa University, Israel were able to outline the face in the painting. Their research has been published in the recent Antiquity magazine.

The picture, estimated to date from the sixth century AD, describes Jesus as a young man with short hair.

In their report, the scientists said: "The face of Christ in this painting was an important discovery, in the system of symbols of Jesus' short hair, especially popular in Egypt and Palestine, but disappeared in the Byzantine line artworks later. '

The picture was temporarily recorded in the 1920s, but has now undergone more thorough analysis. In their study, Haifa University archaeologists explained that the image of Jesus Christ is described next to a much larger figure, perhaps the apostle John the Baptist.

"The position of the scene - on the background of a huge crucifix of the church - shows similarities to the" Baptism of Jesus " painting, the study's authors said.