Shout in the Dark by Christopher Wright

about Jesus. Ancient art
is very stylized," Marco protested. "Look at the Russian icons. The
figure of Christ always has a long, distinctive face that bears no
relationship to nature."
    " The Orthodox style has been going with little change for
over a thousand years, Marco. It is full of symbolism, but no one
believes it to be an accurate portrayal."
    " Right," he agreed. "And what about our early western art?
At the time everyone told Giotto he painted in an incredibly
realistic style. Realistic? It doesn't look very realistic today.
So how could people make a good likeness of a human face two
thousand years ago?"
    " Are the statues of the Caesars accurate?"
    Marco laughed. "How would I
know?"
    " Well, you must have noticed that there is a remarkable
similarity between statues of the same Caesar found in different
places," said the old priest. "Surely that demonstrates the ability
of ancient craftsmen to achieve a precise likeness, time after
time. The faces of the Caesars look lifelike so, yes, they are
probably a true likeness."
    " The ancient Egyptians weren't so clever at art. They
painted the heads and legs sideways, and the bodies front on. And
such big eyes. Very lifelike!"
    " You are confusing style and symbolism with reality, Marco.
The Greeks and Romans at the time of Christ went for extreme
accuracy. We call it Classical art. It was revived in the
Renaissance."
    " There are Roman mosaics in the church here in the Piazza di
Santa Maria Maggiore. They're not lifelike."
    " They are from the fifth century, Marco. Roman art developed
into a type of impressionism. The early popes exerted a strong
influence on style. There was no such thing as Biblical art in the
time of Christ."
    " No statues?"
    " Not of Jews or Old Testament characters. The Jews forbade
statues, seeing them as idols, but the residents of Caesarea
Philippi would not have worried about that. They lived in an
independent Gentile area. The earliest Christian art in the
catacombs shows Jesus as the Good Shepherd. And he never has a
beard. I wonder why. That is something for you to think about while you're awaiting
Amendola's final decision."
    " We're talking about a Christian object surviving intact for
nearly two thousand years," objected Marco, ignoring the mention of
the Cardinal's panel.
    " Two thousand years? If other ancient bronzes have survived,
is it so surprising that just the head of this one could still be
in existence? Two thousand years is not so long for a bronze
article, especially if a Christian group has been guarding it
carefully for much of that time."
    " Which Christian group?" Marco asked immediately.
    The old priest shook his head and bit his
lip. "If only we knew its history."
    " Does anyone know where this group was living?"
    " In a monastery, possibly near Rome. At least, that is what
I now believe. How would you like to do some detective
work?"
    Marco sat up. "If you think the face could
look like Jesus Christ, it would affect every Christian. Maybe
overturn dreams."
    " We all have our own idea of what Jesus looks like, Marco.
Some black Africans see him as black, and some Asians see him as
Asian, because that is how they want to relate to him. And why
not?"
    " You're right, and deep down we all know our pictures aren't
correct. I remember Sister Maria saying that no one knows what
Jesus looked like. A boy behind me said that he knew. He said he had a picture of Jesus in his
Bible!" Marco grinned. "It will be a shock if this bronze head is
authentic."
    The haunting words of Old Savio came
back. A
relic. They say it could shatter the Church. Not true, surely? "No wonder the Vatican
got excited when someone found it in..." He stopped. "But according
to Cardinal Amendola the one they found in the Vatican was a
fake!"
    Father Josef nodded. "True, although Canon
Angelo Levi believed he was given the original during the
war."
    " The Vatican must have taken photographs -- if they had the
original. Or has Cardinal Amendola been at