Representations of Prophets in The Christian and Islamic World: An Evaluation

This article is a general introduction to prophetic representation in both Christian and Islamicreligions through art and visuals from the ancient until current day. The following questions areexamined specifically: Which prophets haven been depicted either through cultural or artistic representations in both religions? To which cultural or historical environment do the representations be-long? The nature of the representations produced in various periods and contexts will also be investigated. In the Christian faith, figural representation has existed since early Christianity due to the narrative of Christianity being based and constructed on a visual iconography. From the earliest time periods on, representation programs, in conformity with the religious doctrine were placed in churches. Monumental themes focusing on Jesus Christ and his mother, Mary, as well as scenes of a corresponding nature from the Old and New Testament can be examined in the context of these representation programs. In Islam, practices of the depiction of the prophets appear much later and only in a certain context. Representations, including depictions of the prophet Muhammed (pbuh) exist as miniaturepaintings in books. There exist numerous depictions in various manuscripts from the 13th to the 17th century. In later periods, it was preferred to represent the prophets through objects attributed to them.