The_Good_Shepherd

The Good Shepherd

Marble statue of the Good Shepherd from the vicinity of Gaza.

The Figure of the “Good Shepard”, is a rare example of three-dimensional sculpture from the Byzantine period. The figure of a shepherd carrying a lamb in this manner was one of the most popular themes in early Christian art. In Christianity, this figure was often associated with the figure of Jesus leading his flock of believers.

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing.”

-Luke 15-4-5

Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem, Israel

Israeli, Yael and David Mevorah, Cradle of Christianity. Jerusalem- The Israel Museum, 2000.