Does anyone find the irony in this posting by the con Apostolic news outlet on the web ... ????
The oldest known image of the apostles Andrew and John have been discovered in catacombs under the city of Rome, dating back to the 4th century AD, archaeologists announced Tuesday.
The paintings were found in the same location where the oldest known painting of St. Paul was discovered last year, the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology said Tuesday.
They are part of a group of paintings around an image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd on the ceiling of what is thought to have been a Roman noblewoman’s tomb, experts said.
A painting of St. Peter makes up the fourth member of the group, but older images of him are thought to exist, Vatican experts said.
Their inclusion in the tomb shows the aristocrats were among the last Romans to convert to Christianity, archaeologist Fabrizio Bisconti said.
The Roman matron must have been very rich, he said, as the colors and richness of the decoration show.
The images of the apostles’ heads and shoulders against a deep red background were uncovered after two years of work, Vatican experts said.
More here:
http://www.apostolicnews.org/2010/07...s-of-apostles/
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Say it ain't so ... the apostles were bearded?
The mosaic image of Peter (left) and John (right)
The mosaic image of Andrew
The mosaic image of Paul