(Archaeology): Pompeii, Solomon, Socrates & Aristotle

Solomon, Socrates and Aristotle

In Earliest Biblical Painting, Greek Philosophers Admire King’s Wisdom

Theodore Feder   •  10/02/2012

Pleading for her baby’s life, a woman kneels at the feet of King Solomon in 1 Kings 3:16–28. This Roman wall painting from Pompeii is the earliest known depiction of a Biblical scene. Who commissioned this painting: a Jew, a Christian or a gentile? Photo courtesy Scala/Art Resource, NY

Is it possible that the earliest existing picture of a scene from the Bible also includes the philosophers Socrates and Aristotle as onlookers? It is not only possible; I believe that is the case.


The earliest depiction of a Biblical scene comes from a site that is perhaps better known to some for its erotic art than for its religious devotions: Pompeii. The city was buried in volcanic ash in 79 A.D. following the eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius. It was a devastating tragedy for Pompeii’s residents but a boon to modern scholars and art historians.


For the rest, see:
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/solomon-socrates-and-aristotle/