Latter-day Saints and Images of Christ’s Crucifixion

Authors

John Hilton III
Anthony Sweat
Josh Stratford

Keywords

BYU Studies, crucifixion, art

Abstract

In his classic 1897 work The Ministry of Art, Frank Bristol proclaimed, “Art has glorified Christianity. It has set forth her doctrines, portrayed her saints, and even her very God and Savior. Limited only by the necessary restrictions of her powers, art has been a teacher of things divine.”¹ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (herein referred to as “the Church”) also employs the power of visual art to portray its central doctrines and perpetuate its sacred history. Religious paintings adorn hallways and classrooms of Latter-day Saint meetinghouses, fill the walls of sacred temples, and accompany published articles in Church magazines and other curricula. Indeed, the Church encourages the didactic use of art to help its members understand religious messages. For instance, the 2016 manual Teaching in the Savior’s Way states, “Art, including pictures, videos, and dramatizations, can help engage learners—especially visual learners—and make scriptural accounts more memorable. The art you use should be more than decoration; it should help learners understand gospel doctrines.”²

Recommended Citation

Hilton III, John; Sweat, Anthony; and Stratford, Josh (2021) "Latter-day Saints and Images of Christ’s Crucifixion," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 60: Iss. 2, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol60/iss2/3