The fourth century was thus a time of seismic changes for the church as she adjusted to what James Breckenridge calls “the mountainous wave of new converts from idolatrous paganism following the Edict of Toleration.”45 At this time art and statuary dramatically increased in churches, and we see the first pictures of Christ and Mary and other saints. As Robin Jensen notes, “Iconic portraits of apostles, saints, and Christ mostly appeared only toward the end of the 4th century.”46 Although portraiture art was still rare and not yet used for veneration or prayer, now there was at least the
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