IN THE earliest Christian art, in the Roman Catacombs, the resurrection of Christ is either depicted symbolically, through the Jonah story, or witnessed to through the miracle of Jesus's raising of Lazarus. The Early Church showed great reticence about actually depicting the rising of Christ himself.

This was not so later in the West; for, in the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance, artists loved to depict Christ's rising physically out of the tomb, as in the famous painting by Piero della Francesca in the Tuscan market town of Borgo di San Sepulchro.

In the Early Church, however, people were conscious of the deep mystery of what had happened. Outside the catacombs, they chose instead to proclaim the resurrec-tion of Christ by showing the women's arriving at the tomb and finding it empty, except for some angels, who told them that Christ had risen.

This is the scene shown in oneof the four ivory panels datingfrom 420 in the British Museum, for example, and is probably the scene in the baptistery at Dura Europos dating from as early as 232. Here the women are shown approaching a large Roman-style sarcophagus.

In this depiction by Nicholas Mynheer (b. 1958), the emphasis is on the drama of the event. Something cataclysmic has happened. Even the small ornamental cypresses on either side of the tomb are blown sideways, like so many skittles toppling over after being hit by a ball.

The tomb itself is glowing with vivid red heat, and the angels have flames shooting all around them. We are reminded of Hebrews 1.7, where angels are described as God's ministers in flames of fire. The angels hold a luminous piece of the winding-cloth, while behind themis an oblong marble slab used for closing the tomb - a stylised feature that, interestingly, was often used in very early depictions of this scene.

The women approaching the tomb are reaching out in terror,half shielding their eyes from the bright light. Above the tomb, the bright yellow of the sky contrasts with the dark threatening clouds over the women. This painting is part of Mynheer's Sarum series,first shown in Salisbury Cathedral, which he will not sell, but which is shown from time to time in other cathedrals and churches (Arts, 27 February 2007).

Mynheer has lived all his life in Horton-on-Otmoor, ten miles from Oxford, and has received a good number of commissions in recent years, especially in the Oxford area. He not only paints, but works in glass, as for example with the windows of Abingdon School chapel, and carves; one of his sculptures is in the wonderful church St Mary's, Iffley, near Oxford.

He has developed a strong sense of vocation as a Christian artist, and has in recent years worked almost exclusively on biblical themes (Feature, 16 November 2012). After training at Hornsey College of Art, he originallyworked in advertising. It was while copying an Old Master that he knewhe had to throw up his well-paidjob and become a full-time artist, with all the financial risks thatthis involved for himself and his family.

A second dimension to his vocation emerged when, after two months' work, he found himself still struggling with a painting of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Deciding that it was really bad, he took up a small piece of cardboard, and tried to put on it only the essen-tials of what he was trying to convey.

For a time, he worked only with very small paintings as, this way,he was forced to cut out all extraneous detail. Since then, he has continued to concentrate on the essential features of a scene. A Mynheer painting is instantly recognisable by its bold, stylised features, often with strong colours, which convey the emotional significanceof what is happening, as in this depiction of the women at the empty tomb.

He sees his paintings as standing in the tradition of icons, in that

they are there not just to be looked at and admired, but to help people on their journey of faith. Also, he hopes that they will have resonances for people outside the Church, as with his painting The Flight to Egypt, which he also relates to the vast number of refugees that there are in the world.

In the art of earlier periods, I particularly love the early-medieval ivory carvings of this scene, dating from the eighth to tenth century. They have a serene, classical beauty about them. All is calm and unflustered. This Mynheer painting could not provide a greater contrast. Here, the women are overwhelmed by a sense of the numinous in the tomb - of the awesome, unutterable otherness of what has happened. It is good to be reminded of that dimension.

The Rt Revd Lord Harries of Pentregarth is the former Bishop of Oxford, and the author of The Image of Christ in Modern Art (Ashgate, £19.99 (CT Bookshop £18 - use code CT471 ); 978-1-4094-6382-5) (Books, 20 December). This Lent series is based on the book.

The Sarum Cycle of Stations of the Cross by Nicholas Mynheer is being exhibited in the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral until 25 April.