Lamb of God is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." It appears again in John 1:36.
Agnus Dei c. 1635–1640, by Francisco de Zurbarán, Prado Museum
Lamb bleeding into the Holy Chalice, carrying the vexillum
Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, with gushing blood, detail of the Ghent Altarpiece, Jan van Eyck, c. 1432
Closeup of the restored Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. The face of the Lamb was painted over with a more animal-like appearance (left). The originally intended version (right) has unusually humanoid features, with distinct ears and forward-facing eyes that appear to look directly at the viewer of the panel.
The Gospel of John is the fourth of the four canonical gospels in the New Testament. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus and seven "I am" discourses culminating in Thomas' proclamation of the risen Jesus as "my Lord and my God". The gospel's concluding verses set out its purpose, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."
John 18:31–33 on Papyrus 52 (recto; c. AD 150).
Jesus giving the Farewell Discourse to his 11 remaining disciples, from the Maestà of Duccio, 1308–1311
The Rylands Papyrus is the oldest known New Testament fragment, dated to about 125–175 AD.
Bede translating the Gospel of John on his deathbed, by James Doyle Penrose, 1902