The attitude of early Christians about paintings and art has been the subject of much debate. The aim of this paper is to re-examine the established theory of iconophobia of early Christians and early Christian writers through the analysis of works and texts in which they look at paintings or art. The introductory chapters outline the context of time in which the visual identity of Christians is born and shaped. In the chapter about the history of research, we bring an overview of the scholars who left their mark in the study of the early Christian arts. Then we deal with a chronological review of the writings of the great theologians of the Church in its formative period. We bring their thoughts and conclusions about art. They primarily condemn idolatry, not art in general, and also not Christian art. We contrast the analysis of the written sources with the material evidence through which we see that to many Christians image was important; as an instructive, moral, dogmatic, and narrative illustration. The attitude of Christians towards the painting is a complex and layered theme that requires knowledge of the cultural and social context of the time. It also depends on local influences, and the economic and political status of the early Christians. The anicony of the earliest Christians is also called into question. Early literature due to lack of archaeological evidence often declares early Christians as iconophobes, but studying mentioned contexts of the time, as well as the traditions Christians inherited, whether Jewish or Roman, we realize that they were not necessarily absolutely hostile towards images. Only when they gained a favorable status in the Roman Empire could Christians freely express their beliefs through figurative art.