medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Last Saturday, Ann Ball wrote:
<< I can't for the life of my\e lay my hands on
it but somewhere around here I have a book that
had a written description of Christ from his own
time period. It described him with a beard. >>
I remembered reading about this description of
Christ a number of years ago and used AB's post
as an excuse to re-read biblical scholar E. J.
Goodspeed's fascinating _Modern Apocrypha_
(Boston: Beacon Press, 1956), from which the
following is taken (p. 88f.):
The Description of Christ
A document known as "The Description of Christ" has
of late reappeared in religious papers and books in various
parts of the United States. In recent years I have received
copies of it from all parts of the country. In a well-known
berry ranch near Los Angeles the document is on display,
together with a portrait of Christ.
Because it is presented as an ancient and presumably
authentic document, it is worth while to state the facts
about it.
The "Description" probably originated in Italy in the
thirteenth century. In its earliest form it appeared as a
simple statement beginning: "It is read in the annals books
of the Romans that our Lord Jesus Christ, who was called
by the Gentiles the prophet of truth, was of stature middling
tall, and comely . . ." It was probably based on the
books of instructions of the Greek miniature painters who
illustrated medieval manuscripts. These instructions, which
still exist, contain descriptions of the personal appearance
of all the leading figures in the New Testament, as well as
the heroes of Troy.
In a number of medieval manuscripts, the description appears
in the longer form of a letter from Publius Lentulus,
Governor of Judea, to the Roman Senate. [[1]]
This is the version given by Montague R. James in his
_Apocryphal New Testament_ (1924), but somewhat modernized:
A certain Lentulus, a Roman, being an official for the Romans in the
province of Judea in the time of Tiberius Caesar, upon seeing Christ,
and noting his wonderful works, his preaching, his endless miracles, and
other amazing things about him, wrote thus to the Roman Senate:
There has appeared in these times, and still is, a man of great power
named Jesus Christ, who is called by the Gentiles the prophet of truth,
whom his disciples call the Son of God: raising the dead and healing
diseases, a man in stature middling tall, and comely, having a reverend
countenance, which they that look upon may love and fear; having
hair of the hue of an unripe hazel-nut and smooth almost down to his
ears, but from the ears in curling locks somewhat darker and more
shining, waving over his shoulders; having a parting at the middle of
the bead according to the fashion of the Nazareans; a brow smooth and
very calm, with a face without wrinkle or any blemish, which a mod-
erate color makes beautiful; with the nose and mouth no fault at all
can be found; having a full beard of the color of his hair, not long,
but a little forked at the chin; having an expression simple and ma-
ture, the eyes grey, glancing, and clear; in rebuke terrible, in admoni-
tion kind and lovable, cheerful yet keeping gravity; sometimes he has
wept, but never laughed; in stature of body tall and straight, with
hands and arms fair to look upon; in talk grave, reserved and modest
(so that he was rightly called by the prophet) fairer than the children
of men.
[[1]] Von Dobschu+tz in his _Christusbilder_ (p. 308**) gives a
list of these manuscripts, to which we may add Latin MS 22 in
the library of the University of Chicago, written in 1466-1469.
(end quote)
I checked James' collection and found nothing
additional worth passing along other than that
the texts of the description vary, especially at
the beginning. Per Beskow, in his _Strange Tales
about Jesus (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983), adds
nothing more to Goodspeed's account than to say
that Hennecke-Schneemelcher's collection of New
Testament apocrypha does not include it, and that
the work by von Dobschu+tz cited by Goodspeed
(and James) and quoted above includes an edition
of the text in its various forms, with comments.
Those particularly interested in the matter might
find this bibliographical information useful
(from the on-line Harvard library catalog):
Dobschütz, Ernst von, 1870-1934.
Christusbilder: Untersuchungen zur christlichen
Legende / von Ernst von Dobschütz. Leipzig : J.C.
Hinrichs, 1899. 1001 p. in various pagings ; 23
cm. Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der
altchristlichen Literatur ; der ganzen Reihe 18.
Bd. = n.F., 3. Bd.
John
--
*** John McChesney-Young ** [log in to unmask]
** Berkeley, California, U.S.A. ***
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