The Letter of Lentulus
A couple of months ago I offered several ancient and medieval passages describing the physical appearance of Jesus, and even more recently I mentioned my uploading of some ancient and medieval passages citing the Testimonium Flavianum. This present post has to do with both topics.
The Latin letter of Lentulus, an ancient or medieval forgery (refer to the Catholic Encyclopedia for more information), both describes Jesus and appears to reflect the wording of the Testimonium. I was recently able to locate a copy of the original Latin on Google Books (and have even posted a page on my site describing how I did it, so as to hopefully inspire others to find texts like these on Google Books and present them in more accessible formats elsewhere). Here it is, along with my own translation:
Lentulus, Hierosolymitanorum praeses, S. P. Q. Romano: Adparuit nostris temporibus et adhuc est homo magnae virtutis nominatus Christus Iesus, qui dicitur a gentibus propheta veritatis, quem eius discipuli vocant filium dei, suscitans mortuos et sanans languores. homo quidem staturae procerae, spectabilis, vultum habens venerabilem, quem intuentes possunt et diligere et formidare; capillos vero circinos et crispos aliquantum coeruliores et fulgentiores ab humeris volitantes; discrimen habens in medio capitis iuxta morem Nazarenorum; frontem planam et serenissimam, cum facie sine ruga ac macula aliqua, quam rubor moderatus venustat; nasi et oris nulla prorsus est reprehensio; barbam habens copiosam et rubram, capillorum colore, non longam sed bifurcatam; oculis variis et claris exsistentibus. in increpatione terribilis, in admonitione placidus ac amabilis, hilaris, servata gravitate, qui nunquam visus est ridere, flere autem saepe. sic in statura corporis propagatus, manus habens et membra visu delectabilia; in eloquio gravis, rarus et modestus, speciosus inter filios hominum. valete.
Lentulus, president of Jerusalem, to the senate and the people of Rome: There appeared in our times, and still is, a man of great power1 named Christ Jesus, who is said by the people to be a prophet of truth, whom his disciples call the son of God, since he resuscitates the dead and heals those who are sick.2 He is indeed a man of tall stature, notable, having a venerable countenance, whom those who gaze upon him can both love and dread; hair truly wavy and curly, considerably bluish and shining, fluttering from the shoulders; having a part in the middle of the head according to the custom of the Nazarenes; a flat and most serene forehead, with a face without any wrinkle or spot, which a moderate redness embellishes; nothing of his nose or mouth is at all reprehensible; having an abundant and reddish beard, the color of his hair, not long but bifurcated; his eyes being varying and bright. In his reproaches he is terrible, in his admonition placid and amiable, cheerful, but his gravity preserved, who no one has ever seen to laugh, but often to weep. He is extended in the stature of his body, having hands and arms delectable to see; grave in his eloquence, rare and modest, splendid among the sons of men. Be well.
1 Or virtue.
2 Or languishing.
This is one of the stranger physical descriptions of Jesus (the bluish hair is odd; or perhaps I have mistranslated something somewhere), and please note that it is only one of several versions that circulated. The part that overlaps with the Testimonium is the very beginning of the letter proper. Compare adparuit nostris temporibus with fuit autem iisdem temporibus in the Latin version of the Testimonium by Rufinus; compare homo magnae virtutis with mirabilium operum effector; compare dicitur a gentibus with multos etiam ex gentilibus; and compare propheta veritatis with ανηρ προφητης in Luke 24.19, from a passage that G. J. Goldberg identified as related in some way to the Testimonium.
In any case, I think it is an interesting bit of apocryphal lore.
This sounds as though the writer is describing an icon quite similar to the Sinai Pantokrator. The suggestion has been made before by art historians that the extremely different two sides of the face of this particular icon are related precisely to the desire to depict the forgiving and gentle Lord (on the side with the blessing hand), and the stern Lord of judgment (on the side with the Book of the Gospels, or the New Law by which all will be judged), also determined by “the sheep on the right, the goats on the left” imagery found in Matthew 25. It’s interesting to see this idea supported here.
That coeruliores certainly is odd, particularly with the rubram capillorum colore below. The sense intended is probably just “dark-colored” rather than specifically bluish (see Lewis & Short s.v. caeruleus).
That’s a fun one!
October 9th, 2007 at 8:52 pmIt’s very common in portrait painting to paint the two sides of the face with slightly different or very different expressions. Thus you can have a really good time wandering portrait galleries while holding up your hand, and also collect some good hard stares.
Hair can be black with blue highlights or black with red highlights. Very common, in fact. I usually see this with Japanese or Indian folks; most black-haired people are really just dark brown or else curly-haired enough so it doesn’t show.
October 10th, 2007 at 11:51 amThanks for the comments.
I think some scholars suspect that this letter drew on an actual set of instructions for painters who wished to depict the Lord.
October 11th, 2007 at 9:33 am