LENTULUS
349
LENTULUS
Lord's personal appearance was very unprepossessing. But as the Church grew in prosperity and power this idea underwent a complete change. Eusebius and Au- gustine are heard to complain that nothing is known as to the Lord's personal appearance. In the INIiddle Ages a directly opposite opinion from that of the ancients pre- vaileii, anil the Lord was considered as having been an eminently handsome man, which opinion was only based on the [passage Psa. xlv, 2. In the works of the Greek historian Nicephorus (surnamed CaUistus Xanthopu- lus), who lived in the 14th century, and whom Weis- mann considers a credulous, uncritical writer, we find a description of Christ's personal appearance, for which, however, the writer gives no authority, saying only that it is derived from the ancients. As it greatly resembles that of Lcntulus, and perhaps served as its basis, we give it here as a curiosity : 'H fiEVTOi SicnrXacric r/)c jiop<pT]Q Tov Kvpiuv I'lHoJi' 'h](jov Xpi(TTOV, (jjg i'i, ap\a'i(i)v ttci- pti\i)(pafj.i]', Toia St TLQ ojg tv rvTrc^ napaXafitlv ))i', wpcuog i-itv ))v n)v la^iv (jrpocpa. 'Trjv yt fib' i'i\tKiav h'lT ovv ui'aSpoixijv tov cnofiaroc, itttci arrt^cifiwr 1)1/ TiXdojv. Eivi^ai'^ov tx^ov Tijv Toixa Kid oh ttco'V Santlav, fjiuWov [xiv ouv kui Trpog to ouAoj/ f^itTp'noq TTuig diroKkivovaav, ^tKalvciQ ck yf Tug ocbpvg hxs k«( TO TTc'iyv tTTiKcti-nnlg, Tovg St c^^aXfjiovg ^npoTTOfc Twug Kcd i'lpi-ia (sic !) tTTt'^apSrii^ovTccg, tvo(pBaXi.tig S' fjv Kcd tnippiv T))v piiVTOi Tpixn tou Tcioywvog Kap- Sr>)v Tipd tixfi i^nl oi'/c tig ttoXv Ka^tii.itvtp>. MciKpo- Tipav Si t))v Tpixa Ki<jia\i'jg TTtpi'tiptptv ' oiSiTTort yap t,i>pcg (tveji)] tm ti)v KifaXijv uiirov oliSt xsTp c'uSrpoi- TTou, Tr\i)i' T)jg /AijTpig ciiiTov vi]7rid'CovTog. "Hptfia i—iK\ivi'ig Ti)v avxtva, wg /.ujSt navv opSiov, Kai iv- TiTcijji'tin]v tx'-'v Ti)v ifKiKiav tov (HxJjiciTog ' aiToxpovg ct Kcd ul< (JTpoyyv\7]v tx^ov ti)i' Sxpiv tri'/y yrtrf)', dW ux^TTtp Tijg jtijTpog avrov /iiicphv VTTOKaTajicdvovffav, 6/\('yo)^ c^{ tTrKponnaaojjBvi]!', oaov inroipaii'fiv tv (Tifi- vov Tt Ktd TO (TvvfTov TOV jj^-ovg Kal i'juipov Kcd TO KaTajraK d6pyr]Tov. Kara TrctvTa Si iiv t/Kptpijg ti) Si'k} Kill Trcn'a<7Tri\<iJ tKtivov fj.7]Tpl. Tavra fiiv tv TovToig. Compare the articles Christ, Images and PoRTHAiTs OF ; Jesus Ciirist (II, 11, in vol. iv, p. 884). The same tendency jjrevailed also in the Western Church until the Reformation, when Luther took a more reasonable view of the question, saying, " It is verj^ possible that some may have been as handsome, phys- ically, as Christ. Perhaps some M-ere even handsomer, for we do not see it mentioned that the Jews ever won- dered at his beauty." The same vie\v" was taken by a Roman Catholic writer {In libra de forma Christi, Paris, 1649), who said tliat the Redeemer Was not either ill favored nor more handsome tlian other men. In other cases, however, the Roman Catholic Church lias re- tained the ideas presented in the epistle of Lentulus.
If we now look more closely into this epistle of Len- tulus, we find in the edition of Grj-n:eus (Monum. ortho- doxof/rdpha) that it reads, "Lcntulus, Hierosolymitano- rum Prreses, S. P. Q. Romano S. : Apparuit temporibus nostris et adhuc est homo magna; virtutis, nominatus Christus Jesus, qui dicitur a gentibus propheta veritatis, quem ejus discipuli vocant filium Dei, suscitans mortuos ct sanaus languores [MS. Vatic. " languentes"]. Homo quiilem staturre procerae [Goldast. addit. "scilicet xv palmorum et medii"J, spectabilis, vultum habens vene- rabilem, (piem intuentes possunt et diligere et formi- dare : ('aiiillos vcro circinos, crispos aliquantum cteru- liores et fulgentiores [MS. 1 Jen. " Capillos habens co- loris nucis avellana; pnvmatura; et pianos uscpic ad aures. ab auribus vcro circinos, crispos aliquantulum cteruliorcs et fulgentiores"], ab humeris volitantes [om- nes alii: " ventilantes"], discrimen habens in medio ca- pitis juxta morem Xazarenorum [Centur. jNIagd. et An- selmi opp. "Nazarworum"J : frontem planam et serenis- simam, cum facie sine ruga (ac) macula alicpia. quam rubor moderatus venustat. Nasi et oris nulhi prorsus est rcprehensio, barbam habens copiosam ct rubram [fere omnes ahi : " impuberem" j, capillorum colore, non Ipngam sed bifurcatam [omnes addunt : "adspectum
habet simplicem et maturum"], oculis variis et claris existentibus. In increpatione terribilis, in admonitione placidus [plurimi alii: "blandus"] et amabilis, hilaris servata gravitate, qui nunquam visus est ridcre. Here autem sape. »Sic in statura corporis propagatus [jilu- rimi alii addimt : " et rectus"] manus habens ct membra [ceteri omnes: "brachia"] visu delectabilia in cloquio [rectius ceteri: "coUoquio"] gravis, rarus ct modestus speciosus inter filios hominum. Talete [Hoc Yalete de- est in rcliquis MSS. et edd.]."