A Description of Jesus Christ by Tiberius Caesar

joasia · Post by **joasia** » Tue 31 October 2006 6:24 pm

Hi All,

Not sure where to post this. I think this is amazing.

Description of Jesus

The Physiognomy of Jesus: A letter written to Tiberius Caesar,
Emperor of the Romans by Publius Lentulus, Governor of Judea

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   In the Library of Geranini in Rome, the following letter exists that speaks about Christ.  It is a letter written by Publius Lentulus, who was the governor of Judea before Pontius Pilate. The letter was addressed to the Roman Emperor Tiberius.
   
    "I heard O Caesar, that you wish to know these things which I am writing to you at present, about a certain Man of great virtue-whose name is Jesus Christ, whom the people esteem as a prophet of the truth.  his desciples say that He is the Son of God, the Creator of everything in Heaven and on Earth...
   Truly Caesar, every day amazing things of great wonder are heard about Him.  He raises the dead and heals the sick with only one word.  He is a tall man, well shaped, and of an amiable and reverent aspect, especially in his face, that all who gaze upon Him are compelled to love and fear Him.
   His hair is the color of a ripe pecan which comes to his ears, and from there it falls into graceful waving curls that cover his shoulders, turning into a brilliant reddish earth color.  It is parted in the center from the crown according to the fashion of the Nazarenes.  His forehead is smooth and serene, his face is without wrinkle or spot, his nose and his mouth are formed in exquisite symmetry. His beard is thick; the same color as his hair, not long, and it is separated in the center.  His eyes are exceptionally sweet and calm; they are serious and inspire fear; they have the power of the sun's rays.  No one can stare straight into His eyes.  When he reprimands, He creates fear; when He preaches, he pleases everyone, and He is loved by everyone.  He is exceedingly pleasant but in a serious way.
   The people say that He has never been seen smiling, but frequently crying.  His arms and hands are delectible to behold.  In his conversations, He satisfies everyone.  He has the most perfect body in the whole world.  He is a man of extraordinary beauty and divine perfecton and exceeds in beauty all of the sons of men, as does his mother, who is the most beautiful woman ever seen in these parts.
   If however, Your Majesty, O Caesar, wishes to see Him, as you have written to me sometime before, inform me of this and I will send Him to you immediately.
   Everyone in Jerusalem marvels at his wisdom, although He never studied anything.   He possesses knowledge of all the sciences.  He walks barefoot and wears no cover on his head.  Seeing Him many people laugh, but when they are before Him they tremble with fear and respect.  The people say that never has a man so eloquent, wise and modest as He ever appeared in these parts.  The truth is, as the Jewish people inform me, that no one ever gave advice or taught as this man teaches.  Many of the Judeans believe Him to be God.  Others again tell me that He is an enemy of your majesty, O Caesar, and in various ways the Jews annoy me.  Many people say that He never offended anyone, but He has been fair and just to all.  
   All those who have become acquainted with Him say that He has helped them.  Consequently, O Caesar, I am willing to obey Your Majesty and whatever you order me, it will be carried out."

(In Jerusalem Indiction 7, Moon 11, To Your Majesty faithfully and respectfully, Publius Lentulus, Governor of Judea)

Ekaterina · Post by **Ekaterina** » Wed 1 November 2006 9:50 am

Joasia:

This has been shown to be part of apocrophal writings. Apparently there was no such governor in Palestine. It was proven to have benn written 3 centuries later and has no grounding in truth. There are apparently a number of terns used by this supposed governor which prove that it was not written by a Roman of the times.

While it is nice ...it is however, untrue. Sorry!

Katya

Ebor · Post by **Ebor** » Wed 1 November 2006 9:59 am

Here are some links on this subject and how the "letter" is a fraud. It was first printed in Cologne in 1474 for example. So the provenance and antiquity are suspect from the start.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09154a.htm
http://answers.org/bible/description.html

Ebor

spiridon · Post by **spiridon** » Wed 1 November 2006 11:12 am

well the writings of some will always be attacked of its originality, for instance what could be untrue about the description of Christ in human flesh in this article ??? Im sure somebody could find something as it seems a custom of Traditionalist fanatics to decipher and autopsy anything that has been written in Christ, polemics have there place in what i call "way too much time in this world-politics" in the world of prayer and fasting these little articles bring us hope and make us smile that our God and saviour was so - HIMSELF

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             in Christ,
                           spiridon

Liudmilla · Post by **Liudmilla** » Wed 1 November 2006 11:45 am

Spiridon:

I do not believe anyone is attacking the description offered in the "letter", however the letter IS a proven fraud. If we believe in TRUTH then this fraudulant letter, however beautiful, is not TRUTH.

The representations of Christ have changed through out the centuries as have the representations of His mother. One needs but look at the icon of the Black Madonna, which is attributed to the Evangelist Luke, and then at all the icons that followed. Each representation is a different Theotokos. Many different versions of her icons have become miraculous, but that does not change the fact that Mary is respresented differently on each one.

Perhaps the description in the letter is true, but those who have seen Christ did not leave us a lasting image and we are left to "imagine" him as best as we can. Was He similiar to His semetic brethern? or was He more like the Romans? or even something else? It's anybody's guess. But we do have icons and if you need to imagine Him , place one in front of you and close your eyes.

Milla

Ebor · Post by **Ebor** » Wed 1 November 2006 3:42 pm

spiridon wrote:
well the writings of some will always be attacked of its originality, for instance what could be untrue about the description of Christ in human flesh in this article ???

Attacked? This is not a question of "originality" but of is it a true historical document that is really from the time it is supposed to be. What could be untrue? The purported writer "Publius Lentulus" never existed. Therefor that part of the "Letter" is a lie. Next it is presented as an eyewitness account of what Our Lord looked like in his physical form during his earthly incarnation. Since the "writer" is a fabrication, how can this be a first hand account as it is presented? That also makes it a lie, a fraud.

Im sure somebody could find something as it seems a custom of Traditionalist fanatics ...

I don't think that I would be counted as a "Traditionalist fanatic" by any means.

To decipher and autopsy anything that has been written in Christ, polemics have there place in what i call "way too much time in this world-politics" in the world of prayer and fasting these little articles bring us hope and make us smile that our God and saviour was so - HIMSELF

If it were presented as an imagining or a vision or something else, maybe so. But this is saying that it is a true account from a witness during Jesus' pre-resurrection lifetime. To claim something that is not true as a historical fact is to misrepresent it, to, in other words, make a lie.

That is the point of the objections

Ebor

joasia · Post by **joasia** » Wed 1 November 2006 11:36 pm

Well, this is the first time I read this letter. I didn't realize that it was a fake. That is unfortunate.

Spiridon wrote:

well the writings of some will always be attacked of its originality, for instance what could be untrue about the description of Christ in human flesh in this article ???

Frankly, it can't be proven except by a saint who has been visited by Christ or a non-saint who He chose to bless with His appearance.

Im sure somebody could find something as it seems a custom of Traditionalist fanatics to decipher and autopsy anything that has been written in Christ,

I don't think the responses are a matter of fanatism, but knowledge of the fact that this letter is a fake. And traditionalism is not synonmous with fanatism. I'm a traditionalist, but I have come to understand that I must weigh the information I come across. And this letter wasn't written in Christ; it was written by a Roman and on top of that, by a person that pretended that it was written by a Roman....this is far from Christ.

polemics have there place in what i call "way too much time in this world-politics" in the world of prayer and fasting these little articles bring us hope and make us smile that our God and saviour was so - HIMSELF

I appreciate your love for the faith...I feel that way too. But,I think that we should consider the responses. I don't believe that the people that responded are apt to bring down any articles of Christ, unless it was a lie. They all agree that this letter is a fake. They have been here for a long time and I don't see any reason to doubt their integrity. I really don't know much compared to the others here.

I came to Orthodoxy because I wanted to know the bare facts and truth about God; I also apply this to what I hear within Orthodoxy. I don't want to be fooled by lies. I want to know what is true and what is a lie.

And what Ludmilla said is true. Those who DID see Christ, did not write about His appearance. Why is that? I guess, because it is more important to know about His teachings than what He looked like. Afterall, our faith is based on believing in what is not seen, but felt in our hearts; to have conviction of faith in Christ is greater than to see Him standing amongst us.

Joanna