--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Sjodahl, J. M. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 28 number: 3 published: 1925-01 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "J. M. Sjodahl, “Supposed Likenesses of Our Lord,” *Improvement Era 28, no. 3 (January 1925)*: 252–254." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2803unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2803unse start_page: 252 end_page: 254 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1925-01) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2803unse publication_year: 1925 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1925, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Supposed Likenesses of Our Lord SUPPOSED LIKENESSES OF OUR LORD The Evangelists do no Describe His Person, but Artists Have Given Us Their Own Ideas By J. M. Sjodahl While the Evangelists, who are the biographers of our Lord and Savior, give us a remarkably clear idea of the perfection of his moral character, they leave many questions unanswered. One of these con- cerns his personal appearance. They have no description of his stature, his complexion, etc. They furnish no data from which even a skilful artist may make a likeness in marble or on canvas. The reason for this is apparent. Man is ever prone to cling to outward forms and ceremonies and to neglect the spiritual element. The Evangelists have studiously avoided to draw any picture of the physical features of the Master, while they have placed before us a character, the divine features of which are unmistakable. Then again, as one historian well says, "No figure of Christ in color, or bronze, or marble, can reach the ideal of perfect beauty which came forth into actual reality in the Son of God and the Son of man. The highest creations of art are here but feeble reflections of the original in heaven." However, artists in later ages have endeavored to give us a true likeness of the Savior, from such descriptions as do exist. These are of comparatively recent date, but it is not impossible that in them are found some of the main points of older traditions, from the time of Irenaeus, Papias, or even St. John. In the 8th century Nicephorus says our Lord resembled his mother Mary. He was beautiful, strikingly tall, with fair and slightly curling hair, with dark eyebrows, an oval countenance, a pale, olive complexion, bright eyes, an attitude slightly stooping, and a] look expressive of patience, nobility and wisdom. There is also a letter purporting to have been written by a pro- consul in Jerusalem, Lentulus by name, to the Roman senate concern- ing the crucifixion. He is said to have been contemporary with Pilate, but the judgment of scholars is that the letter cannot be any older than the 12th century, though it may be founded on an older tradition. In that letter the following occurs: "There appeared in our times a man of great virtue, named Christ Jesus * * * He is a man of lofty stature, beautiful, having a noble countenance, so that they who look on him may both love and fear. He has wavy hair, rather crisp, of the color of wine, and glittering as it flows down from his shoulders, with a parting in the middle of the head after the manner of the Nazarenes. His forehead is pure and even, and his face with- out any spot or wrinkle, but glowing with a delicate flush. His nose and mouth are faultless; he has a beard, abundant and of the same hazel color SUPPOSED LIKENESSES OF OUR LORD 253 Characteristic Artists' Likenesses of Our Lord. Left, by Paolo Cagliary (1528-88), generally known as Veronese. Painting now in Dresden. Right, by Titian (1477-1576), a painting now at Madrid. as his hair, not long but forked. His eyes are blue and very bright: He is terrible in rebuke, calm and loving in admonition, cheerful, but preserving in gravity. He has never been seen to laugh, but oftentimes to weep. His stature is erect, and his hands and limbs are beautiful to look upon. In speech he is grave, reserved, and modest; and he is fair among the children of men." It is said that a statue of Christ found its way into the private lararium of Emperor Alexander Severus, where is was placed among other household gods. Other statues are also said to have been in existence in the early ages, among which is mentioned one at Caesarea Philippi. Finally, there is the fictitious story of Veronica, a woman of Jerusalem, who, with many others, accompanied our Savior on his road to Calvary. According to the mythical account, she gave Jesus a towel with which he wiped off his of pain and anguish perspiring face, whereupon the sacred features were imprinted upon the cloth. The picture was later taken to Rome. The truth concerning the picture seems to be this, that it was exhibited in Rome as the "true likeness" of Jesus. Its origin is ab- solutely unknown. In the old Roman language it was called the vera ikon — the true likeness — to distinguish it from others which may have existed. This expression became gradually in the vernacular "Veronica," and then the story was woven around the fictitious name. Many artists have endeavored to produce a likeness from these and similar descriptions and early efforts. Some represent our Lord with an expression of serenity and infinite dignity. Others, taking their inspiration from Isaiah 53:3: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not," 254 IMPROVEMENT ERA HR^BH ■■■"« '% He* Vt* V v -~s. j ■ VMM fc^ ^j ' .'. jL^fc^j^*^^ ^Jrjl l^^ji ;* I HL< .jiC '■ AV H KJwg'.^ "*^M ^&* Al P*tj|:' 1 ^H • *****&" ifl I - 5k _ - mAmK WHL jM K. ^^^^3H E^fl ■Mi— y swbw&wAh ' Ik^r^S HHRm$ ■'■■■ ^VMYAVH Characteristic Arists' Likenesses of our Lord. Right, Michelangelo (1475-1564), sculptor, painter and poet. The original is in Rome. Left, a peculiar con- ception by M. DOggione, a less famous artist. The original is in Rome. endeavored to express this thought of the great prophet. And so we have the "ecco homo" pictures which all our readers have seen. The beautiful statue by Thorvaldsen in Copenhagen, belongs to the first group of these two classes. In view of the efforts of art to create a likeness of our Lord, an article in the November number of The Ladies' Home Journal concerning a recently discovered group of sculptured forms, which have been supposed to be genuine portraits of our Lord and some of the first apostles, is of interest. The group appears on a silver chalice, which serves as receptacle for a plain cup of the same metal, and which is thought to be the very cup our Lord used when he instituted the Sacra- ment, before his betrayal and death. The supposition is that the cup was preserved by the Christians in Jerusalem, until persecution scat- tered them, when the sacred vessel was carried to Antioch by some of the fugitives. Here, later, some artist, some silversmith, such as Drmetrius at Ephesus, perhaps, converted to Christianity, made the outer cover and reproduced from descriptions or even from memory the portraits on it. The chalice is said to have been found in recent years at Antioch, and is now in the possession of Messrs. Kouchakji Freres, New York, who have published a large, de luxe, work on it by Dr. Eisen. Judging from the reproductions in the Ladies Home Journal, the features of Christ remind one of what one would suppose to be those of his saintly mother. Whether they are genuine or not, I have no means of judging, but I am inclined to agree with the impression of one who has seen the chalice, who, as quoted in the Home Journal, says there is something about it "which sinks into the depths of one's soul." Even if the chalice is only a specimen of early Christian art it is an object of great interest.