pictures of the suffering Saviour with the crown of thorns. The greatest painters and sculptors have
exhausted the resources of their genius in representations of Christ; but neither color nor chisel nor
pen can do more than produce a feeble reflection of the beauty and glory of Him who is the Son
of God and the Son of Man.
Among modern biographers of Christ, Dr. Sepp (Rom. Cath., Das Leben Jesu Christi, 1865,
vol. VI. 312 sqq.) defends the legend of St. Veronica of the Herodian family, and the genuineness
of the picture, of the suffering Saviour with the crown of thorns which he impressed on her silken
veil. He rejects the philological explanation of the legend from "the true image" (veraεἰκὼν=
Veronica), and derives the name from φερενίκη (Berenice), the Victorious. But Bishop Hefele
(Art. Christusbilder, in the Cath. Kirchen-Lexikon of Wetzer and Welte, II. 519–524) is inclined,
with Grimm, to identify Veronica with the Berenice who is said to have erected a statue to Christ
at Caesarea Philippi (Euseb. VII. 18), and to see in the Veronica legend only the Latin version of
the Abgar legend of the Greek Church. Dr. Hase (Leben Jesu, p. 79) ascribes to Christ manly beauty,
firm health, and delicate, yet not very characteristic features. He quotes John 20:14 and Luke 24:16,
where it is said that his friends did not recognize him, but these passages refer only to the mysterious
appearances of the risen Lord. Renan (Vie de Jésus, ch. X-XIV. p. 403) describes him in the frivolous
style of a novelist, as a doux Galilèen, of calm and dignified attitude, as a beau jeune hommewho
made a deep impression upon women, especially Mary of Magdala; even a proud Roman lady, the
wife of Pontius Pilate, when she caught a glimpse of him from the window (?), was enchanted,
dreamed of him in the night and was frightened at the prospect of his death. Dr. Keim (I. 463) infers
from his character, as described in the Synoptical Gospels, that he was perhaps not strikingly
handsome, yet certainly noble, lovely, manly, healthy and vigorous, looking like a prophet,
commanding reverence, making men, women, children, sick and poor people feel happy in his
presence. Canon Farrar (I. 150) adopts the view of Jerome and Augustine, and speaks of Christ as
"full of mingled majesty and tenderness in—
’That face
How beautiful, if sorrow had not made
Sorrow more beautiful than beauty’s self.’ "
On artistic representations of Christ see J. B. Carpzov: De oris et corpor is J. Christi forma
Pseudo-Lentuli, J. Damasceni et Nicephori proso - pographiae. Helmst. 1777. P. E. Jablonski: De
origine imaginum Christi Domini. Lugd. Batav. 1804. W. Grimm: Die Sage vom Ursprung der
Christusbilder. Berlin, 1843. Dr. Legis Glückselig: Christus-Archäologie; Das Buch von Jesus
Christus und seinem wahren Ebenbilde. Prag, 1863 4to. Mrs. Jameson and Lady Eastlake: The
History of our Lord as exemplified in Works of Art (with illustrations). Lond., 2d ed. 1865 2 vols.
Cowper: Apocr. Gospels. Lond. 1867, pp. 217–226. Hase: Leben Jesu, pp. 76–80 (5th ed.), Keim:
Gesch. Jesu von Naz. I. 459–464. Farrar: Life of Christ. Lond. 1874, I. 148–150, 312–313; II. 464.
III. The Testimony of Josephus on John the Baptist. Antiq. Jud. xviii. c. 5, § 2. Whatever
may be thought of the more famous passage of Christ which we have discussed in § 14 (p. 92), the
passage on John is undoubtedly genuine and so accepted by most scholars. It fully and independently
confirms the account of the Gospels on John’s work and martyrdom, and furnishes, indirectly, an
argument in favor of the historical character of their account of Christ, for whom he merely prepared
the way. We give it in Whiston’s translation: "Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction
of Herod’s army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John,A.D. 1-100.