Solomon, saw the same Lord in heavenly glory, "fairer than the children of men" and "altogether
lovely." Yet the difference was not so great as it is sometimes represented. For even the ante-Nicene
fathers (especially Clement of Alexandria), besides expressly distinguishing between the first
appearance of Christ in lowliness and humility, and his second appearance in glory and, majesty,
did not mean to deny to the Saviour even in the days of his flesh a higher order of spiritual beauty,
"the glory of the only-begotten of the Father full of grace and truth," which shone through the veil
of his humanity, and which at times, as on the mount of transfiguration, anticipated his future glory.
"Certainly," says Jerome, "a flame of fire and starry brightness flashed from his eye, and the majesty
of the God head shone in his face."
The earliest pictures of Christ, in the Catacombs, are purely symbolic, and represent him
under the figures of the Lamb, the good Shepherd, the Fish. The last has reference to the Greek
word Ichthys, which contains the initials of the words Ἰησοῦς Χριστός Θεοῦ Ὑιὸς Σωτὴρ. "Jesus
Christ, Son of God, Saviour." Real pictures of Christ in the early church would have been an offence
to the Jewish, and a temptation and snare to the heathen converts.
The first formal description of the personal appearance of Christ, which, though not authentic
and certainly not older than the fourth century, exerted great influence on the pictorial representations,
is ascribed to the heathen Publius Lentulus, a supposed contemporary of Pilate and "President of
the people of Jerusalem" (there was no such office), in an apocryphal Latin letter to the Roman
Senate, which was first discovered in a MS. copy of the writings of Anselm of Canterbury in the
twelfth century, and published with slight variations by, Fabricius, Carpzov, Gabler, etc. It is as
follows:
"In this time appeared a man, who lives till now, a man endowed with great powers. Men
call him a great prophet; his own disciples term Him the Son of God. His name is Jesus Christ. He
restores the dead to life, and cures the sick of all manner of diseases. This man is of noble and
well-proportioned stature, with a face full of kindness and yet firmness, so that the beholders both
love Him and fear Him. His hair is of the color of wine, and golden at the root; straight, and without
lustre, but from the level of the ears curling and glossy, and divided down the centre after the fashion
of the Nazarenes [Nazarites?]. His forehead is even and smooth, his face without wrinkle or blemish,
and glowing with delicate bloom. His countenance is frank and kind. Nose and mouth are in no
way faulty. His beard is full, of the same hazel color as his hair, not long, but forked. His eyes are
blue, and extremely brilliant. In reproof and rebuke he is formidable; in exhortation and teaching,
gentle and amiable. He has never been seen to laugh, but oftentimes to weep, (numquam visus est
ridere, flere autem saepe). His person is tall and erect; his hands and limbs beautiful and straight.
In speaking he is deliberate and grave, and little given to loquacity. In beauty he surpasses the
children of men."
Another description is found in the works of the Greek theologian, John of Damascus, of
the 8th century (Epist. ad Theoph. Imp. de venerandis Imag., spurious), and a similar one in the
Church History of Nicephorus (I. 40), of the 14th century. They represent Christ as resembling his
mother, and ascribe to him a stately person though slightly stooping, beautiful eyes, blond, long,
and curly hair, pale, olive complexion, long fingers, and a look expressive of nobility, wisdom, and
patience.
On the ground of these descriptions, and of the Abgar and the Veronica legends, arose a
vast number of pictures of Christ, which are divided into two classes: the Salvator pictures, with
the expression of calm serenity and dignity, without the faintest mark of grief, and the Ecce HomoA.D. 1-100.