Alla avbildningar av Jesus är fria fantasier. De första avbildningarna var abstrakta, i form av en fisk eller dylikt. Det var först efter flera hundra år som man avbildade Jesus och då antingen som en ung skön yngling som mycket liknade avbildningar av Apollon eller som en något äldre skäggig man där framställningar av Asklepios fått stå förebild. De enda bevarade beskrivningar av Jesus’ utseende säger att Jesus var ful.
Enligt Justinus (ca 150 vt) hade Jesus inget behagligt utseende och var inte vacker. Han var föga ärofull, snarare föraktlig (Justinus Martyren, Dialog med juden Tryfon, bl.a. 13, 49, 85, 100, 112). Tertullianus (ca 200 vt) påstår att Jesus saknade kraft, charm och ära (Tertullianus, Mot judarna 14). Klemens från Alexandria (ca 200 vt) hävdar att Jesus var oskön och inte hade något behagligt utseende och att han nyttjade en ful och medelmåttlig kropp för att folk inte skulle prisa hans utseende, utan fokusera på vad han sade (Klemens från Alexandria, Paedagogus 3:1, Stromata 6:17 ).
Origenes skriver på 240-talet i sin motskrift mot gnostikern, nyplatonikern och kristendomskritikern Kelsos, att denne hade (ca år 178 vt) skrivit att det berättats att Jesus var liten till växten, motbjudande ful och simpel. Origenes bemöter detta med att säga att det visserligen påstås att Jesus var ful, dock inte simpel, och att det heller inte finns säkra bevis på att han var liten. Origenes försvarade den kristna tron mot Kelsos inte genom att säga att Kelsos hade fel, utan genom att påstå att Jesus’ icketilltalande utseende uppfyllde profetiorna i Jesaja 53 om den lidande tjänaren och således var ytterligare bevis för att Jesus var Guds son (Origenes, Mot Kelsos 6:75).
Tydligt är att ingen visste hur Jesus såg ut. Ändå antog man att han måste ha varit ful.
JUSTIN MARTYR, DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/justinmartyr-dialoguetrypho.html
49. “As therefore,” I say, “while Moses was still among men, God took of the spirit which was in Moses and put it on Joshua, even so God was able to cause[the spirit] of Elijah to come upon John; in order that, as Christ at His first coming appeared inglorious, even so the first coming of the spirit, which remained always pure in Elijah s like that of Christ, might be perceived to be inglorious.
85. “Moreover, some of you venture to expound the prophecy which runs, ‘Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may enter,’ as if it referred likewise to Hezekiah, and others of you[expound it] of Solomon; but neither to the latter nor to the former, nor, in short, to any of your kings, can it be proved to have reference, but to this our Christ alone, who appeared without comeliness, and inglorious,
100. He assumed flesh by the Virgin of their family, and submitted to become a man without comeliness, dishonoured, and subject to suffering.
TERTULLIAN, AN ANSWER TO THE JEWS.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/tertullian08.html
14. For “we have announced,” says the prophet, “concerning Him, (He is) as a little child, as a root in a thirsty land; and there was not in Him attractiveness or glory. And we saw Him, and He had not attractiveness or grace; but His mien was unhonoured, deficient in comparison of the sons of men,” “a man set in the plague, and knowing how to bear infirmity:” to wit as having been set by the Father “for a stone of offence,” and “made a little lower” by Him “than angels,” He pronounces Himself “a worm, and not a man, an ignominy of man, and the refuse of the People.”
CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, THE INSTRUCTOR. [PAEDAGOGUS],
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/clement-instructor-book3.html
3.1. And that the Lord Himself was uncomely in aspect, the Spirit testifies
by Esaias: “And we saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness but His form was mean, inferior to men.” Yet who was more admirable than the Lord? But it was not the beauty of the flesh visible to the eye, but the true beauty of both soul and body, which He exhibited, which in the former is beneficence; in the latter—that is, the flesh-immortality.
CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA,The Stromata, or Miscellanies
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/clement-stromata-book6.html
6.17. Now it was not in vain that the Lord chose to make use of a mean form of body; so that no one praising the grace and admiring the beauty might turn his back on what was said, and attending to what ought to be abandoned, might be cut off from what is intellectual.
ORIGEN, Contra Celsus
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/origen166.html
6:75 To the preceding remarks he adds the following: “Since a divine Spirit inhabited the body (of Jesus), it must certainly have been different From that of other beings, in respect of grandeur, or beauty, or strength, or voice, or impressiveness, or persuasiveness. For it is impossible that He, to whom was imparted some divine quality beyond other beings, should not differ from others; whereas this person did not differ in any respect from another, but was, as they report, little, and ill-favoured, and ignoble.” Now it is evident by these words, that when Celsus wishes to bring a charge against Jesus, he adduces the sacred writings, as one who believed them to be writings apparently fitted to afford a handle for a charge against Him; but wherever, in the same writings, statements would appear to be made opposed to those charges which are adduced, he pretends not even to know them! There are, indeed, admitted to be recorded some statements respecting the body of Jesus having been “ill-favoured;” not, however, “ignoble,” as has been stated, nor is there any certain evidence that he was “little.” The language of Isaiah runs as follows, who prophesied regarding Him that He would come and visit the multitude, not in comeliness of form, nor in any surpassing beauty: “Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? He made announcement before Him, as a child, as a root in a thirsty ground. He has no form nor glory, and we beheld Him, and He had no form nor beauty; but His form was without honour, and inferior to that of the sons of men.” These passages, then, Celsus listened to, because he thought they were of use to him in bringing a charge against Jesus; but he paid no attention to the words of the 45th Psalm, and why it is then
said, “Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O most mighty, with Thy comeliness and beauty; and continue, and prosper, and reign.”
Och ungefär så här borde Jesus ha sett ut om vi tänker oss att han har funnits och varit en jude i nollhundratalets början. Detta är en rekonstruktion gjord efter lämningar och som visar hur en typisk man i Palestina vid Jesu tid såg ut.
http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/6/66/180px-RFJesus.jpg
http://www.rejesus.co.uk/expressions/faces_jesus/facesj_media/b_bbc.jpg
Personligen tycker jag att den mannen mer liknar de avbildningar som förekommer av förrädaren Judas.
Mvh, Roger