The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1858-05-14


Itten by Publius Lcntulus, while
llV!s governor of Judea, and to hava
been sent to the Roman Senate The
translation we give is free, but as it is the
popular one, We adopt it;
"There lives at this time in Judea,
pan of singular character whose name is
esus Christ. The barb;sians esteem hIm
a prophet, but his followers adore him AZ
the immediate offspring of the Immortal
God. lie is endowed with such unparal
leled virtue as to call back the dead from
their graves, and to heal every kind of
disease with word or touch His person
is tall and elegantly shaped his aspect
amiable and reserved, his hair flows in
beautiful shades, which no united colors
can match, falling in graceful curls below
his ears, agrccably crouching on his shoul-
dcrs, and parted on the crown of his head,
like the head-dress Of the sect of the Naz-
arnes. His forehead is smooth and his
checks without spot, save that of a love-
ly red. His nose and mouth are formed
with exquisite symmetry; his beard ia
thick and suitable to the bar of his head,
reaching little below his chin, and part,
ed in the middle like fork his eyes are
bright, clear and cerulean. lie rcbukes
with majesty, cOunsels with mildncsS, and
invites with the most tender and perSua-
sivc language. His whole address, wheth.
or in word or deed, being elegant, brave
and strictly characteristic of 50 exalted a
being No man has seen him laugh, but
the world has frequently seen him weep;
and so persuasive arc his tears, that tho
multitude cannot withhold theirs, from
sympathy with him. He is very modest,
temperate and wise. In short, whatever
this phenomenon may be III the end, he
seems at present Il man Of excellent beau
ty and divine perfections, every way sur.
passing the children Of men,"
This letter, which has done more than
any document now in existence to form
the opinion of the world as to the person.
al appearance of the Savior-it being tho
source from which painting and sculpture
have drawn the bcauteous and god-like
images which they have transferred to
marble, was first found in manuscript of
the four gospels executed in the fifteenth
century, and preserved i'll the library of
Scnna The letter is given as sort of
preface or introduction to the gospels, and
is beautifully written out in letters of gold
with that species Of golden ink known
in the dark ages" the art Of manufac-
turing which has since been lost 1t I,
introduced with these words inscribed -
90 We are assured that in the times of Oc-
taviuS Caesar (Augustine,) Publius Leu
tulus, proconsul of Judea under King
IIerod, wrote to the Roman Senators tho
following letter, which was found later by
Eutropius, and published in his annals Of
Rome"
Who this EutropiuS was, is not settled.
There was historian of the name who
wrote an abridgement of Roman history
i'll the fourth century, and who died in
800 OF whom some say he was christ
ian, from the circumstances that ho relates
that Julian prosecuted the christians, but
without shedding their blood. However
this may be, it is certain that the latter,
so far as ascribcd to Publius Lentulus, is
not genuine There never was Publius
Lcntulus proconsul, or more properly
procurotor of Judeu, at any rate not du-
ring or shortly after the birth of Christ.
The immediate predecessor of Pontius Pi-
late was IdleriuS GrdtiuS, who was sent
out to Judca in the year Is, and was sue
cecdcd by Pontius Plate, A. D., 26; who
continued procurator of Judca till the
year 3S, four OF five years after the death
of Christ, when he was sent into exile
His successor was Marccllus, SO that his.
tory says nothing of Publius Lentulss in
this connection.
Nevertheless, though not genuine, tho
letter embodies the substance of the an
! Acent tradition in regard to the person of
YChrst. Its description tallcs in the
main with that presented by all the oldest
portraits of the Savior, particularly with
that the very ancient and interesting one
found in the Roman catacombs in the
chapel of the cemetry of st. Callixtus.-
The famous French antiquary, Raoul
RoGAste, gives the following account of
tih( 6f some other ancient portraits
of Christ: "The most ancient image OF
Christ, executed by Christian pencil,
which the ravages of time have permitted
to come down to our day, is, without
doubt, that which is seen on the vault of
chapel in the cemetery of ST. Callix-
tus, aud which is published in the collec-
ton of Boteari The Savior Of men il
therein represented in bust, after the man
ner of the ancient imagines olypcdtac Of
the Romans. Under this hieratic, or sa-
cred priestly form, which appears to have
been already fixed at that early epoch,
lust such as is found in the monuments
of Christian art throughout the entire
Byzatine period, Christ is represented
with the face of an oval figure, somewhat
elongated his physiogomy grave, sweet
and melancholy, his beard short and
sparse, his hair separated at the middle Of
the forehead, and falling upon his shoul.