24 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 24 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 20 pagesAbout this book
What if a familiar face in Western sacred art owes something to a Roman report that is not Roman?
The Letter of Lentulus presents itself as a report to the Roman Senate. Its supposed author, Lentulus, describes the face, hair, eyes, and bearing of Jesus of Nazareth. Feature by feature, the short text builds a portrait of a man whose presence, according to the letter, inspires both love and awe.
But the Roman voice is a disguise. The author is unknown, and scholars place this Latin text in late-medieval Western Europe, treating it as a forgery rather than a first-century account. Its fascination lies in the wish it answers: the Gospels do not describe Jesus’s appearance, yet readers want a face to picture.
What you’ll discover
- A borrowed Roman voice See how an imagined official frames a portrait as a report to Rome.
- A face in words Encounter the long parted hair and forked beard familiar from Western images of Christ.
- Love mixed with awe Read how the letter describes a presence that draws affection and commands reverence.
- A medieval setting Place the text among the legends and devotional writings of Latin Christian culture.
- History beside devotion Explore why this portrait matters culturally without mistaking it for an eyewitness account.
Who will love it
For readers curious about how the face of Jesus came to be imagined, and for lovers of apocrypha, medieval manuscripts, Christian art history, and famous documents with unknown authors.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A short letter with a large shadow
- A Roman official stands as the witness
- The hair and beard set the image
- The eyes and face carry the feeling
- The Gospels are silent and people wanted more
- The portrait reaches painters and worshippers
- Forgery, faith, and how to read it today
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The Letter of Lentulus
by Anonymous
A Roman official writes to the Senate and describes Jesus down to the color of his hair and the fork of his beard.
Medium levelUnder 2 hours to readfrançais
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In short
What did Jesus look like? The Gospels never say.
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Listen freeFrom the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A short letter with a large shadow
The Letter of Lentulus is a very short text that presents itself as a report from a Roman official to the Roman Senate. It describes the face and body of Jesus in a few hundred words. Yet few small texts have travelled so far. Its reach across Europe, and then across the world of images, is out of all proportion to its size.
The letter opens with a brief frame. A Roman named Lentulus served as an official in Judaea during the reign of Tiberius Caesar. He has seen Christ in person and has taken note of his preaching and his miracles. Then the letter itself begins, addressed to the Senate.
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A Roman official writes to the Senate and describes Jesus down to the color of his hair and the fork of his beard.
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Details
- Language
- français
- Listening time
- 24 min
- Level
- Medium level
- Paperback
- 20 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 26 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Delivery and returns
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Cite this edition
The Letter of Lentulus. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-letter-of-lentulus.
The letter of Lentulus. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-letter-of-lentulus
The Letter of Lentulus. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-letter-of-lentulus.
@book{anonymous2026letter,
title = {The Letter of Lentulus},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-letter-of-lentulus}
}
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What is the Letter of Lentulus about?
It is a short letter, said to be sent by a Roman official to the Senate, that describes the appearance and manner of Jesus. It covers his height, hair, beard, eyes, face, and the mix of gentleness and authority in his bearing.
Who was Lentulus?
The letter calls him a Roman official in Judaea under Tiberius Caesar. Historians find no reliable record of such a person writing it, and most believe an unknown medieval author used the Roman framing to lend the text authority.
When was the Letter of Lentulus written?
Scholars do not date it to the first century. The oldest known manuscripts come from the thirteenth century, and most historians place its composition in medieval Europe, where it was copied and circulated widely.
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