Jesus: A Portrait

Chapter 1: The Beauty of Jesus

The Beauty of Jesus (p1)

Cardinal Godfried Daniels: "The way into the culture of our times is through beauty"; "Jesus is the beauty of God in person" (p1). Augustine Confessions perceiving the divine beauty through the senses; Augustine enarrationes in Psalm 44:3 (p2). Seeing Salvation exhibition 2000; Dostoyevsky's Idiot: "beauty will save the world" (p3).

"Beautiful in Heaven, Beautiful on Earth" (p3)

The OT use of "glory" (p3). Maritain on beauty: "Integritas sive perfectio; proportio sive consonantia; claritas" and the third comes closest to God's beauty; Lady Wisdom; John a drawn-out exploration of beauty focused in 1.14 which culminates John 20:28 (p4).

Kalos in John 10:11; 10:14 translated as "good" can also mean "beautiful" as in Wisdom (p5).

"Beautiful in The Womb, Beautiful in His Parent Arms" (p5)

John leaping in the womb (Luke 1:41; 1:44); The angels (Luke 2:18-14); the joy of shepherds (Luke 2:15-10); Simeon and Annah (Luke 2:25-38); Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Robert Southwell's The Burning Babe (p6).

"Beautiful in His Miracles, Beautiful when Inviting to Life" (p6)

In his preaching and magnetism, Hebrews 1:3: "The reflection of God's glory" (p7). Children saw his beauty; Synoptics baptism/Trinity; Piero della Francesca (p8). Transfiguration Synoptics Transfiguration; dispersed throughout John; Jesus as Bridegroom, Synoptics: Mark 2:19-20; Matthew 9:15; Luke 5:34-35; Bridesmaids: Matthew 25:1-13; Psalm 45; Ephesians 5:25-33; Revelation 21; 22) (p9). The Church as the "Bride of Christ (p10).

"Beautiful under The Scourge"

Augustine's paradox of Isaiah 52:13-15; 53:1-12; radical subversion of beauty norms; women and soldiers bear witness (p10). Paul 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; 2:1-5; seeing beauty in weakness Matthew 25:31-46; Pascal: "Jesus will be in agony until the end of the world"; Michelangelo Pietas (p11). Rembrandt (p12).

"Beautiful in The Resurrection" (p12)

John 20.16-17; all gospels have angels, e.g. [passage=Matthew 28:3; Revelation 1:16; 21:23; 2 Corinthians 4:6 (p12). Exodus 33:20-23 (p13).

"Beautiful in Heaven" (p13)

Pre and post incarnational heavenly existence; "beautiful for us"; Clement of Alexandria Chromata 2.5; Basil De Spiritu Sancto 9.23 (p13). Philocalia; Gerard Manley Hopkins, Sermons and Devotional writings (ed Devlin), OUP pp34-38 (p14).

The Face of Christ (p14)

Many Gospel references to the face of Jesus but we do not know what it looked like (14); the Medieval image through the Shroud of Turin (p15).