Texts in Conversation
In 2 Corinthians, Paul acknowledges that critics call his physical presence weak. The Acts of Paul and Thecla provides the earliest known description of Paul as short, bald, bow-legged, and hook-nosed.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
2 Corinthians 10:10
New Testament
9 I do not want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters, 10 because some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is weak and his speech is of no account.” 11 Let such a person consider this: What we say by letters when we are absent, we also are in actions when we are present.
Acts of Paul and Thecla 3
Paul and Thecla
Early Christian
3 And he went by the king's highway that leadeth unto Lystra and stood expecting him, and looked upon them that came, according to tbe description of Titus. And he saw Paul coming, a man little of stature, thin-haired upon the head, crooked in the legs, of good state of body, with eyebrows joining, and nose somewhat hooked, full of grace: for sometimes he appeared like a man, and sometimes he had the face of an angel.
Search:
Notes and References
... For earlier commentators, this text has often been taken as a literal description of Paul's features and as confirmation of the Pauline texts (including 2 Corinthians 10:10 discussed above), which suggest that Paul was physically unattractive. Many were content with Sir William Ramsay's argument that the description of Paul goes back to a first-century document and is essentially a historically accurate portrayal: "This plain and unflattering account of the Apostle's personal appearance seems to embody a very early tradition." There are, however, features of this text that suggest more is going on than a simple, straightforward, and unflattering description of Paul's physique. Onesiphorus recognizes Paul and welcomes him, "Greetings, thou servant of the blessed God!" (Acts of Paul and Thecla 3.4). At the same time, Onesiphorus refuses to greet Demas and Hermogenes, Paul's two deceitful traveling companions, as servants of the Blessed One, but rather admonishes them, "I do not see in you any fruit of righteousness." Thus Onesiphorus not only sees these physical features but also understands from them that Paul is a "righteous person." ...
Parsons, Mikeal Carl
Body and Character in Luke and Acts: The Subversion of Physiognomy in Early Christianity
(pp. 52-54) Baker Academic, 2006
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.