Does this coin show the first portrait of Jesus?
SHOWING a bearded man with what could be a crown of thorns, this ancient coin depicts what a British author claims is the first accurate likeness of Jesus.
scholars had always thought it showed the face of Manu, ruler of the Mesopotamian kingdom of Edessa in what is now south-eastern Turkey.
But after nearly three decades of research, biblical historian Ralph Ellis argues that Manu and Christ were the same person.
The writer, whose claims are bound to cause controversy, said similarities between the two figures cannot be a coincidence.
in a book published in the UK this week called Jesus, King of Edessa, Mr Ellis calls it ‘one of the most important discoveries in modern history’. Dating from the first century, the tiny bronze coin is just under an inch in diameter.
Mr Ellis, a professional pilot originally from Chester, claims his research suggests Jesus was in fact a warrior king called ‘izas Manu of Edessa and Adiabene’, who also had his sights set on freeing Judea and its people from the Roman Empire.
if he is correct, the coin’s image is the one and only accurate portrait of Christ from his era. Although Jesus is the most painted figure in all of western art, there is no physical description of him in the Bible. The familiar image of him with long hair and white robe is said to be a later invention dating from the sixth century. Mr Ellis, 59, admits his conclusions contradict the new Testament story of Christ and critics appear to have highlighted flaws in his theory.
he said: ‘The connection between Jesus Emmanuel and King izas Manu is a controversial one, to say the least, but the similarities are simply too great to be mere coincidence.’ he added: ‘within historical scholarship there hasn’t been the greatest reception of this theory.’
Mr Ellis called the coin ‘the icing on the cake’, helping historians build up a ‘strong case for the true identity and genealogy of the biblical Jesus’.
But Tom Eden, of London-based coin auctioneers Morton & Eden, yesterday said he found the interpretation of the headgear on the coin implausible. ‘The king is wearing a conical crown, not, in my opinion, a crown of thorns,’ he said.