An archaeological find in Jordan of 70 lead codices from possibly the 2nd century AD has many wondering if the figure depicted on one of the codices is perhaps the first one ever of Jesus Christ by his followers.
The tiny booklet, a little smaller than a modern credit card, is sealed on all sides and has a three-dimensional representation of a human head on both the front and the back. One appears to have a beard and the other is without. Even the maker’s fingerprint can be seen in the lead impression. Beneath both figures is a line of as-yet undeciphered text in an ancient Hebrew script.
Astonishingly, one of the booklets appears to bear the words ‘Saviour of Israel’ – one of the few phrases so far translated.
The owner of the cache is Bedouin trucker Hassan Saida who lives in the Arab village of Umm al-Ghanim, Shibli. He has refused to sell the booklets but two samples were sent to England and Switzerland for testing.
I had never thought of this before but certainly some who knew Jesus in the flesh and who could paint must have attempted a portrait of Him in His day.