Gestures
Gestures
GESTURES.Dr. Johnson defines gesture as (1) action or posture expressive of sentiment; (2) movement of the body. Adopting these definitions, we may consider the significance of the gestures recorded or implied in the Gospels.
1. Christ heals or blesses with an outward gesture.In most of these cases the gesture is probably intended to confirm faith; a visible sign accompanies the action. Thus (a) we read of our Lord taking the sick person by the hand, as in the case of Simons wifes mother (Mar 1:31 and || Mt.), Jairus daughter (Mar 5:41 and || Mt. Lk.), and the child with the dumb spirit (Mar 9:27). Similarly St. Peter takes by the hand the man at the gate of the temple and Tabitha (Act 3:7; Act 9:41). Dr. Swete (on Mar 9:27) suggests that this gesture was used when great exhaustion had preceded. (b) Jesus lifted up His hands to bAct 19:13less (Luk 24:50). (c) Jesus stretched forth His hand to heal, and touched or laid hands on the sick, as in the case of the leper in Mar 1:41 (and || Mt. Lk.). In Act 4:30 the Apostles speak of God the Father stretching forth His hand to heal. Other instances of Jesus touching the patients, doubtless, as a rule, to confirm their faith, are: the blind men in Mat 9:29; Mat 20:34 (the parallels to the latter in Mk.-Lk. mention no touching), the bier on which the widows son at Nain lay (Luk 7:14), the woman with the spirit of infirmity (Luk 13:13), perhaps the dropsical man (Luk 14:4, see Plummer, in loc.), Malchus (Luk 22:51, the only account of this healing). Further, St. Luke speaks of a large number of sick folk brought to our Lord at sunset, when He laid his hands on every one of them and healed them (Luk 4:40, not || Mt. Mk.). The healings by anointing would also involve a touch, as by the Twelve (Mar 6:13), or in the case of the blind man anointed with clay (Joh 9:6); cf. Jam 5:14 for the custom in the Apostolic Church. Similarly we read of the sick touching Jesus,the woman with the issue oMar 5:27(Mar 5:27 and || Mt. Lk.), the sick at Gennesaret and the neighbMar 6:56(Mar 6:56 and || Mt.); and Luk 6:19 Luk 6:19) says that all the multitude sought to touch Him, for power came forth from him and healed them all. This touch of the Lord is recalled by the cures that are recorded to have been worked by handkerchiefs or aprons carried away from the body of St. Paul (Act 19:13), and by the shadow of St. Peter (Act 5:15, where it is implied that many tried to touch him). And inasmuch as the Apostles would follow the example of Jesus in lesser and greater things alike (cf. Act 4:13), we find that they adopted His gestures, whether for healings or for invocations of the Holy Spirit, or even in speaking. For the touching by laying on of hands, see Act 6:6; Act 8:17 f., Act 13:3, Act 19:6 and Act 9:12, Act 28:8; the last two are cases of healing, (d) Jesus laid on hands to bless, as in the case of the little children (Mar 10:16 and || Mt.). We read twice in Mk. of our Lords taking children in His arms (Mar 9:36; Mar 10:16 ), a gesture ascribed to Him in Mk. only, though a similar phrase is used of Simeon in Luk 2:28 []. In another way we read of Jesus blessing with a gesture of the hand, as at the Last Supper (, Mar 14:23) and at the meal at Emmaus (Luk 24:30; Luk 24:35). (c) Jesus breathed on His disciples when sending them after the Resurrection, saying, Receive ye the Holy Spirit: whosesoever sins ye forgive, etc. (Joh 20:22 f.). Here the gesture is of a different nature; our Lord, still using an outward sign, makes it signify that which is bestowedthe gift of the Spirit ( , without the article). Breath is the emblem of the Spirit, and by this gesture Jesus shows that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Christ as well as of the Father (see Westcott, in loc.).
On the other hand, in some cases Jesus healed with a mere word. One cannot, indeed, always conclude that He did not use any outward gesture, such as touching, merely because an Evangelist is silent on the matter (e.g. cf. Mar 10:52 with Mat 20:34); but in some cases, at least, Jesus healed in absence. The following are examples of cases where apparently no gesture was used: the paralytic (Mar 2:10 and || Mt. Lk.), the man with the withered hand (Mar 3:5 and || Mt. Lk.), the centurions servant (Luk 7:10), the ten lepers (Luk 17:14), the noblemans son at Capernaum (Joh 4:50 ff.). We find the same difference in the healings in Acts; thus, in Act 9:34; Act 14:10 no gesture seems to have been used.
The use by our Lord of an outward gesture or sign in His ministerial acts was only in accordance with Jewish thought. We may recall Moses stretching forth his hand over the Red Sea (Exo 14:16; Exo 14:21; Exo 14:26; cf. Exo 17:11), and, by way of contrast, the stretching out of the hand in OT as an act of punishment (Exo 7:5; see other instances collected by Plummer in his note on Luk 5:13). It may be thought that this usage of Jesus in His ministry paved the way for His afterwards appointing outward signs in Baptism and the Eucharist, and for the Apostles employing them for other Christian rites, such as ordination.
2. Christ uses gestures to emphasize His words, or as an expression of emotion.(a) We read of the stretching forth of the hand toward the disciples when Jesus claimed them as His mother and His brethren (Mat 12:49); cf. St. Pauls gesture when addressing Agrippa (Act 26:1). We cannot put under this head the hand outstretched in Mat 14:31; Mat 26:23, as there it does not express emotion; but we may compare with the above gesture the hands outstretched in prayer (1Ki 8:22, Psa 28:2; Psa 134:2, 1Ti 2:8). A 4th cent. writer has interpreted our Lords stretching forth his hands (cf. St. Peter, Joh 21:18) of His accepting suffering voluntarily (Testament of our Lord, i. 23). (b) We read of many gestures with the eyes. Jesus looked up to heaven at the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand (Mar 6:41 and || Mt. Lk.), in His last prayer before going to Gethsemane (Joh 17:1), at the healing of the deaf man with an impediment (Mar 7:34), and the raising of Lazarus (Joh 11:41). It is doubtless due to the first two of these passages that we find in many ancient Liturgies, from the Apostolic Constitutions onwards, this gesture ascribed to our Lord when He consecrated the Eucharistas in the Greek St. James (in the Syriac St. James it is only implied), St. Mark both Greek and Coptic, Abyssinian (or Ethiopia), St. Basil, Roman and Ambrosian. The gesture is one of prayer, and implies that prayer accompanied the actions described (see Job 22:26; cf. the publican, Luk 18:13). Again, the references to the glance or look of our Lord are very frequent. In Mar 3:5 it conveys His righteous anger (|| Lk. does not mention the anger). In Mar 3:34; Mar 10:27 (and || Mt.) and Luk 6:20; Luk 20:17, it apparently emphasizes the truth taught. In Luk 22:61 it brings conviction of sin to St. Peter after his denials. In Mar 10:21 it is a mark of love; here, as so often, St. Mark alone relates the feelings of our Lords human soul. The glance to emphasize truth must also be understood where we expressly read of Jesus turning to those whom He is addressing (Mar 8:33, Luk 7:9; Luk 9:55 etc.). On the other hand, no special significance must be attached to passages where our Lords look is mentioned, but where it was merely that He might see, as Mar 5:32 (and || Mt.), Luk 19:5; Luk 21:1. Corresponding with this gesture of Jesus is the keen gaze or fastening of the eyes which we read of in the case of the people of Nazareth (Luk 4:20), the maidservant (Luk 22:56), St. Peter (Act 3:4; cf. Act 3:12), the Sanhedrin (Act 6:15), St. Stephen (Act 7:55), Cornelius (Act 10:4), St. Paul (Act 13:9; Act 14:9; Act 23:1)all having , one of St. Lukes favourite words; in the case of St. Paul it is difficult to reconcile with the idea that the stake in the flesh was ophthalmia. (c) The gesture of kneeling or prostration is mentioned only once of our Lord, in Gethsemane (Mar 14:35 and || Mt. Lk.), the first two Evangelists speaking of prostration, the third of kneeling. As standing was the usual attitude for prayer* [Note: Our Lord sat to teach, the usual custom (Mat 5:1, Mar 4:1, Luk 4:20; Luk 5:3, Joh 8:2, cf. Act 16:13).] (Mar 11:25, where see Swetes note, Luk 18:11; Luk 18:13), we must interpret this kneeling or prostration as specially signifying deep distress, as in the early Church it signified special penitence, being forbidden by the 20th canon of Nicaea on festival occasions like Sundays and Eastertide (so Tertullian, de Cor. Mil. 3). And so it was significant of deep distress in the case of St. Stephen (Act 7:60), and probably of St. Peter when he raised Tabitha (Act 9:40); in the case of St. Pauls farewells it would be due to the great solemnity of the occasion (Act 20:36; Act 21:5, cf. also 1Ki 8:54, Ezr 9:5, Dan 6:10, Eph 3:14). Nevertheless, the usual standing to pray would not preclude the gesture of prostration at intervals to express special devotion, as is the case to this day among all Eastern Christians. To signify reverence the gesture of kneeling or prostration is frequently practised in the Gospels. We read of many thus kneeling to Jesusthe leper (Mar 1:40 and || Mt. Lk.), demoniacs (Mar 3:11; Mar 5:6), Jairus (Mar 5:22 and || Mt. Lk.), the Syrophnician woman (Mar 7:25 and || Mt.), the rich young man (Mar 10:17), the blind man (Joh 9:38), Mary of Bethany (Joh 11:32), the lunatics father (Mat 17:14, not || Mk. Lk.), Salome (Mat 20:20, not || Mk.), the Magi (Mat 2:11), St. Peter at the miraculous draught of fishes (Luk 5:8), and so the soldiers in derision (Mar 15:19 and || Mt.). The devil tempts our Lord to kneel to him (Mat 4:9 and || Lk.). The women prostrate themselves at the tomb (Luk 24:5). Cornelius attempts to do so before St. Peter (Act 10:25), St. John before the angel (Rev 19:10; Rev 22:8). (d) A gesture to emphasize speech may probably be understood in Mar 12:29 where it may be that Jesus pointed to the scribes phylactery, which contained the words, Hear, O Israel, etc. (c) An isolated gesture is the stooping to write on the ground in the Pericope adulterae (Joh 8:6; Joh 8:8), apparently signifying intentional inattention. Westcott (in loc.) remarks that the very strangeness of the action marks the authenticity of the detail. (f) We read of gestures expressing grief. Jesus sighed at weakness of faith (Mar 7:34; Mar 8:12), and groaned (or was moved with indignation, ), shuddered ( ), and wept at Lazarus grave (Joh 11:33; Joh 11:35; Joh 11:38); He shuddered at the thought of the betrayal (Joh 13:21), and wept over Jerusalem (Luk 19:41 ff.).
To speak generally, it may be noted that the Fourth Evangelist is more chary of chronicling our Lords gestures than the Synoptists. He dwells rather on Jesus words than on the actions with which He accompanied them.
3. Various gestures by others.To an Oriental people, gesture is almost as natural a method of expressing the meaning as speech. We find in the Gospels frequent references to such a method of communication. This is not only when no other is possible, as when dumb Zacharias makes signs (Luk 1:22) and the people make signs to him (Luk 1:62 : perhaps he was also deaf); just as in Acts, St. Peter has to make signs to procure silence in Act 12:17, and St. Paul in Act 21:40 and perhaps Act 13:16. But we find such expressive gestures as shaking off the dust (Mar 6:11 and || Mt. Lk.; this is our Lords command to the Twelve), to signify the dissociating of oneself from an offender. So Paul and Barnabas did at Pisidian Antioch (Act 13:51), and so Paul shook out his raiment against the unbelieving Jews at Corinth (Act 18:6). Again, rending the garments was a common Jewish gesture of consternation or grief, often mentioned in OT (e.g. Gen 37:29; Gen 37:34, Joe 2:13); in the Gospels we find it mentioned only of Caiaphas (Mar 14:63 and || Mt.); in Acts (Mar 14:14) only of Paul and Barnabas at Lystra. Smiting the breast as a sign of grief we find in Luk 23:48 (where D [Note: Deuteronomist.] adds ), and in Mat 11:17 () and Luk 18:13. Wagging the head was the derisive gesture of the passers-by at the Crucifixion (Mar 15:29 and || Mt.; cf. 2Ki 19:21, Job 16:4, Lam 2:15, Sir 12:18; Sir 13:7). Pilates gesture of washing his hands (Mat 27:24) has furnished a proverbial saying, but it was familiar to the Jews (Deu 21:6). The kindred idea of washing the hands to express innocency (i.e. ridding oneself of evil) is found in Exo 30:19 f. and Psa 26:6; Psa 73:13, and is a great feature of the Church Orders and the great Liturgies. Lastly, we notice the kiss as the sign of love, real or feigned, as in the case of the sinful woman (Luk 7:45), of Judas (Mar 14:45 and || Mt. Lk.), and of the Ephesian elders (Act 20:37). It is true that the kiss was the ordinary way of greeting a Rabbi (see Swete on Mar 14:45), but in all these cases much more than ordinary courtesy is intended by the gesture, and probably in these passages means to kiss fervently, or (in the case of Judas) ostentatiously. For the kiss in OT, cf. Gen 29:11; Gen 33:4; Gen 45:15, Exo 18:7, 1Sa 20:41, 2Sa 15:5; 2Sa 19:39; 2Sa 20:9, many of which passages speak of kisses of greeting like that of Judas, to which Joabs is indeed strangely similar.
A. J. Maclean.
Fuente: A Dictionary Of Christ And The Gospels
Gestures
GESTURES.The Oriental is a natural expert in appropriate and expressive gesture. To his impulsive and emotional temperament, attitude and action form a more apt vehicle for thought and feeling than even speech. Movement of feature, shrug of shoulder, turn of hand, express much, and suggest delicate shades of meaning which cannot be put in words. Conversation is accompanied by a sort of running commentary of gestures. Easterns conduct argument and altercation at the pitch of their voices; emphasis is supplied almost wholly by gestures. These are often so violent that an unskilled witness might naturally expect to see bloodshed follow.
The word does not occur in Scripture, but the thing, in various forms, is constantly appearing. Bowing the head or body marks reverence, homage, or worship (Gen 18:2, Exo 20:5, 1Ch 21:21, Psa 95:6, Isa 60:14). The same is true of kneeling (1Ki 19:18, 2Ki 1:13, Psa 95:6, Mar 1:40). This sign of homage the tempter sought from Jesus (Mat 4:9). Kneeling was a common attitude in prayer (1Ki 8:54, Ezr 9:6, Dan 6:10, Luk 22:41, Eph 3:14 etc.). The glance of the eye may mean appeal, as the upward look in prayer (Job 22:26, Mar 6:41 etc.), anger (Mar 3:5), or reproach (Luk 22:61). A shake of the head may express scorn or derision (2Ki 19:21, Psa 109:25, Mar 15:29 etc.). A grimace of the lip is a sign of contempt (Psa 22:7). Shaking the dust off the feet, or shaking, however gently, ones raiment, indicates complete severance (Mat 10:14 etc.), denial of responsibility (Act 18:16), and often now, total ignorance of any matter referred to. Rending the garments betokens consternation, real (Gen 37:29, Jos 7:6, Act 14:14 etc.) or assumed (2Ch 23:13, Mat 26:65), and grief (Jdg 11:35, 2Sa 1:11 etc.). Joy was expressed by dancing (Exo 15:20, 1Sa 30:16, Jer 31:4 etc.) and clapping the hands (Psa 47:1, Isa 55:12 etc.). Spitting upon, or in the face, indicated deep despite (Num 12:14, Isa 50:6, Mat 26:67, etc.). See Hand, Mourning Customs, Salutation.
Some gestures in common use are probably ancient. One who narrowly escapes danger, describing his experience, will crack his thumb nail off the edge of his front teeth, suggesting Jobs with the skin of my teeth (Job 19:20). One charged with a fault will put his elbows to his sides, turn his palms outward, and shrug his shoulders, with a slight side inclination of the head, repudiating responsibility for an act which, in his judgment, was plainly inevitable.
W. Ewing.