Hi,
While watching tv yesterday I happened upon ,“The Passion of the Christ.” I noticed the Pharisees would walk around with their left hand on , what I presume was their stomachs, or maybe their lower chest, anyway I have seen this several times in period movies, and my curiosity is piqued. Why?
NadaHAppyCamper
P.S. -please forgive any grammatical and/or spelling errors
FWIW, I’m not familiar with any such custom.
Just out of curiosity, were they wearing t’filin (phylacteries) on their left hands? If so, then it just may be that keeping the arm bent might be more comfortable, depending on how tight they are worn.
Zev Steinhardt
You sure those were Pharisees and not Romans? The traditional Roman toga had several loops of material hanging on the left side. It was easier to keep the material in place if the left hand was held up.
Based on Zev’s answer (I was waiting for an observant Orthodox to post, in hopes he might have some answer), I would hazard a WAG that it owes more to Mel Gibson and Gibson pere’s theology than to anything historically accurate. Exactly what, though, I dunno.
I don’t particularly recall the scenes now, but perhaps it was a stock gesture to show the Pharisees in “judicious contemplation of the law” mode? I’ve seen Greek and Roman philosophers portrayed similarly in films.