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BS: What did Jesus look like? |
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Subject: RE: BS: What did Jesus look like? From: GUEST Date: 29 Jan 05 - 02:21 AM The Bible gives no specific description of what Jesus Christ looked like, and there are no known images of Him in existence, such as there are, for example, for Roman emperors (e.g. Emperor Nero), or actual "faces from the past" that can be seen with the Egyptian Mummies. There are however some very good indications of what He did, and did not, look like - There was nothing unusual about His appearance. Throughout the Gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, people made no mention of something different about how He looked. If anything, people wondered how such an ordinary-looking man could be The Savior. John The Baptist would not have known that his cousin was The Savior (their mothers, Mary and Elizabeth were related) unless an angel had told him just before Jesus' baptism at age 30 (John 1:33). The mob that came to arrest Him The Fateful Night could not tell Him apart from Peter or John or any of the others - Judas Iscariot had to actually point Him out (Matthew 26:47-49) and even then Jesus had to identify Himself, twice, to those who demanded Him by Name as He stood right in front of them in the bright light of their torches (John 18:3-9). Jesus had a natural, rugged appearance. He did hard outside physical labor, with Joseph in Nazareth, until He was about 30 years old. Back then, the building trade involved very strenuous physical labor with heavy stone and lumber, without any sort of power tools or mechanical digging equipment that are in use today. Unlike many religious pictures that portray Jesus as a pale, skinny, effeminate man with long hair and wearing a flowing white or pink robe, Christ could have looked nothing like that. His appearance would definitely have been that of a tanned, muscular, physically-fit young man dressed in durable and practical clothing - which made Him indistinguishable from the "blue-collar" Fishermen who were with Him when He was arrested. The prophet Isaiah confirms His ordinary appearance - "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Many portray Jesus Christ as having long hair. Hair styles and socially-acceptable length have varied tremendously over the ages, sometimes very short, sometimes very long. Most religious artists portray Christ with long hair. The man in the Shroud of Turin also has long hair. But did Jesus have long hair? The apostle Paul (see On The Road To Damascus) actually saw Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 9:1). Paul, a trustworthy man who wrote a large part of the New Testament, knew exactly what The Lord looked like. In 1 Corinthians 11:14, Paul wrote, "if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him." It's quite unthinkable that Paul would have made such a statement if Jesus Christ had long hair. How could anything about The Lord be called disgraceful? |
Subject: RE: BS: What did Jesus look like? From: GUEST,John O'Lennaine Date: 29 Jan 05 - 01:09 AM I think he looked just like any guy you might run into in the marketplace, or maybe down at the seaside fishing. Anyone you might expect to find throwing the money-changers out of the temple, or chatting about his spiritual beliefs. Come to think of it, he probably looked quite a bit like you, Little Hawke. Not that I expect you to die for my sins of course... |
Subject: RE: BS: What did Jesus look like? From: LadyJean Date: 29 Jan 05 - 12:59 AM I would suspect that he looked like Rembrandt's paintings of him. The Dutch painter lived in a Jewish area, and, apparently, used his neighbors for models. |
Subject: RE: BS: What did Jesus look like? From: Azizi Date: 29 Jan 05 - 12:54 AM Yes, but all Jews don't look alike. |
Subject: RE: BS: What did Jesus look like? From: Nerd Date: 29 Jan 05 - 12:19 AM He looked a bit Jew-ish, as Beyond the Fringe would say. |
Subject: RE: BS: What did Jesus look like? From: Azizi Date: 29 Jan 05 - 12:13 AM My brother. |
Subject: RE: BS: What did Jesus look like? From: jaze Date: 28 Jan 05 - 11:39 PM I would imagine your're probably right, Little Hawk |
Subject: BS: What did Jesus look like? From: Little Hawk Date: 28 Jan 05 - 11:29 PM I got the idea to ask this because of something Martin said on that other thread... So, what did Jesus look like? Well, he is usually seen depicted in the art of a European-based culture, which naturally co-opts him and makes him look European...often with blue eyes even! That seems unlikely to me. My guess is that he looked like most other Judeans in that part of the Middle East at that time, meaning...he was probably dark-eyed, with dark hair, and a brown skin tone. That's my guess. He probably looked like an Arab, a Lebanese, or a Sephardic Jew. A semite, in other words. What do you think? As for you who don't believe he even existed...just sod off and start your own thread about whatever subject you like to talk about! :-) |