Jesus' Skin Colour

[danydandan]

1 minute ago, Kittens Are Jerks said:

Interesting article where archaeologists and forensic anthropologists worked together to create a portrait of Jesus.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a234/1282186/

I look like that expect white. Same hair and beard, have green eyes though.

[+Hammerclaw]

Always pictured him looking something like Cat Stevens,                                                                                                                                                                         

 

[StarMountainKid]

3 minutes ago, Hammerclaw said:

Always pictured him looking something like Cat Stevens,                                                                                                                                                                         

 

I would think Cat Stevens would seem too alien-looking for the people of that region at the time. They would probably have been more comfortable with the person in the second picture. I wonder how Christianity would have fared in Europe if the second (more accurate) picture had been the image of Jesus in all the churches. 

[+Not A Rockstar]

I don't know. I was raised never being told what he looked like, and just took pictures as symbolic. Even as a small kid, I assumed he looked like the few Jewish kids I knew from school and was brown.

It is not an issue for most, I expect, not some great revelation that he actually looked like any other Jew of his day in that region. People who see this as outrageous or a scandal have their own confusions or don't really have a clue about the great range humans can come in in color, height norms, hair type, etc. Truth is, had he diverged greatly from this norm, we probably would have had some references because it would have been memorable.

JMO

[Kittens Are Jerks]

And then there's this version of Jesus painted by a young art prodigy when she was just eight years old. She claims to have seen Jesus in a vision.

https://art-soulworks.com/pages/heaven-is-for-real-painting

[Kittens Are Jerks]

36 minutes ago, Hammerclaw said:

Always pictured him looking something like Cat Stevens,                                                                                                                                                                         

 

I pictured him looking something like George Harrison

[XenoFish]

Ginger Jesus?

[Davros of Skaro]

Jesus started out as an intermediary celestial being before the Gospel fictions changed peoples perceptions. So the morning rays of the sun, or Venus at full brilliance was seen as symbolic of what God's chief archangel looked like (no Jesus was not the sun, or Venus).

[Grandpa Greenman]

I think we can all agree on one thing, Jesus was a hippy.

[MWoo7]

I think we can all agree on one thing, there was a lot of hair dye colouring in the oil back then.  First blonde I mean ginger, then clay bottle Blond and on and on from there.

 

>(* .*)<The hippy bit was pretty good I have to admit x_x ... >__<

Edited August 24, 2018 by MWoo7

[Mr Walker]

On 24/08/2018 at 2:42 AM, Unfortunately said:

Hey all,

Recently I came across a heated debate about the supposed colour of Jesus' skin and was appalled by the amount of people screaming bloody murder that Jesus was either completely black or completely white. I understand that Jesus' skin colour should (according to Christian practices of love and acceptance) be entirely irrelevant to those of his faith but as I'm not religious myself I'm curious about why people are so avidly trying to support unfounded claims?

Cite me a source if I'm wrong, but I've done some research and nowhere in the Bible does it describe Jesus' appearance. Therefore it's safe to assume he was unremarkable in appearance and shared features similar to everyone else in that time-period. If he had been a white Jew then it would have been remarked upon in the scripture (at least once, but most likely more), that's a given, as he would be the one white Jew in a sea of tanned-to-dark skinned Jews. This would not be glossed over. Same goes if he were black, although this would still be more likely than him being white due to the climate. The middle-eastern people of that time period were tanned-to-dark skinned and had dark features as would Jesus if he existed.

This is not a debate about whether or not Jesus existed. This is saying that if, hypothetically, Jesus were to exist what would his skin colour have been?

Logic dictates he had the tanned skin common to that region and time-period. The reasoning behind the white/black versions of Jesus is quite simple really, it's an effort to make the figurehead more readily relatable to it's followers as people will always find a greater sense of solace in familiarity.

Is there anyone out there that believes otherwise and can provide proper reasoning as to why?

"Because God made him" is not a valid argument and is only used by those who fear the unknown or have no wish to satiate their curiosity. Any other arguments are absolutely welcome.

Edit: Let's be sure to not let this fall into race-against-race territory people. Be civil and mature.
 

Cheers,

-Unfortunate-

He was tall, dark, and handsome.

[Mr Walker]

On 24/08/2018 at 2:45 AM, XenoFish said:

So we're debating where a fictional character falls on the crayola spectrum? 

If believing he was fictional brings you comfort and peace of mind, then go for it   

[Mr Walker]

On 24/08/2018 at 2:47 AM, Unfortunately said:

Come on Xeno, first post and already you're being rude to anyone who actually does believe in him, but I understand your standpoint.

" This is not a debate about whether or not Jesus existed. This is saying that if, hypothetically, Jesus were to exist what would his skin colour have been? "

My thoughts exactly. Hypothetically speaking Christ would have been racially similar to others around him, but that still allows for a wide range of diversity.

  However he was a charismatic leader loved (and respected and honoured)  by men and women.

That makes it likely he was tall, fairly strong and muscular, and considered handsome by the criteria of his day. He walked (many)  miles most days, ate sparingly, and was very fit and active. 

[Mr Walker]

On 24/08/2018 at 3:09 AM, Grandpa Greenman said:

That is because most of them are immigrants from Europe. Take a little time and look up what the conflict in Israel is really about. Jesus, would most likely look like a Palestinian, who are the native people of that land, who included Jews who never left Palestine in the first place.

   

It is not a racial divide. it is a religious one The hebiru or people of the dust who became the Hebrews and jews  have just as valid a claim to the lands of Israel as do the Arabs who live there if you look at  the chronology of occupation of the land.

  That is WHY the mandate was given for them to return to historical homelands and not somewhere else in the world.  

In many respects they (arabs and jews) are one people divided by millennia of religion. The only modern solution will be either  two separate states, perhaps with a common divided capital,  or a state which includes both religions ( That is not likely to happen given current animosity)

I agree  that Christ would look like a person from that region of that time.   However i don't know exactly what that would look like  (certainly not exactly  like a modern Palestinian looks like )   He wouldn't be white or black (however you define those) He would be some shade of coffee colour,, but just how much milk was put in the coffee is hard to determine. 

[Mr Walker]

On 24/08/2018 at 3:18 AM, acute said:

I think this is the answer.

*thread closed* 

NUp Unfortunately there is almost no roman art of jewish men from that period However there a re some coins,  which don't help with skin colouring.

However even these were deliberately artistically altered to give a certain look  (in this case "a philosophers' look" )

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/what-did-jesus-really-look-like-as-a-jew-in-1st-century-judaea-1.3385334

 "As for Jesus’s body, I’ve consulted experts on ancient skeletons in Israel. What I have learnt is that Judaeans of this time were closest biologically to Iraqi Jews of the contemporary world. In terms of a colour palette then, think dark-brown to black hair, deep brown eyes, olive-brown skin. Jesus would have been a man of Middle Eastern appearance. In terms of height, an average man of this time stood 166 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall."

He wore a tunic, called a chiton in Greek. Often you would have two: an outer one and a thinner inner one, sometimes called a sindon (Mark 14:63). An outer tunic in Judaea was invariably made of two pieces of material, one front and one back, joined at the shoulders and sides, with stripes running from shoulder to hem. The inner tunic could be made of one piece. This is a detail of interest to me, because Jesus is said in the Gospel of John (19:23-24) to have worn a one-piece tunic. John the Baptist asked people to give away their second tunic (see Luke 3:11). Wouldn’t Jesus have done so? In wearing only an inner tunic, he would have been dressed in very basic clothing.

 

Thus in the end we see him as a man of Middle Eastern appearance, with scruffy, shortish hair and beard, wearing very basic clothing: a knee-length, thin, one-piece tunic and an undyed mantle.

With a close reading of the Gospels, it turns out that Jesus’s appearance coheres perfectly with his teaching. In advocating his disciples give away all but their essentials to the needy (Matt. 19:20-22), he practised what he preached. I wonder if we would recognise him, as he really looked, if we met him on the way.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Mr Walker

[Mr Walker]

On 24/08/2018 at 3:47 AM, Kittens Are Jerks said:

Interesting article where archaeologists and forensic anthropologists worked together to create a portrait of Jesus.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a234/1282186/

Except he looked nothing like that  Can you imagine men and esp women following anyone who had a face that only a mother could love ?   Think more like Omar Sharif 

Edited August 26, 2018 by Mr Walker

[Mr Walker]

On 24/08/2018 at 4:00 AM, Hammerclaw said:

Always pictured him looking something like Cat Stevens,                                                                                                                                                                         

 

lol I used this image the last time we had this debate  Right age and yes, very similar, I imagine.

Good looking, charismatic, entertaining.  Not sure how well Jesus could sing, however. 

Edited August 26, 2018 by Mr Walker

[qxcontinuum]

On 2018-08-23 at 1:30 PM, seanjo said:

He was a Semite Jew, Arabs are also Semite.

Correct. 

[Unfortunately]

Thank you everyone for presenting your opinions and facts, I'm actually surprised that there aren't any radicals claiming irrefutably that Jesus was black or white as I was hoping to hear how such a person would argue against all the information we've gathered to the contrary.

Perhaps people such as this avoid intellectual debates for fear of shaking their beliefs. 'Ignorance is bliss' seems an apt statement. 

I definitely do encourage people such as this to come forward and present their opinions as I'm an utterly curious person. 

[Michelle]

6 minutes ago, Unfortunately said:

Perhaps people such as this avoid intellectual debates for fear of shaking their beliefs. 'Ignorance is bliss' seems an apt statement.

Or maybe there aren't as many "ignorant" people out there as you assume there are. 

[Unfortunately]

3 hours ago, Michelle said:

Or maybe there aren't as many "ignorant" people out there as you assume there are. 

Wouldn't have started this thread if I hadn't seen a vast amount of it, although it seems that once again the Unexplained Mysteries forums are a cut above the rest. 

Edited August 26, 2018 by Unfortunately

[SHaYap]

Unfortunately the thread title states 'skin' instead of 'complexion' which would have predisposed the complexities involving melanin levels in the epidermis layer.

~

[Unfortunately]

6 hours ago, third_eye said:

Unfortunately the thread title states 'skin' instead of 'complexion' which would have predisposed the complexities involving melanin levels in the epidermis layer.

~

Oh, my mistake. 

[Opus Magnus]

In Revelation 1:13-16 a description of after ressurection Jesus is given, but no mention of skin color.

The Jews are described in Genesis ancestory as being semite, but with a lighter than usual tone than other semites.

[Grandpa Greenman]

Why are people are in such denial the Jesus may have looked like the native Palestinians.  Should it really matter if he looked like an arab (semite).  Are y'all all really that racist?   (For those who think he looked like Cat Stevens, Cat Stevens was born of a Greek father and a Swedish mother.)  If you really want to think of the Torah as a history book (which it is not), then the Jew's are descents of Abraham who was from Ur, which would make him Iraqi in today's world. if you must have a white Jesus, because  you are white, you might want to rethink your interpretation of your religion. It is possible he was a light skinned Semite, humans are really not all the different, we are all Homo sapiens, after all, so does it really matter what color he may have been?

 http://serendipstudio.org/exchange/kristin-jenkins/story-race-and-classification-people-generative-or-not