Is Jesus' portrayal in churches racist?

[Michael Hawk]

Hi all,

With recent events focusing on fighting racism, do you think we should talk about how Jesus is portrayed in western churches? Fair and white, yet we know for a fact he was dark brown from the middle east.

I've been reading this article of what Jesus mostly likely looked like, based on the appearance of Isreali people at that time period.

CNN.com - From science and computers, a new face of Jesus - Dec. 26, 2002

Thoughts?

 

[solid_core]

Hi all,

With recent events focusing on fighting racism, do you think we should talk about how Jesus is portrayed in western churches? Fair and white, yet we know for a fact he was dark brown from the middle east.

I've been reading this article of what Jesus mostly likely looked like, based on the appearance of Isreali people at that time period.

CNN.com - From science and computers, a new face of Jesus - Dec. 26, 2002

Thoughts?

There is no "fact" about him being dark brown or with typical arabic/jewish look of today.

And do not expect that church or the whole world will change everything just because of some local American internal political problem.

Jacob, the father of Israel, was the twin brother of Esau who is described as “Adomni” which is translated as ruddy, red haired, or golden haired in Genesis 25:25.

David, King of Israel is also described as “Adomni” in 1 Samuel 16:12 meaning he had red or golden color hair.

Joseph of the Old Testament married an Egyptian woman in Genesis 41:45 however Egyptians at this time, particularly the Egyptian elite, were fair skinned people. An examination of King Ramses II, a Biblical contemporary at the time, has showed that this Egyptian Pharo was a natural red head. In addition thousands of red and blond haired mummies have been found in Egypt and the famous King Tut shares DNA with 50% of modern Western Europeans.

In the Bible we are told that Jesus has white or red hair. Revelation 1: 13-16 describes his hair as white as snow, or another translation can read “burning in a furnace” which would indicate red, like a flame.

Also, Christian visions of Jesus/Mary do not support typical dark-skinned, "arabic" or "palestinian" type of look at all.

Depictions of Christ as having fair or reddish hair are the most common depiction of Jesus since the beginning of Christianity.

It is only logical that the look of the Son of God will be atypical, extraordinary and esthetic.

 

[pdudgeon]

Hi all,

With recent events focusing on fighting racism, do you think we should talk about how Jesus is portrayed in western churches? Fair and white, yet we know for a fact he was dark brown from the middle east.

I've been reading this article of what Jesus mostly likely looked like, based on the appearance of Isreali people at that time period.

CNN.com - From science and computers, a new face of Jesus - Dec. 26, 2002

Thoughts?

There are a few problems with your thesis.
1. First, Jesus was before the Earth existed. He created it.
2. The creation itself had nothing to do with racism.
3. you're ignoring a whole lot of history in order to make your point.

 

[Lost4words]

Do you know what God looked like?

Well, Jesus doesnt have to take on the human features of His Mother now does He!

 

[Phil W]

There is no "fact" about him being dark brown or with typical arabic/jewish look of today.

And do not expect that church or the whole world will change everything just because of some local American internal political problem.

Jacob, the father of Israel, was the twin brother of Esau who is described as “Adomni” which is translated as ruddy, red haired, or golden haired in Genesis 25:25.

David, King of Israel is also described as “Adomni” in 1 Samuel 16:12 meaning he had red or golden color hair.

Joseph of the Old Testament married an Egyptian woman in Genesis 41:45 however Egyptians at this time, particularly the Egyptian elite, were fair skinned people. An examination of King Ramses II, a Biblical contemporary at the time, has showed that this Egyptian Pharo was a natural red head. In addition thousands of red and blond haired mummies have been found in Egypt and the famous King Tut shares DNA with 50% of modern Western Europeans.

In the Bible we are told that Jesus has white or red hair. Revelation 1: 13-16 describes his hair as white as snow, or another translation can read “burning in a furnace” which would indicate red, like a flame.

Also, Christian visions of Jesus/Mary do not support typical dark-skinned, "arabic" or "palestinian" type of look at all.

Depictions of Christ as having fair or reddish hair are the most common depiction of Jesus since the beginning of Christianity.

It is only logical that the look of the Son of God will be atypical, extraordinary and esthetic.

I feel this whole post is racially divisive.
You are jumping to conclusions not ever addressed in scripture.
How does one get red or blonde hair from being of a "ruddy" complexion?.
Where are all the blonde Arabs today?

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

It is only logical that the look of the Son of God will be atypical, extraordinary and esthetic.

Wow! That is not how scripture describes Him.But I understand where you are coming from.You don't equate esthetic with dark skin do you?
Isa.53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

So Jesus, the son of man, was not handsome. David was described as ruddy, not white. Red heads appear in all ethnic groups.

 

[Michael Hawk]

Do you know what God looked like?

Well, Jesus doesnt have to take on the human features of His Mother now does He!

I mean he did take a human form. If he was white, im pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to "slip" through the crowds Luke 4:30.

I'm sure Mary was also dark brown and had features of a middle eastern Jew.

I've been to Isreal, that sun cooks a white person in like 2 hours. To think he did not have dark brown skin seems ridiculous and a bit racist if I'm being honest.

 

[Michie]

Talk about missing the forest for the trees. Lol!

 

[pescador]

I'm certain that the emaciated white man portrayed by many Eurocentric artists is just fantasy. Europeans want Jesus to look European, but he was Semitic.

 

[Michie]

Hi all,

With recent events focusing on fighting racism, do you think we should talk about how Jesus is portrayed in western churches? Fair and white, yet we know for a fact he was dark brown from the middle east.

I've been reading this article of what Jesus mostly likely looked like, based on the appearance of Isreali people at that time period.

CNN.com - From science and computers, a new face of Jesus - Dec. 26, 2002

Thoughts?

Are you willing to think that about every culture that depicts Jesus as one of their own? The fact is He is one of our own. Every ethnicity and culture. To lower this to racism is really reaching.

 

[Michie]

There are many more.

 

[Michie]

It’s interesting once you look into it.

 

[Albion]

Since no one knows for certain what he looked like, different artists portray him in different ways. All of their creations would be candidates for destruction if the PC crowd had its way, and so would almost every other work of art produced by Western Civilization.

 

[Michie]

Look it up. He has been depicted in all sorts of ways that represent us all throughout history. This included the Blessed Mother.

 

[Barney2.0]

Lots of Middle Easterners including my self are fair skinned, no one in the Arab world besides people from Sudan, Upper Egypt, the Gulf States, and Yemen actually are actually dark brown skinned:

These are what average Syrians and Lebanese and Palestinians look like:

Notice any difference between them and the picture?:

Why are people so obsessed with Christ’s skin color, he’s not even dark brown in Eastern art:

That’s as realistic as you could get to portraying him as a middle eastern man from the Levant in my opinion.

 

[Michie]

*

 

[Michie]

 

[Michie]

Earliest depictions of Jesus.

 

[Michie]

The six oldest images of Jesus

 

[Michie]

Jesus image, hidden in plain sight at Negev church, is one of earliest in Israel