Jesus middle eastern?

[ViaCrucis]

Was Jesus middle eastern? Or was he Caucasian?

Well, seeing as He was a Jewish man, of the tribe of Judah, of the line of David, born of His mother Mary of Nazareth, I think it's pretty safe to say that He was middle eastern.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[devin553344]

Well, seeing as He was a Jewish man, of the tribe of Judah, of the line of David, born of His mother Mary of Nazareth, I think it's pretty safe to say that He was middle eastern.

-CryptoLutheran

You're sure about that?

 

[Albion]

The term "Caucasian" or "Caucasoid," if it has any meaning at all, refers to the people of Europe, India, North Africa, and the Middle East.

So yes, to both questions.

Correct. It is possible that Jesus was Caucasian through his mothers lineage, and Caucasians certainly were to be found in that area of the world. Still, the Romans had to have one of his closest associates point him out when they came to arrest him, so I cannot imagine that he looked significantly different from everyone else he associated with.

 

[Strathos]

Middle Eastern. Not that it matters. He could have been black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Indian... wouldn't have changed a thing.

 

[devin553344]

Middle Eastern. Not that it matters. He could have been black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Indian... wouldn't have changed a thing.

No color matters? I agree.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I would like t o hear more about that. Please expand.

Humanity isn't divided into concrete, discrete "types". The idea of "race" in this sense is a very modern phenomenon, largely only dating to the last couple centuries of the modern era, and is also very much a Western European invention. Instead, humanity exists across the globe as many different population groups which show similar characteristics with neighboring populations; and because of migration and interspersion throughout the world, it has never been static, but always fluid--with the exception of geographically isolated populations, such as on remote islands (but, most remote island human populations aren't that old, but are relatively recent compared to the long story of humanity is concerned).

Human beings show a variety of gene expression, for example as human beings spread away from the equator fairer skin became more dominant, as the genes responsible for producing melanin did not need to produce as much melanin to protect the skin from UV radiation; equitorial peoples, however, have darker skin because of higher levels of melanin in order to protect skin from the larger doses of UV exposure in equitorial climes. These subtle gene expressions (and they really are subtle, genetically speaking) across populations are not found in pockets, but as gradients. Mediteranean people, both in Southern Europe and North Africa and Western Asia share similarities with one another, they are darker than, say, populations in Northern Europe and Central and Northern Asia; they are also fairer than populations closer to the equator, such as in Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.

It's not just skin color. These small and subtle genetic expressions are in all sorts of things. For example lactose tolerance, lactose tolerance is an evolved trait found in some populations which have had a long history of dairy--such as Europe, West Asia, and North Africa.

What we have, ultimately, isn't several "races", but a large amount of human diversity. There is no "White Race", but there are populations of people whose ancestry can be found throughout Europe and the Caucasus Mountains; with a lengthy and complex history of different pulations settling, migrating, over many thousands of years. The same is true everywhere else.

"Race" doesn't really exist except as a modern social construct. People are far more complicated than that. Go back far enough and all of our ancestry goes back to human beings from East Africa, because all human beings are part of waves of migrations which originally began in Africa tens of thousands of years ago.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[ViaCrucis]

You're sure about that?

Am I positive that Jesus is a Jewish man, of the tribe of Judah, of the line of David, born of His mother Mary? Yeah, I'm sure about that.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[ViaCrucis]

No color matters? I agree.

Of course not. Color is, literally, only skin deep.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[devin553344]

Of course not. Color is, literally, only skin deep.

-CryptoLutheran

I agree. If I ever meet Jesus he will be middle eastern I think.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Europeans and West Asians are very closely related. They look very much the same. If you walk from Sweden through Germany and Greece to Jerusalem, you'll notice some obvious changes, but they'll be slow and gradual.

Jesus wouldn't have looked Swedish, but would He have looked all that different from a Greek? I don't think so.

I would not tell the difference at all until I get to Jeruselesm . . . except for their accents. If you heard the people talking while walking through Europe, it would sound more obvious than it looks.

Looking at the geneaology of Jesus, it would not be far-fetched to say he is multiracial.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

Does it really matter?

 

[-57]

I'm not sure I do either. Why does the bible reference white as washed clean? Isaiah 1:18

White refers to purity...I suppose.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Does it really matter?

Theologically? No.

But there are people who want to try and introduce heretical racialist ideas into Christianity, and these need to be nipped in the bud. Identitarianism, Kinism, and Ethnophyletism are heresies that must be opposed at every turn.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[devin553344]

White refers to purity...I suppose.

Yeah I agree.

 

[JerseyChristianSuperstar]

Jesus was definitely Middle Eastern, with a brown-ish complexion, he was not really either black or white.

 

[-57]

I would not tell the difference at all until I get to Jeruselesm . . . except for their accents. If you heard the people talking while walking through Europe, it would sound more obvious than it looks.

Looking at the geneaology of Jesus, it would not be far-fetched to say he is multiracial.

The bible presents 2 linages of Jesus. The following pertains to Mary's linage. The linage of Joseph would not be included in Jesus' DNA

Luke 3:23 Mary’s linage
Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, Heli, Matthat, Levi, Melki, Jannai, Joseph, Mattathias, Amos, Nahum, Esli, Naggai, Maath, Mattathias, Semein, Josech, Joda, Joanan, Rhesa, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel, Neri, Melki, Addi, Cosam, Elmadam, Er, Joshua, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, Levi, Simeon, Judah, Joseph, Jonam, Eliakim, Melea, Menna, Mattatha, Nathan, David, Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahshon, Amminadab, Ram, Hezron, Perez, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Terah, Nahor, Serug, Reu, Peleg, Eber, Shelah, Cainan, Arphaxad, Shem, Noah, Lamech, Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalalel, Kenan, Enosh, Seth, Adam, God.

Noah had 3 sons who each had wives. It is not know what the "race" of Shems wife would have been and it may have effected Mary's DNA is some way. Boaz's wife was Ruth who was a gentile and would have mixed with Boaz's DNA when Obed was born. I'm sure if you go through the list you may find others who were not of Jewish descent. I don't know how far back in the ancestral list would the genes effect what Jesus actually looked like.

Then there is the effect of the Holy Spirit. Did the Holy Spirit create DNA that merged with the DNA of Mary or was Jesus DNA only Mary's DNA. If the Holy Spirit created DNA and it merged with Mary's DNA that would also have an efect on what Jesus would have looked like. Just speculating, but I think the DNA from the Holy Spirit was like Adams. Adam name means ruddy or red. Perhaps Jesus' skin color was a mixture of Mary's color and a ruddy color.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Holy is white. Per the bible. But what does that mean?

It refers mostly to white cloth, robes, not skin.

 

[buzuxi02]

Pretty stupid question. It's like saying is the person black or an American from the inner city. Could be both (or none), lol.

 

[Newtheran]

Was Jesus middle eastern? Or was he Caucasian?

Not that it matters, but here's his picture.

You tell me...

 

[Swan7]

Was Jesus middle eastern? Or was he Caucasian?

What was the nation that God chose? God speaks about, rebukes and delivers this nation many, many times.