Another look at what Jesus may have looked like — and does it matter?

Mar 16, 2018

By Anil Netto
Traditional artistic depictions of Jesus tend to show him as tall, fair skinned, with long flowing hair, perhaps penetrating light-coloured eyes. Similar depictions may have been seen in movies about Jesus until recent times.

But a new book by British historian, Professor Joan Taylor titled What Did Jesus Look Like? suggests that Jesus may have looked quite different from the image many of us are used to.

Taylor’s impression of Jesus is someone of Middle-Eastern appearance, who was fairly short (about 5 feet 5 inches tall), and had short dark brown to black hair, deep brown eyes and a short trimmed beard.

This seems to tie in with an early study of the Shroud of Turin by Msgr Gulio Ricci, which depicted Jesus as below 5 feet 4 inches, though others say the figure on the shroud, assuming it is authentic (the jury is still out on that) is taller, around 5 feet 7 inches to 6 feet 2 inches. Jesus’ hair in the Shroud of Turin also appears a bit longer.

As a carpenter working outdoors until he was about 30, Jesus would have been fit, even a bit muscular, perhaps even scarred from workplace accidents.

And because he was used to being outdoors for work and during his ministry, his complexion would have been more weather- beaten, making him look slightly older than he actually was.

He may not even have been handsome: In Isaiah 53: 2, it is said: “He had no form or charm to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts.”

Taylor’s findings seem similar to those of Richard Neave, a medical artist retired from the University of Manchester in England, a few years earlier. He had attempted to reconstruct the face of Jesus based on forensic anthropology, using computer models and modelling clay. The result: a somewhat similar depiction of Jesus — dark hair, skin and eyes, similar to what a Semite adult male in the region would have looked like, with an average height of 5 feet 1 inch and an average weight of about 110 pounds.

If Jesus looked about the same as others in the region, we can understand why Judas had to reveal him to the arresting officials with a kiss. Of course, the darkness would also have made it harder for those apprehending him to identify Jesus — but then again, there were only a few disciples at the Garden of Gethsamene, so he probably looked no different from the others with him.

Now why would it matter what Jesus looked like? The earlier European artists would have depicted Jesus based on the appearance of their contemporaries — just as artists elsewhere around the world would have painted Jesus to resemble people of their own locales and cultures.

Some time ago, I wrote a piece on this subject and argued that it really shouldn’t matter what Jesus looked like — for, as Mother Teresa said, we can find Jesus “in the distressing disguise of the poor.” Each time we break bread together, each time we gather in prayer, each time we reach out and help our neighbour in need, we enter into the presence of Jesus.

Indeed, on many levels, it shouldn’t matter what he looked like. And, perhaps, that is why the Gospel writers omitted any reference to his physical appearance.

But on one important level, perhaps, there is a huge psychological difference. Consider the impact of a darker-skinned Jesus in the history of colonialism. If the local people had known that the God of their colonial masters looked more like themselves, the colonised, than their occupiers, would that have been more empowering and liberating? Nearly all the artwork depicted a European or fairskinned Jesus. Would they have felt less inferior if Jesus had looked different in the artwork?

Consider the impact of a darker-skinned Jesus on the African slaves singing Gospel songs on the ships transporting them to the Americas. Would they have been more fortified?

Consider the impact of a darker-skinned Jesus in apartheid South Africa, where the coloureds and the blacks were routinely discriminated against. Such a system was put in place by those who had a grossly distorted vision of Christianity – which put off Gandhi — that saw nothing wrong in subjugating an entire population on the basis of race.

Consider, too, the impact of a darkerskinned Jesus in the history of segregation in the United States and the civil rights struggle that followed.

Clearly, the psychological impact would have been tremendous if the people being oppressed and discriminated against had known that Jesus, the beloved Son whom the Father had favoured, looked more like one of them rather than their oppressers down the ages.