Was Jesus dark skinned?

[SOMITW]

the real face of Jesus. Never trust a scientist to give you any facts on Him.

 

[Rudy]

I do not see why it is important to know what Jesus looked like. In the Old and New Testament it never gives a clear description of Jesus and there doesn't need to be one. We should know Jesus for who he is and not what he looks like. He is our Lord and Savior.

I agree. Making an issue of Jesus' skin color only draws attention away from who he really was and the importance of his mission. In the past, people's belief that Jesus was white used it as a justification to oppress and enslave people of color.

 

[Anwar]

I think many whites today still look to the phoney depiction of Christ as a fair haired white man in order to feed an unjustified sense of self righteousness. The sort required to fight back a sense of guilt for having consumed much more than thier fair share of resources. It is as if the religion serves to quell guilt which is created by acting out of self righteousness. I think the condition of self righteousness has proved the primary competitve "edge" which has led to wealth creation in the West over the last 1,000 years. It has come at the expense of more mature and compassionate peoples.

 

[martha dodge]

Excellent question certainly worthy of debate. Consider the cradle of civilization is considered to be Northern Africa and the Middle East. As a "Southern Baptist", I have been told that Cain was cursed, he became a black man. I know that this is hogwash because he moved to the north of eden and everyone knows that Greeks and Turks live north of eden and they are white. I think it is going to be just God's biggest joke in heaven when all the bigots in the South find out that Jesus was dark brown as a man and now as King of Kings, He is gold.

 

[THE DEVIL]

Jesus was white as snow and just about as pure.

 

[true blood]

You can trace his family tree back pretty far and then make an educated guess. I know he had ancient relatives that lived in Ethiopia. He was probably black or dark skinned. But then God created the sperm so who knows lol

 

[Mr Spinkles]

the real face of Jesus. Never trust a scientist to give you any facts on Him.

Even Christian scientists?

 

[Gilad]

Jesus was descended from both Judah and David who were both red heads with ruddy complexions. According to old traditions Jesus was also auburn haired. Red hair is a characteristic of the tribe of Judah. In Eastern Europe red hair was considered to show Jewish ancestry. In many Jewish families you will find some members dark haired and others red haired. In Israel there are heaps of gorgeous red haired women. DThe Dead Sea Scrolls also describe Sarah as having milk white skin and hair.

In his Resurrection body he can be any colour or race he wants. It is not really important for faith.

I am Jewish and I have four cousins who are sisters and one has dark hair, own brown, one red and the other blonde.

 

[quick]

I would guess Jesus was most likely Semitic, so he would look much like the Semitic peoples of today--dark hair, brown/olive skin, etc.; much like current day Palestinian or Semitic Jew.

 

[Gilad]

Terms like Semitic and Hamitic have nothing to do with physical features but are language groups.

 

[Gunnard]

I think it is going to be just God's biggest joke in heaven when all the bigots in the South find out that Jesus was dark brown as a man and now as King of Kings, He is gold.

if those bigots were bigoted enough they might just turn on around and march right on down to hell! :mrgreen:

 

[martha dodge]

The sad part Gunnard is that they want have any choice. Hate will not enter the Kingdom of God. Those are His Words.

 

[quick]

Terms like Semitic and Hamitic have nothing to do with physical features but are language groups.

Literally, you are correct, but as a general reference, the traditionally "Semitic" peoples meet the physical characteristics I suggested, and Jews are often referred to as "Semites".

Here is a textbook definition: 1. A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians. 2. A Jew. 3. Bible A descendant of Shem.

Since you can trace Jesus' lineage quite clearly with his Biblical genealogy, you can get a good idea of the regions (and hence the physical appearance) of his human ancestors. It is unlikely he looked like, say, a typical Swede.

What his risen body looks like is a different matter altogether. There are some comments about it in the Gospels and in Revelation, so his look now may be entirely different

 

[anders]

How does a typical Swede look?! Certainly not lika a "typical Swede", I'd say.

 

[Mr Spinkles]

Since you can trace Jesus' lineage quite clearly with his Biblical genealogy, you can get a good idea of the regions (and hence the physical appearance) of his human ancestors.

It may not be quite so clear. The geneologies in Luke and Matthew do both trace Joseph's acenstry back to King David, thereby fulfilling a Messianic prophecy. Luke and Matthew do not agree on their geneologies, though--in fact, they do not even agree on who Joseph's father was, for starters.

Especially when considering the fact that Luke traces Jesus' ancestry back to Adam (Luke deliberately did not stop with Abraham, the father of all Jews, and went all the way back to Adam, the father of all men, because this would appeal more to his gentile audience) we can call into question the historicity of the Gospel geneologies.

Now, IF Adam was supposed to be the first man (as Luke probably assumes him to be, to strengthen appeal to the gentiles), a little knowledge of genetics and fossil records will tell us that Adam could not have possibly given rise to the entire human race (and all of its various ethnicities) by the time of Jesus in so few generations as are listed in Luke. The truth is, we can't be sure of Jesus' ethnicity based on the geneologies in the Gospels....we would have to use other indicators.

Of course, according to Christian dogma, Jesus was not even born of Joseph (the Virgin Birth) so these geneologies are meaningless....only a geneology of Mary would be relevant.

 

[quick]

Since you can trace Jesus' lineage quite clearly with his Biblical genealogy, you can get a good idea of the regions (and hence the physical appearance) of his human ancestors.

It may not be quite so clear. The geneologies in Luke and Matthew do both trace Joseph's acenstry back to King David, thereby fulfilling a Messianic prophecy. Luke and Matthew do not agree on their geneologies, though--in fact, they do not even agree on who Joseph's father was, for starters.

Especially when considering the fact that Luke traces Jesus' ancestry back to Adam (Luke deliberately did not stop with Abraham, the father of all Jews, and went all the way back to Adam, the father of all men, because this would appeal more to his gentile audience) we can call into question the historicity of the Gospel geneologies.

Now, IF Adam was supposed to be the first man (as Luke probably assumes him to be, to strengthen appeal to the gentiles), a little knowledge of genetics and fossil records will tell us that Adam could not have possibly given rise to the entire human race (and all of its various ethnicities) by the time of Jesus in so few generations as are listed in Luke. The truth is, we can't be sure of Jesus' ethnicity based on the geneologies in the Gospels....we would have to use other indicators.

Of course, according to Christian dogma, Jesus was not even born of Joseph (the Virgin Birth) so these geneologies are meaningless....only a geneology of Mary would be relevant.

There is much more to these genealogies than first appears. Luke really addresses Mary's genealogy, in a backhanded way, and it goes through David, too. Please see:

http://home.inreach.com/bstanley/geneal.htm


Absolutely all men could have begun with Adam. If two people contained our entire gene pool, as complex as it is, it would take thousands of years before inbreeding, if you will, to became an issue, if at all. As far as how we multiplied so fast, when men lived 300, 400, 800 years, they could father lots and lots of children, as the Bible indicates they did, and you know how geometric progressions work....

I have been to Sweden, and a typical Swede is tall and blonde. Are they all that way? No. Is that typical. From what I saw, yes.

I get such a kick out of our inordinate fear of stereotyping, as stereoptyping is the root of scientific knowledge through observation. If your were writing a zoology text, you''d study, say, a 1000 squirrels (a statistically significant number) and decide they were grey, had bushy tails, etc.--typically. They may not all be that way, and indeed they aren't, but induction would point to that as "typical."

 

[Master Hoomer]

Jesus was descended from both Judah and David who were both red heads with ruddy complexions. According to old traditions Jesus was also auburn haired. Red hair is a characteristic of the tribe of Judah. In Eastern Europe red hair was considered to show Jewish ancestry. In many Jewish families you will find some members dark haired and others red haired. In Israel there are heaps of gorgeous red haired women. DThe Dead Sea Scrolls also describe Sarah as having milk white skin and hair.

In his Resurrection body he can be any colour or race he wants. It is not really important for faith.

I am Jewish and I have four cousins who are sisters and one has dark hair, own brown, one red and the other blonde.

Hmmmm red haired women......so thats why I like them (I'm Jewish...and am auburn) Jesus may not have been descendend from David....but tthats another story.....

 

[anders]

quick,

During my walk home from the grocery store today, some 20 minutes, I looked at all the men I saw. Out of some 30, not one was blond. I have been thinking of this stereotype before, but the only blond Swede I can recall is a guy whose family immigrated from Estonia. Tall Swedes, yes, but more often than not brownish hair, like all men in my family, in which there is no non-Swedish person as far back as it can be traced (oldest ancestor on record lived 1447-1465).

A typical Swedish squirrel also is brown.