# Do most Christians literally think Jesus was a tall white guy with blue eyes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460 "2010-10-17T17:56:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/1 "2010-10-17T17:56:47Z")
Someone here mentioned a song called “Have You Seen My Lord” that starts “Six foot two, eyes of blue…”. Anyway, it got me wondering… does your average Christian really think that Jesus was a tall white guy with blue eyes? Are they aware that Jews in 1st century Palestine were generally short-ish and olive-skinned? Or do they just look at the paintings and not take a minute to think about things? ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/2 "2010-10-17T17:59:43Z")
I have attended church in various countries (but mostly US, Australia, UK, Ireland). They all seem to be quite aware of what he really, probably looked like. It appears to be quite a popular, oft repeated sermon point too. That and the 25th of December not really being his birthday. ---
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/3 "2010-10-17T18:19:36Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > I have attended church in various countries (but mostly US, Australia, UK, Ireland). They all seem to be quite aware of what he really, probably looked like. It appears to be quite a popular, oft repeated sermon point too. That and the 25th of December not really being his birthday. They are aware of what he probably looked like or of what he didn’t look like? Two different things. I have seen lots of statues and stain glass images that, while they vary, tend to make for a pale skinned, light-brown haired version. I have seen blond haired and blue eyed versions as well, same for Mary. I don’t recall seeing a dark skinned Jesus, Joseph or Mary anywhere in the US outside of fairly radical churches or black congregations. All anecdotal and many portraits are very old, thus perhaps not up to current beliefs, but the very light-skinned and even blue-eyed Jesus protraits keep getting reproduced. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/4 "2010-10-17T18:27:58Z")
The Xtians at my church – a mostly-white, gay-friendly UCC congregation – would generally say Christ did not fit the description you gave. Most of the Xtians in my father’s denomination – a majority-black Pentecostal denomination – either don’t think about it or say he was black, I think. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/5 "2010-10-17T18:37:34Z")
Not to be cranky, but saying Jesus was black is about as stupid as saying he’s white. He was neither- he was brown! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/6 "2010-10-17T18:40:15Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Not to be cranky, but saying Jesus was black is about as stupid as saying he’s white. He was neither- he was brown! I don’t perceive you as being cranky, as in some cases it is marginally stupider. ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/7 "2010-10-17T18:58:00Z")
Remember, though, that Christ was the product of the miracle of artificial insemination, and was genetically half god/half human. Therefore, you can imagine him looking any way you like. I picture him as looking like Goro from Mortal Kombat, who was half dragon/half human - not quite the same thing, but close enough for our purposes, religion being a ‘soft science’, and all. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/8 "2010-10-17T19:00:44Z")
Well, of the first three actors to have played Jesus that I can think of off the top of my head, 2 had pale eyes: Jeffrey Hunter and Willem Dafoe. Fortunately they got it right with James Caviezel. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/9 "2010-10-17T19:03:45Z")
Do you mean your average Christian, or your average American Christian? Most of the former are not the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/10 "2010-10-17T19:04:22Z")
> [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > Remember, though, that Christ was the product of the miracle of artificial insemination, and was genetically half god/half human. Neither the Gospel of Mark nor that of John makes this claim. ---
**Author:** ![lemac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f19dbf/32.png) [@lemac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lemac)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/11 "2010-10-17T19:05:07Z")
> [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > I picture him as looking like Goro from Mortal Kombat That would explain the Orthodox crucifix, I guess… ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/12 "2010-10-17T19:10:19Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > [Neither the Gospel of Mark nor that of John makes this claim. This is because they were creationists, and averred little knowledge of such things. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/13 "2010-10-17T19:13:01Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Someone here mentioned a song called “Have You Seen My Lord” that starts “Six foot two, eyes of blue…”. That was me. Only the lyrics were ‘Five-foot-nine, so divine…’ The ‘six-foot-two, solid blue’ reference was to an Allan Sherman parody of _Has Anybody Seen My Gal_, in which the ‘gal’ in question is a Martian. Not that it’s germane to the OP. Just setting the reference straight. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/14 "2010-10-17T19:15:42Z")
> [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > > [Neither the Gospel of Mark nor that of John makes this claim. > > This is because they were creationists, and averred little knowledge of such things. You’re jesting, of course, but in case anyone was whooshed, I’ll point out that I meant that the story of the Virgin Birth is contained in neither Mark (the first Gospel written) nor John (the last). ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/15 "2010-10-17T19:20:19Z")
I’ve been told that Jesus spoke English, too. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/16 "2010-10-17T19:21:22Z")
I think that most American Christians might reflexively picture a tall white man with long blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing long robes and sandals, they’re also aware that that’s not a realistic picture. Basically, I think that cognitive dissonance is the default position. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/17 "2010-10-17T19:23:04Z")
Since I doubt there are statistical data on this, this is probably better off in IMHO than GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/18 "2010-10-17T19:30:54Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I think that most American Christians might reflexively picture a tall white man with long blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing long robes and sandals, they’re also aware that that’s not a realistic picture. Basically, I think that cognitive dissonance is the default position. Thanks, that was pretty much what I was going for. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/19 "2010-10-17T19:35:51Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > > > Someone here mentioned a song called “Have You Seen My Lord” that starts “Six foot two, eyes of blue…”. > > That was me. > > Only the lyrics were ‘Five-foot-nine, so divine…’ > > The ‘six-foot-two, solid blue’ reference was to an Allan Sherman parody of _Has Anybody Seen My Gal_, in which the ‘gal’ in question is a Martian. I also recall years ago coming across the claim that “Jesus was the only man ever born who was exactly six feet tall”. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/20 "2010-10-17T19:36:10Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > I’ve been told that Jesus spoke English, too. By whom? In the context of, say, the King James Version of the Bible being the best possible translation and containing the literal words & language? I’m not being sarcastic here. My father, whose education basically ended at 3rd grade (black man, rural Mississipi, 1940s) has said things along those lines. But a pastor friend of his who should know better has opined things among those lines – and also that this verse [QUOTE=Hosea 9:6] “What will you do on the day of appointed festival, and on the day of the feast of The Lord? For behold, they are going to Assyria; Egypt shall gather them, Memphis shall bury them. Nettles shall possess their precious things of silver; thorns shall be in their tents.” [/QUOTE] is a prophecy referring to the largest city in Tennessee. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460.md?page=2)