# 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:** 3
**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, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/41 "2010-10-17T22:54:34Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > > [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > > > The “forensic reconstruction” of a typical Semite from the time of Jesus doesn’t really prove anything, and it seems to me to be more of an over-compensation, deliberately presenting a face that’s scruffy looking and not very handsome, as if to say - “HA! Everything you ever believed is WRONG!” > > There is no description of Jesus being particularly good-looking. > > And since the guy, as it is written, was pretty busy healing and preaching and stuff, I doubt he had a lot of time getting $400 haircuts and facials. Jesus was no busier than his later imitation Kal-El, and the latter has time to keep himself looking spiffy. Magic powers make everything possible. [Of course Kal has a hot wife to keep happy](http://mimg.ugo.com/201007/49876/cuts/ugo-loislane_480x480.jpg), but he was no slob as a bachelor either. Yep. Definitely going to hell. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Rosetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Green\_Rosetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Rosetta)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/42 "2010-10-17T22:57:14Z")
I learned in history of western civ that our modern depictions of “white Jesus” are based off what Charlemagne looked like. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/43 "2010-10-17T23:02:04Z")
jesus looked like any other jew of the area and era. Probably olive skinned and dark haired. But is this really important? ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/44 "2010-10-17T23:03:35Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > I’ve been told that Jesus spoke English, too. That doesn’t surprise me. People have allegedly said things like: If the King James English was good enough for Jesus and the apostles, it’s good enough for me. I have an anecdote that probably is at best a distortion of a real exchange, if even that. But it’s too funny not to be true. Or at least, it would be a shame if it were completely untrue. Two men were arguing on a Greyhound bus. One insisted that A.D. stood for _Anno Domini_, meaning the _Year of Our Lord_. The other insisted that it stood for _After death_. They knew that a rabbi was sitting in the very back of the bus, so they agreed to ask him. (Now, Jews when using the dominant calendar in the world prefer to write such alternatives as [Common Era](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_domini#Change_of_year) and Before Common Era, but that’s beside the point.) The rabbi agreed with the man who said _Anno Domini_. he was quite firm and sure of his statement. But the other man was unmoved. He scoffed: “That’s ridiculous! Christ didn’t speak Latin!” :rolleyes: _ **- Jack** _ ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/45 "2010-10-17T23:38:25Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > And since the guy, as it is written, was pretty busy healing and preaching and stuff, I doubt he had a lot of time getting $400 haircuts and facials. > > I don’t think very many people back in the olden times would have looked very handsome or beautiful. But of course, looks are subjective. I don’t that the reconstruction shows an ugly face at all. I don’t think there were any more or less attractive people in the population a thousand years ago than there are now. Or ten thousand years ago. It’s determined by genetics how the proportions of your face will look, and being attractive is a matter of facial proportions. It’s one of those “timeless” characteristics. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/46 "2010-10-17T23:49:30Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > > [@monstro](#): > > > > And since the guy, as it is written, was pretty busy healing and preaching and stuff, I doubt he had a lot of time getting $400 haircuts and facials. > > > > I don’t think very many people back in the olden times would have looked very handsome or beautiful. But of course, looks are subjective. I don’t that the reconstruction shows an ugly face at all. > > I don’t think there were any more or less attractive people in the population a thousand years ago than there are now. Or ten thousand years ago. It’s determined by genetics how the proportions of your face will look, and being attractive is a matter of facial proportions. It’s one of those “timeless” characteristics. While I agree with your basic premise, I do not think that reconstruction is “uglier” than the a typical modern-day Semitic person. Certainly not GQ material, but not beyond the realm of possibility for a person living today or 2000 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/47 "2010-10-18T00:03:22Z")
That may be the case. However, I think it doesn’t make sense to reconstruct one random face from the time of Jesus, and say “Jesus may have looked like this.” Because there is a huge diversity of facial types (in other words, different combinations of facial proportions.) In any ethnic group, in any time period, you will have this. So, yes, _maybe_ Jesus looked like that guy. And _maybe_ his face was a little longer, and _maybe_ his eyes were spaced slightly further apart, his hairline was further forward or back, his forehead was higher or lower, and there was a different distance between his nose and mouth and his mouth and chin. All of these seemingly minor details add up to create totally different kinds of faces. In the time of Jesus there were no doubt guys who looked like Jon Lovitz, and there were also guys who looked like Burt Reynolds. Jesus could have been either one. I just think it is fallacious, this premise of reconstructing one random face from a random skull, and then saying “Jesus _may_ have looked like this.” ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/48 "2010-10-18T00:07:35Z")
When I first saw Sayid on “Lost” I thought, “He looks like Jesus.” So there you have it. Jesus looks like [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004710/](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004710/) ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/49 "2010-10-18T00:43:13Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > > [@monstro](#): > > > > And since the guy, as it is written, was pretty busy healing and preaching and stuff, I doubt he had a lot of time getting $400 haircuts and facials. > > > > I don’t think very many people back in the olden times would have looked very handsome or beautiful. But of course, looks are subjective. I don’t that the reconstruction shows an ugly face at all. > > I don’t think there were any more or less attractive people in the population a thousand years ago than there are now. Or ten thousand years ago. It’s determined by genetics how the proportions of your face will look, and being attractive is a matter of facial proportions. It’s one of those “timeless” characteristics. Sure, but many of the characteristics that we take to be “attractive” are products of our good physical health compared to ancient people. A Jewish peasant of that era probably doesn’t have a widely varied diet and may (or may not) be unhealthier because of that. Certainly no orthodontia. Childhood diseases can easily stunt growth or disfigure a face. Lack of medical care isn’t helping things. I grant you that the genetic potential for attractiveness is identical now to that of 2000 years ago, but there are societal and technological differences that would probably skew the average ancient person (and especially the average ancient peasant) toward the “uglier” end of the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/50 "2010-10-18T00:53:11Z")
I always thought [Jeff Goldblum looks a lot like Jesus.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101863/) ---
**Author:** ![NOLA\_Cajun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea666f/32.png) [@NOLA\_Cajun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NOLA_Cajun)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/51 "2010-10-18T02:21:19Z")
Well for what it’s worth Catholics seem to be the most ignorant of all christian faiths. Those silly idol worshipping pagan catholics… \ Anyway, I once mentioned to my catholic friends in Louisiana that I thought it was sacrilegious for them to be serving ham on Christmas since Jesus was in fact born and raised as a Jew. They looked at me as if I had just made the dumbest comment ever and even tried to refute the fact. But then again, now that I think about it, Christmas in and of itself is sacrilegious considering it is a pagan holiday. Just like the other catholic holidays that they have used to replace God’s true Holy Days. Of course watching a show on the KKK the other night I thought it quite ignorant for them to be screaming we hate Jews and then claiming allegience to Jesus. Yes, I do believe in God and Yeshua. But am probably not like most of the ones you atheists and other non-believers on this board so often make fun of. So sure, go ahead and call me ignorant as well for my faith. I forgive you. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/52 "2010-10-18T02:33:51Z")
> [@NOLA\_Cajun](#): > > Well for what it’s worth Catholics seem to be the most ignorant of all christian faiths. Those silly idol worshipping pagan catholics.. \ > > Anyway, I once mentioned to my catholic friends in Louisiana that I thought it was sacrilegious for them to be serving ham on Christmas since Jesus was in fact born and raised as a Jew. They looked at me as if I had just made the dumbest comment ever and even tried to refute the fact. But then again, now that I think about it, Christmas in and of itself is sacrilegious considering it is a pagan holiday. Just like the other catholic holidays that they have used to replace God’s true Holy Days. > > Of course watching a show on the KKK the other night I thought it quite ignorant for them to be screaming we hate Jews and then claiming allegience to Jesus. > > Yes, I do believe in God and Yeshua. But am probably not like most of the ones you atheists and other non-believers on this board so often make fun of. > > So sure, go ahead and call me ignorant as well for my faith. I forgive you. Since Jesus said that what made you impure was not what went into your mouth but out of it…no contradiction. Christmas is not a pagan holiday nor is it based on one. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/53 "2010-10-18T05:43:35Z")
> [@NOLA\_Cajun](#): > > Well for what it’s worth Catholics seem to be the most ignorant of all christian faiths. Those silly idol worshipping pagan catholics.. \ > > Anyway, I once mentioned to my catholic friends in Louisiana that I thought it was sacrilegious for them to be serving ham on Christmas since Jesus was in fact born and raised as a Jew. They looked at me as if I had just made the dumbest comment ever and even tried to refute the fact. But then again, now that I think about it, Christmas in and of itself is sacrilegious considering it is a pagan holiday. Just like the other catholic holidays that they have used to replace God’s true Holy Days. > > Of course watching a show on the KKK the other night I thought it quite ignorant for them to be screaming we hate Jews and then claiming allegience to Jesus. > > Yes, I do believe in God and Yeshua. But am probably not like most of the ones you atheists and other non-believers on this board so often make fun of. > > So sure, go ahead and call me ignorant as well for my faith. I forgive you. You were invited to someone’s house for Christmas and accused them of being sacrilegious? Are you one of those sects which don’t believe in tact? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/54 "2010-10-18T05:58:18Z")
> [@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. I’m doubtful that any US Christian would think as much, as they have no model upon which to base this. It’s kind of like saying that most Christians think that Moses looked like Charleton Heston. Most of the references to the blond haired…Jesus are people that have an axe to grind with Christians, and seek to portray them as some sort of band of racists, who will not tolerate a Son of their God as being anything but the Aryan, capitalist, oppressor of the Third World. A ‘straw man’ fallacy? Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/55 "2010-10-18T06:37:27Z")
I have seen both a tall lanky white man play Jesus, as well as a short olive skinned person, just in my church. Both have been said by some to look “just like Jesus.” I personally knew that Jesus did not look the way we normally picture him, but, at the same time, that is the image that pops into my head. Also, I tend to think of Jewish people as being quite white, so I must admit that the darker skin in the Time article surprised me. Actually, I remember more than just the face from Time article. All they did to make him unattractive was age his face further than usual, based on the inhospitable climate. I also know tht they were not afraid to use Biblical references to come up with ideas. For example, they used a combination of Paul’s conversion experience and the fact that he later states that long hair on men is disgraceful as an indication that Jesus’ hair must have been short. ---
**Author:** ![falcotron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ab097/32.png) [@falcotron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/falcotron)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/56 "2010-10-18T09:44:53Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Also, I tend to think of Jewish people as being quite white, so I must admit that the darker skin in the Time article surprised me. That’s a good point. Most people in most parts of America think “Ashkenazim” when they think “Jews”. So, even if they do picture Jesus as a Jew, they’ll be picturing someone who looks more like Einstein or Freud than a typical Jew from Jesus’s era and location. And maybe a Yiddish accent and manner of speaking he’d have, even. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/57 "2010-10-18T09:57:24Z")
The only place in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland or Ireland where I’ve seen Christ represented as a dude with blonde hair and blue eyes was those pamphlets from the Jehova’s Witnesses, which are translated from the US one. I’ve seen representations of Christ as a dude with long brown hair and dark eyes in all of them, and of the Baby Jesus as a baby with brown hair in most of them. I’ve also seen representations where the whole gang is represented with Latin American looks or with Gypsy looks, but the artists weren’t trying to say that they looked like that, it’s symbolic. So IME hell no. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/58 "2010-10-18T10:02:20Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I grant you that the genetic potential for attractiveness is identical now to that of 2000 years ago, but there are societal and technological differences that would probably skew the average ancient person (and especially the average ancient peasant) toward the “uglier” end of the spectrum. Partially true I’m sure, but also undermined by the National Geographic porn trope. ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/59 "2010-10-18T10:34:56Z")
In my experience, Christians are more aware of how inaccurate the traditional image of Jesus is. A few years ago my class at high school were playing celebrity heads and one of the identities to guess was Jesus. It was the Christians who pointed out that we couldn’t answer questions about his physical appearance. The non-religious people protested “But we know what he looked like, we’ve seen pictures.” We replied “Yeah, and he’s _white_ in those pictures. He was Israeli!” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460/60 "2010-10-18T10:36:53Z")
And what color are Israelis, green? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-christians-literally-think-jesus-was-a-tall-white-guy-with-blue-eyes/557460.md?page=4)