# Is it true that we do not know what Jesus look like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 10, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119 "2003-02-10T15:33:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/21 "2003-02-11T02:48:33Z")
**Duck Duck Goose** , none of those look like what I found in my tortilla this morning ---
**Author:** ![DaddyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dc4da7/32.png) [@DaddyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyMack)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/22 "2003-02-11T03:08:50Z")
With all the thousands of people walking and talking with Jesus seems like this would be a no brainer. Maybe there was never a Jesus Christ so the tale of how he looks varies like Nesse or the Yeti. [http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/robert\_price/fiction.html](http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/robert_price/fiction.html) ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/23 "2003-02-11T03:16:26Z")
Well, for the most part, the historicity of the man Jesus doesn’t seem to be a problem. Whether someone believes He was the Son of God or maybe God himself is quite another subject… I almost wrote Son oG! OG smash! ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/24 "2003-02-11T08:17:25Z")
Here’s a cite that portrays a third century portrait on Jesus as young and beardless: NARRATOR: By the middle of the 3rd century, Christians were buried alongside Jews and pagans in catacombs, underground tombs beneath the outskirts of Rome. There is evidence here of the growing homogenization of the Christian story. The artwork on the tombs shows little sign of Gnostic imagery. They are largely scenes from the canonical Gospels which are now merging into one single story. Prof. JOHN DOMINIC CROSSAN, DePaul University: What’s interesting is what they choose, because what they choose of Jesus is especially the healer. He appears beardless, so he’s a young. He’s a new, young God, as it were - he’s not an old fuddy-duddy like Asclepias - the god of healing. And what’s extraordinary is he’d either have his hand or even a wand on the person he’s healing. [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/etc/script2.html](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/etc/script2.html) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Zahn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@John\_Zahn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Zahn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/25 "2003-02-11T15:44:17Z")
Does anybody remember the [play](http://lubbockonline.com/news/032197/black.htm) that created a huge controversy some years ago, when they portrayed a black man as Jesus? It was amusing as hell. Death threats were called in, a couple of churches cancelled out along with five tour groups canceling their reservations too. I remember at the time when this was breaking news, that some of the stronger objectors didn’t have any problem if a black man wanted to portray Satan though. JZ ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/26 "2003-02-11T16:09:15Z")
Putting the complexion debate aside for a moment, it is doubtful Jesus would have had long hair, given Paul’s admonishment to the Corinthians: > [@](#): > > Doth not even nature itself teach you that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? [I Corinthians 11:14](http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=1COR+11:14&language=english&version=KJV&showfn=on&showxref=on) Though we don’t know whether Paul ever saw Jesus (outside of visions), he would have been a contemporary of the man. It’s hard to imagine that he would have written the above passage if there had been an oral tradition floating around that Jesus had long hair. ---
**Author:** ![Turbo-Sloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Turbo-Sloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo-Sloth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/27 "2003-02-11T17:22:33Z")
I am just curious, are there even any records outside of the bible that strongly suggest Jesus even existed? ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/28 "2003-02-11T19:02:14Z")
I always liked my fifth grade teacher’s\* answer. Jesus was all colors. \*It was a Christian school, so no church-state violations. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/29 "2003-02-11T19:18:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lamia \* > **I’ve seen several works depicting Cleopatra as a blonde…** It’s not really unlikely that Cleopatra would be a blonde. Many of the ancient Greeks were blond, and they held blond hair in high esteem. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/30 "2003-02-11T20:46:56Z")
> [@](#): > > none of those look like what I found in my tortilla this morning psssst! You’re supposed to look on the _burrito_! ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/31 "2003-02-11T20:50:52Z")
I’ve been lurking for quite a while and posting a little for more than a year, and, **tomndeb** , I think this is the first time I’ve “heard” you make a joke. Do I just not hang out at the right times, or what? BTW, har de har !! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/32 "2003-02-11T21:00:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Turbo-Sloth \* > \*\*I am just curious, are there even any records outside of the bible that strongly suggest Jesus even existed? \*\* [The Master speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_275.html) In a nutshell–semi-contemporary historians didn’t raise any issues with his existence. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/33 "2003-02-11T21:01:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\*It’s not really unlikely that Cleopatra would be a blonde. Many of the ancient Greeks were blond, and they held blond hair in high esteem. \*\* I think the hair color was held in high esteem because it was _rare_, not because it was common. Anyway, although I can’t find a cite for it now, I believe Plutarch or one of the other ancient biographers described her as having a dark complexion and auburn hair. Now, those ancient biographies aren’t known for being highly accurate and she may have used henna anyway, but there’s certainly no historic mention of Cleo as a blonde. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Zahn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@John\_Zahn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Zahn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/34 "2003-02-12T00:07:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DaddyTimesTwo \* > \*\*I’ve been lurking for quite a while and posting a little for more than a year, and, **tomndeb** , I think this is the first time I’ve “heard” you make a joke. Do I just not hang out at the right times, or what? > > BTW, har de har !! \*\* Maybe it wasn’t a joke to him. 😉 JZ ---
**Author:** ![cjgurl427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@cjgurl427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjgurl427)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/35 "2003-02-12T00:26:20Z")
Any modern historian worth his tweed jacket doesn’t debate that Jesus, the historical figure, existed. Assuming you don’t take the Gospels into account, because, obviously, they’re a little biased, there’s still plenty of proof. There were loads of historians who lived at Jesus’s time who noted his existence in their books. For example, Josephus, who was a Jew, mentioned him several times. Tacitus, who was Roman (I think), also mentions him, and he would have had every reason to pretend Jesus didn’t exist - he h-ated Christians. Seriously. Sample quote: Nero’s burning Christians! Woohoo! (and for all you literalists, NO that is not an actual quote). The big argument isn’t about whether Jesus existed, its about whether he was Jesus CHRIST. ---
**Author:** ![Edlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8797f3/32.png) [@Edlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edlyn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/36 "2003-02-12T00:53:03Z")
What did He look like? I don’t know exactly, but in _Lives Of The Master_, Edgar Cayce gave a description of the Last Supper, the twelve disciples and this: > [@](#): > > The Master’s hair is 'most red, inclined to be curly in portions, yet not feminine or weak–_strong_, with heavy piercing eyes that are blue or steel-gray. > > His weight would be at least a hundred and seventy pounds. Long tapering fingers, nails well kept. Long nail, though, on the left little finger. You may as well add this to the list **Duck Duck Goose** offered. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/37 "2003-02-12T00:56:32Z")
I remember reading, hearing, watching, or something (how’s that for a detailed cite) that Jesus was described by one of his disciples as being, “Ugly of countenance.” Have any of you heard this anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/38 "2003-02-12T01:21:19Z")
I agree with **FriarTed** [http://www.delayedreaction.com/two.html](http://www.delayedreaction.com/two.html) my WAG is that some medieval prince had possesion of the shroud, showed it off to his rich friends whose artist used the image as the basis for all and future depictions of Jesus which would explain the similarites in facial features. At least thats what the little voice from the discovery channel told me… ---
**Author:** ![DaddyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dc4da7/32.png) [@DaddyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyMack)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/39 "2003-02-12T01:47:35Z")
\*\* Any modern historian worth his tweed jacket doesn’t debate that Jesus, the historical figure, existed.\*\* Apparently you did not read my post concerning the myth of Jesus. [http://www.infidels.org/library/mod...ce/fiction.html](http://www.infidels.org/library/mod...ce/fiction.html) First of all Josephus was not a witness to the events of Jesus, he was born about the time the supposed Jesus was crucified [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08522a.htm](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08522a.htm) His **story** was based on information in the Biblical text which is highly questionable [http://members.aol.com/FLJOSEPHUS/ntparallels.htm#Twelve](http://members.aol.com/FLJOSEPHUS/ntparallels.htm#Twelve) Furthermore his credibility on many issues are questionable probably for this same reason. [http://centuryone.com/josephus.html](http://centuryone.com/josephus.html) I can provide many other links to scholars that show that this myth, just like the Afrocentric myth and the creationist myth, is political/religious not factual. Need we go into that? Jesus is no more than a grown up version of an imaginary childhood friend. He is a figment of our desires and priestly machination whom appears (to us) however we want him to. ---
**Author:** ![Edlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8797f3/32.png) [@Edlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edlyn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119/40 "2003-02-12T02:06:54Z")
What does that have to do with the op? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-we-do-not-know-what-jesus-look-like/154119.md?page=3)