# The Isrealites in Jesus's time were black? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2007, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-isrealites-in-jesuss-time-were-black/397160 "2007-03-23T12:20:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2007, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-isrealites-in-jesuss-time-were-black/397160/41 "2007-03-25T05:29:44Z")
Going from a **3D restructuring of Jesus’ face from the Turin Shroud, by the History Channel** (for what that’s worth), it looked to me like Jesus looked liked a Jewish version of how Alan Bates looked in Hamlet (1990.) [![](http://www.cinemovies.fr/images/data/films/Pfilm35731356214975.jpg) ](http://www.cinemovies.fr/images/data/films/Pfilm35731356214975.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2007, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-isrealites-in-jesuss-time-were-black/397160/42 "2007-03-25T07:35:40Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Krishna means both “black” and “blue” in Sanskrit and many Hindus believe he historically existed on earth as an avatar of Vishnu . [/QUOTE] I have no cite but a Hindu poster I think on S.D.M.B. said that in India black has bad connotations so that though the god is actually that colour hes portrayed as blue out of coyness. Similar to the way that the pronunciation in England of the planet Uranus is now Yurrrranus rather then Yer anus . In the caste system the Brahmins at the top have the lightest skins and the untouchables at the bottom the darkest . Though interestingly European descended white people are technically untouchables I think because of their nonIndiansub continent origin. And now Ishall waffle no more. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2007, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-isrealites-in-jesuss-time-were-black/397160/43 "2007-03-25T08:08:07Z")
[QUOTE=Lust4Life] I have no cite but a Hindu poster I think on S.D.M.B. said that in India black has bad connotations so that though the god is actually that colour hes portrayed as blue out of coyness. [/QUOTE] Whew. It’s a good thing nobody posted anything in this thread about the topic prior to you. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > In the caste system the Brahmins at the top have the lightest skins and the untouchables at the bottom the darkest . No. There’s too much variation in skin color and too much intermixing between castes for this to be true in anything but an apocraphyl sense. > [@](#): > > Though interestingly European descended white people are technically untouchables Again, no. They were never treated as untouchables, so how can they be untouchables? They’re not part of the caste system, and some orthodox people may avoid them (who knows?) but they’re clearly not Dalits either. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2007, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-isrealites-in-jesuss-time-were-black/397160/44 "2007-03-25T08:39:50Z")
[QUOTE=MissMossie] Bigger hijack: If someone could photoshop a martini glass and a cigarette into this picture, they’d be my new hero. Whenever I see this depiction of Jesus, I imagine him in a cocktail lounge. [/QUOTE] Ask and ye shall [receive](http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f295/bedgyro/Jesus.jpg). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-isrealites-in-jesuss-time-were-black/397160.md?page=2)