The Catholic church portrays Jesus Christ as a white European-looking man with piercing blue eyes.
Historians, however, believe that what Jesus really looked like is far from what Renaissance artists believed he did. On the contrary, they are convinces that the son of God resembled a typical man born in modern-day Palestine at that time; shorter in height, stockier build, and with curly black hair.
“In reality, that’s not what he looked like at all. Jesus was not a pale person. He was not a European. He was a Jewish man of his time. He was very much of his time and place.”
The author, who is also an expert in Christian origins, added: “He would have had dark skin and probably had shortish black hair – long hair was very unusual in the 1st Century – a beard and wore sandals. He was a wanderer. He was on the streets. He accepted charity from strangers. He was with the poor.
“The 2nd Century philosopher Celsus said Jesus was shabby, a vagabond who was unkempt – he looked like a beggar. That tallies with everything else we know about Jesus. He even described himself as homeless. As he said: ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’”
Jesus likely resembled a typical Jewish man of the first century, who would likely have contact with Europeans and Africans.
Forensic facial reconstruction specialist Richard Neave tried to imitate the appearance of a Judean man similar to Jesus from the first century who was represented as stocky man with dark hair, clipped beard, and olive skin.
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