Race and appearance of Jesus

The race and appearance of Jesus, widely accepted by researchers to be a Judean from Galilee,[1] has been a topic of discussion since the days of early Christianity. Various theories about the race of Jesus have been proposed and debated.[2][3] By the Middle Ages, a number of documents, generally of unknown or questionable origin, had been composed and were circulating with details of the appearance of Jesus. These documents are now mostly considered forgeries.[4][5][6]

A wide range of depictions have appeared over the two millennia since Jesus's death, often influenced by cultural settings, political circumstances and theological contexts. Many depictions are interpretations of spurious sources, and are generally historically inaccurate.[7]: 44–45 

By the 19th century, theories that Jesus was non-Semitic were being developed, with writers suggesting he was variously white, black, or some other race other than those known to have been native to the Levant.[8] However, as in other cases of the assignment of race to biblical individuals, these claims have been mostly based on cultural stereotypes, ethnocentrism, and societal trends rather than on scientific analysis or historical method.[7]: 18 

  1. ^ "Jesus | Facts, Teachings, Miracles, Death, & Doctrines | Britannica". 13 June 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Strauss114 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Racializing Jesus: Race, Ideology and the Formation of Modern Biblical Scholarship by Shawn Kelley 2002 ISBN 0-415-28373-6 pages 70–73
  4. ^ The Oxford companion to the Bible 1993 ISBN 0-19-504645-5 page 41
  5. ^ Making Sense of the New Testament by Craig L. Blomberg 2004 ISBN 0-8010-2747-0 pages 3–4
  6. ^ Pontius Pilate: portraits of a Roman governor by Warren Carter 2003 ISBN 0-8146-5113-5 pages 6–9
  7. ^ a b Colin Kidd (2006). The Forging of Races: Race and Scripture in the Protestant Atlantic World, 1600–2000. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-79324-7.
  8. ^ Arvidsson, Stefan (June 1999). "Aryan Mythology As Science and Ideology". Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 67 (2). Oxford University Press: 327–354. doi:10.1093/jaarel/67.2.327. JSTOR 1465740.