A series of articles on
Jesus Christ and Christianity Chronology • Virgin Birth Ministry • Miracles • Parables Death and resurrection Second Coming • Christology Names and titles • Relics Image File history File links JesusYeshua. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... This page is about the title, office or what is known in Christian theology as the Divine Person. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... The chronology of Jesus depicts the traditional chronology established for the events of the life of Jesus by the four canonical gospels (which allude to various dates for several events). ... For the biological phenomenon of female-only reproduction, see Parthenogenesis. ... According to the Canonical Gospels, the Ministry of Jesus began when Jesus was around 30 years old, and lasted a period of 1-3 years. ... According to the canonical Gospels, Jesus worked many miracles in the course of his ministry, which may be categorized into cures, exorcisms, dominion over nature, three instances of raising the dead, and various others. ... The parables of Jesus, found in the synoptic gospels, embody much of Jesus teaching. ... The Resurrection—Tischbein, 1778. ... For other uses, see Second Coming (disambiguation). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Christology is a field of study... A large variety of names and titles are used in the New Testament to describe Jesus. ... There are many relics attributed to Jesus that people believe or believed to be authentic relics of the Gospel accounts. ...
Cultural and historical background Aramaic • Race Genealogy of Jesus This article — a part of the Jesus and history series of articles — discusses the cultural and historical background of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity, without regard to his divinity, or to his existence as an actual historical figure. ... Most scholars believe that Jesus primarily spoke Aramaic, with some Hebrew and Greek, although there is some debate in academia as to what degree. ... Lukes genealogy of Jesus, from the Book of Kells transcribed by Celtic monks circa 800 The genealogy of Jesus through either one or both of his earthly parents (Mary and Joseph) is given by two passages from the Gospels, Matthew 1:2–16 and Luke 3:23–38. ...
Perspectives on Jesus Biblical Jesus • Religious Christian • Jewish • Islamic Historicity • In myth Research: historical • mythic Yuz Asaf This article presents a description of Jesus life, as based on the four gospels. ... Religious perspectives on Jesus is the specific significance some religions place on Jesus. ... Christian views of Jesus consist of the teachings and beliefs held by Christian groups about Jesus, including his divinity, humanity, and earthly life. ... Judaism has no special or particular view of Jesus, and very few texts in Judaism directly refer to or take note of Jesus. ... Islam holds Jesus (Arabic: `Īsā) to have been a messenger and a prophet of God. ... This article is about the veracity of Jesus existence. ... The study of Jesus from a mythographical perspective is the examination of the narrative of Jesus, the Christ (the Anointed) of the gospels, Christian theology and folk Christianity as a central part of Christian mythology. ... The quest for the historical Jesus is the attempt to use historical rather than religious methods to construct a verifiable biography of Jesus. ... This article is about Jesus the man, using historical methods to reconstruct a biography of his life and times. ... The Jesus myth hypothesis, also referred to as the Jesus myth theory, the Jesus myth[1][2][3] refers to the idea that the mythological aspects of the narrative of Jesus in the gospels indicate that the figure of Jesus is an ahistorical construct of various forms of ancient mythology... Yuz Asaf (Kashmiri: युझ असफ, یوذسف), Judasaf, Yus Asaph, or Shahzada Nabi Hazrat Yura Asaf is a prophet revered among the Sabians. ...
Jesus in culture Images • Sexuality Jesus has inspired artistic and cultural works for nearly two millennia. ... There are no undisputed historical images of Jesus; he sat for no portraits which are preserved and of unquestioned authenticity and undoubted provenance. ... The subject of Jesuss sexuality is much debated. ... This box: view • talk • edit

The race of Jesus has been a subject of debate since at least the 19th century. The physical appearance of Jesus of Nazareth, though with no explicit emphasis on race, was also debated by theologians from early on in the history of Christianity. Different societies have depicted Jesus and most other biblical figures as their own ethnicity in their art; for example he is primarily white in the West, and black in Africa. Such representations are not, in the modern day, usually intended to be historically accurate. The current dominant opinion among historians and scientists is that he most likely had olive skin, resembling modern-day persons of Middle Eastern descent. Others, however, have suggested other possible racial backgrounds. For some Christians the question is complicated by the belief that his birth was a unique miracle, an "incarnation in flesh of divine substance." Steven Garasai Tari (1971-), also known as Black Jesus, is a Papuan religious figure, leader of a Christian-influenced cargo cult, who claims to be the Messiah or the Christ, and is notorious for human sacrifices, rape, murder and cannibalism. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... For other uses, see Race (disambiguation). ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Occident redirects here. ... Though most indigenous Africans possess relatively dark skin, they exhibit much variation in physical appearance. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Olive is a dulled, darker yellowish-green color typically seen on green olives. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... This article is about the religous people known as Christians. ... For other uses, see Miracle (disambiguation). ...

Theories about the race of the historical Jesus

Jesus in the Book of Revelation

Contemporary textual evidence on Jesus' life is scarce, and specific descriptions of his appearance even more so. There are no direct references to his appearance during his physical lifetime, though Revelation 1:13–16 describes his features as he appears in his heavenly form, as seen in a vision by John the Divine. These have sometimes been used in modern arguments concerning Jesus' race, This article is about the veracity of Jesus existence. ... Visions of John of Patmos, as depicted in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. ... Categories: Saints | Ancient Roman Christianity | Christianity-related stubs ...

1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

1:14 His head and [His] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes [were] as a flame of fire;

1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters.

1:16 And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and His countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength. (KJV translation)

The whole of the book of Revelation is generally taken as highly symbolic, and this passage is no exception, especially since the remainder of the description clearly cannot be interpreted as being a natural description. Nonetheless commentators use this passage to argue that Jesus was black, based on the description of his hair as being "like wool," possibly a reference to hair that is tightly coiled, as many people of African descent have. However, the full phrase is "white like wool", so most^[Who?] interpret this as referring only to the color of Jesus' hair, not the texture,.^{[citation needed]} since it is also compared to snow.^{[citation needed]} The "feet of fine brass" line has also been used to argue for a black or Middle Eastern race, but many often leave out burnished and glowing. Additionally, the references to having a white "head" and a countenance that is "as the sun shineth" has been used to argue for Jesus being racially white.^{[citation needed]} This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ...

However, all of these descriptions are full of vague poetic imagery, seeming more like attempts to glorify the heavenly body of Jesus than to accurately describe his appearance when on earth. There is also debate whether John the Divine, the author of Revelation, was actually John the Apostle, who knew the earthly Jesus, or even if he was John the Evangelist (see authorship of the Johannine works). The relatively late date ascribed to Revelation by modern scholarship lead many^[Who?] scholars to argue that it seems unlikely that someone who had personally seen Jesus in life wrote the description. John the Apostle (Greek Ιωάννης, see names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. ... St John the Evangelist, imagined by Jacopo Pontormo, ca 1525 (Santa Felicita, Florence) John the Evangelist (d. ... El Grecos rendition of John the Apostle shows the traditional author of the Johannine works as a young man. ...

There are also many other later descriptions of Jesus from saints and others who claim they have seen him in a vision.^{[citation needed]}

Early theological debates

Most early theological debate about Jesus' appearance arose from interpretations of Messianic prophecies and on the assumption that his physical form was the result of a miraculous virgin birth and so was determined rather more by divine will than ordinary biology. However, there were complex Christological debates about mechanisms of the divine incarnation into human flesh and about how Jesus may have inherited his mother's characteristics^{[citation needed]} and the lineage of King David (since prophecies stated that the Messiah should be David's descendent). This debate originated a dispute about the nature of Jesus' physical connection to the Jewish people, an issue that was later expressed in more racialized form.^{[citation needed]} To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Christology is a field of study... This page is about the Biblical king David. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian ; Aramaic: , ; Arabic: , ; the Anointed One) at first meant any person who was anointed with oil on rising to a certain position among the ancient Israelites, at first that of High priest, later that of King and also that of a prophet. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination...

Following Isaiah 53:2, most early theologians, such as Justin Martyr, insisted that Jesus was physically unprepossessing, with "no beauty that we should desire him." The anti-Christian author Celsus states that he was "short and ugly," an assertion that his Christian opponent Origen does not dispute. Whether these early debates reflect a purely scriptural view or a continuing oral tradition about his actual physique and physiognomy is not known. Isaiah the Prophet in Hebrew Scriptures was depicted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo. ... Justin Martyr (also Justin the Martyr, Justin of Caesarea, Justin the Philosopher) (100–165) was an early Christian apologist and saint. ... Celsus (Greek: ) was a 2nd century Greek philosopher and opponent of Christianity. ... Origen Origen (Greek: Ōrigénēs, 185–ca. ...

In later centuries this early view was reversed.^{[citation needed]} The Church Fathers Saint Jerome and Saint Augustine of Hippo argued that Jesus must have been ideally beautiful in face and body. For Augustine he was "beautiful as a child, beautiful on earth, beautiful in heaven." Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers... Saint-Jérôme, Quebec is a town in Quebec, near Mirabel, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Montreal along Autoroute des Laurentides. ... St. ...

Descriptions of Jesus' ancestors

1 Samuel 16:12 "And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he." - Holy Bible; English Standard Version.

1 Samuel 17:41-43 "And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods." - Holy Bible; English Standard Version.

Song of Solomon 5:10-11 "My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand.
His head is the finest gold; his locks are wavy, black as a raven." - Holy Bible; English Standard Version.

The word given as "ruddy" in the above version of the verses from 1 Samuel is translated as "red-haired" in the Bible in Basic English,^[1] but as "healthy complexion" in the God's Word translation.^[2] Other translations do not specify whether the word describes David's hair or skin, or is a general description of his appearance.^[3][4] Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews have traditions claiming King David was a red-head.^{[citation needed]} The Bible In Basic English (also known as BBE) is a translation of the Bible into Basic English. ... GODS WORD is an English translation of the Bible translated by the Gods Word to the Nations. ... In the strictest sense, a Sephardi (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Səfardim, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardîm) is a Jew original to the... Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים Standard Hebrew, AÅ¡kanazi,AÅ¡kanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾAÅ¡kănāzî, ʾAÅ¡kănāzîm, pronounced sing. ... This page is about the Biblical king David. ...

Supposed descriptions of Jesus

By the Early Middle Ages the positive view of Jesus' looks was bolstered by a number of descriptions of him purporting to date from his lifetime. Nicephorus quotes a description of him as tall and beautiful with fair wavy hair and dark eyebrows that met in the middle. He had an olive-tinted complexion, "the color of wheat." One Publius Lentulus is supposed to have described him as perfectly beautiful in features, with "hazel-coloured" hair that flowed to his shoulders, and a forked beard. His eyes continually "change their color." Epiphanius Monachus provides a similar description, in which Jesus is six feet tall, golden haired, with black eyebrows, light brown eyes and swarthy skin "like David's."^[5] Justinians wife Theodora and her retinue, in a 6th century mosaic from the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. ... Nicephorus I, Byzantine emperor 802-811 AD. Nicephorus II Phocas, Byzantine emperor 963-969 AD. Nicephorus III Botaniates, Byzantine emperor 1078-1081 AD. Saint Nicephorus Byzantine writer and patriarch, 758-829 AD, author of a famous Stichometry. ...

Almost all modern authors dismiss these descriptions as medieval fabrications. They were, however, copied in many Western artistic portrayals.

Emergence of racial theories

While the early descriptions of hair, skin and eye color clearly have implications for defining Jesus' "race," they are not explicit in their desire to ascribe a racial identity to him in the modern sense. By the 19th century, however, theological arguments were increasingly replaced by more secular biological ones, as attempts were made to envisage Jesus in the context of the people and culture of the Middle East. While some writers stressed his Jewishness, the growth of anti-Semitic racial theory led others, such as Emile Burnouf and Houston Stewart Chamberlain, to argue that he was racially an "Aryan." This led to portrayals of Jesus as a blond Nordic individual, a concept that was taken up by the Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg and by Hitler. Hitler argued that Jesus was of Celtic ancestry, on the grounds that "Galilee was a colony where the Romans had probably installed Gallic legionaries, and it's certain that Jesus was not a Jew."^[6] Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Emile Burnouf (dates??) was a leading nineteenth-century Orientalist and racialist whose ideas influenced the development of theosophy and Aryanism. ... Houston Stewart Chamberlain Houston Stewart Chamberlain (September 9, 1855 - January 9, 1927) was a British author noted for his works concerning the Aryan race. ... Aryan (/eÉ™rjÉ™n/ or /ɑːrjÉ™n/, Sanskrit: ) is a Sanskrit and Avestan word meaning noble/spiritual one. ... A Nazi illustration of the perceived Nordic master race. ... Alfred Rosenberg around 1935   (January 12, 1893 Reval (today Tallinn) – October 16, 1946) was an early and intellectually influential member of the Nazi party, who later held several important posts in the Nazi government. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... This article is about the European people. ...

A hypothetical reconstruction of someone from the same time and place of Jesus, created by forensic artist Richard Neave.

In more recent times the fact that the Middle East was a meeting point of cultures and races has led to suggestions that Jesus may have been African or Arabian. The ancient Near East was a cultural crossroad, and the only land route out of Africa, where that continent physically joins the Eurasian landmass. The Roman province of Judea, where Jesus lived, had many different waves of immigrants pass through at various points in and before recorded history, with the last major group being the Arab conquest in the 7th century. As such, it is not inconceivable that Jesus could have had traces of Arab, Aramean, Berber, Roman, Greek, Black African, Persian or Indian ancestry. The aggressive policy of territorial expansion and forced conversion to Judaism practiced by John Hyrcanus a century before Jesus' birth may also have affected the ethnic make-up of the local Jewish populations. This is Fair Use image-- See Popular Mechanics link-- cited BBC Sexual Image Library This work is copyrighted. ... This is Fair Use image-- See Popular Mechanics link-- cited BBC Sexual Image Library This work is copyrighted. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula is a mainly desert peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia and an important part of the greater Middle East. ... Inhabitants of the Near East, late nineteenth century. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... For other uses, see Eurasia (disambiguation). ... Map of the Roman Empire, with the provinces, after 120. ... Iudaea Province in the 1st century Iudaea (Hebrew: יהודה, Standard Yehuda Tiberian , praise God; Greek: Ιουδαία; Latin: Iudaea) was a Roman province that extended over the region of Judea proper, later Palestine. ... The 7th century is the period from 601 - 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Aramaeans, or Arameans, were a Semitic, seminomadic and pastoralist people who originated and had lived in upper Mesopotamia and Syria. ... Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... This article is about the color black; for other uses, see Black (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Persian people, an ethnic group found mainly in Iran. ... John Hyrcanus (Yohanan Girhan) (reigned 134 BC - 104 BC, died 104 BC) was a Hasmonean (Maccabeean) leader of the 2nd century BC. Apparently the name Hyrcanus was taken by him as a reignal name upon his accession to power. ...

It is most commonly argued that Jesus was probably of Middle Eastern descent because of the geographic location of the events described in the Gospels, and, among some modern Christian scholars, the genealogy ascribed to him. For this reason, he has been portrayed as an olive-skinned individual typical of the Levant region. A team of forensic scientists recently attempted to recreate what Jesus may have looked like based on human remains from the area where and time period when Jesus is believed to have existed. However, this image does not reveal any specific details about what Jesus looked like; it is intended only to give a view of the typical person living in Jesus' time and place.^[7] In the December 2002 edition of Popular Mechanics, Jesus was shown as looking like a typical Galilean Semite. Among the points made was that the Bible records that Jesus' disciple, Judas had to point him out to those arresting him. The implied argument being that if Jesus' physical appearance differed that markedly from his disciples, then he would have been relatively easy to identify.[1] Gospel, from the Old English good tidings is a calque of Greek () used in the New Testament (see Etymology below). ... Lukes genealogy of Jesus, from the Book of Kells transcribed by Celtic monks circa 800 The genealogy of Jesus through either one or both of his earthly parents (Mary and Joseph) is given by two passages from the Gospels, Matthew 1:2–16 and Luke 3:23–38. ... The Levant The Levant (IPA: ) is an imprecise geographical term historically referring to a large area in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east. ...

More recently the claim that Jesus was black has gained some currency, chiefly among American black religious movements, either as a serious historical hypothesis or as a symbolic statement of black pride. Groups such as Black Hebrew Israelites claim that black people are descended from Israelites and that therefore Jesus was black.^[8] In 2004 Jesus was voted "greatest black icon of all time" by the British journal New Nation. The journal commented jokingly that he must have been black because "he called everybody 'brother', liked Gospel, and couldn't get a fair trial".^[9] This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Black pride is a slogan used interchangeably to depict both the movement of and concept within politically active black communities, especially African Americans in the United States and secluding White communities. ... Black Hebrew Israelites (also Black Hebrews, African Hebrew Israelites, and Hebrew Israelites) are groups of people of African ancestry situated mostly in the United States who claim to be descendants of the ancient Israelites. ... New Nation is a weekly newspaper published in the UK for the black minority. ...

Artistic portrayals

Not all depictions of Jesus are intended to literally represent how he is thought to have looked; many such representations are largely symbolic, spiritual, and personal, and the race chosen may be intended only to reflect, or more recently to contradict, local expectations. Additionally, whether intended to be realistic or not, images of Jesus throughout history have almost always characterized him as being of the race of the artist or target audience, further complicating the task of determining Jesus' race and sometimes leading to racial tensions. Categories of racial difference have also changed over time. While the German artist Albrecht Dürer often depicted Jesus as blond and the Spanish artist Velazquez depicted him as Mediterranean, there is no evidence that either of them would have interpreted these differences in terms of separate racial identities as they might be in modern America, in which "WASP" and Hispanic peoples are sometimes characterized as racially distinct. There are no undisputed historical images of Jesus; he sat for no portraits which are preserved and of unquestioned authenticity and undoubted provenance. ... Albrecht Dürer (pronounced /al. ... Las Meninas, painted in 1656. ... White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, commonly abbreviated to the acronym WASP, is a term which originated in the United States. ... Hispanic (Spanish: ; Portuguese: ; Latin: , adjective from Hispānia, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania and its peoples. ...

Middle Eastern

The oldest icon of Christ Pantocrator, encaustic on panel, ca 6th century (Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai).

Middle Eastern Jesus, by William Holman Hunt.

Many images portraying Jesus and Mary traditionally used by the Syriac church display bronzed individuals with large brown eyes, characteristic of Middle Eastern peoples. In 19th century Europe a number of artists sought to produce realistic images of Jesus based on the assumption that he was of Middle Eastern appearance. The most assiduous of these was William Holman Hunt, who traveled several times to the Holy Land in order to portray Jesus using local people as models for his works The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple and The Shadow of Death, though he retained many conventions derived from medieval descriptions. Other painters such as James Tissot and Vassili Vereshchagin used what they believed to be more specifically Judaic features, causing some controversy. By the late 19th century several artists sought such ethnographic accuracy. The African American painter Henry Ossawa Tanner painted many episodes from the life of Jesus based on his studies of the population of Palestine. More recent artistic and cinematic portrayals have also made an effort to characterize Jesus as Middle Eastern. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Pantokrator (disambiguation). ... A 6th-century encaustic icon from Saint Catherines Monastery, Mount Sinai. ... St. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Syriac Christianity is a culturally and linguistically distinctive community within Eastern Christianity. ... The Middle East redirects here. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... William Holman Hunt - Self-Portrait. ... For other uses, see Holy Land (disambiguation). ... The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple (1854-1860) is a painting by William Holman Hunt intended as an ethnographically accurate version of the subject traditionally known as Christ Among the Doctors, an illustration of the child Jesus debating the interpretation of the scripture with learned rabbis. ... Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death is the second of two expansion packs for the turn-based strategy game Heroes of Might and Magic III. It was developed by New World Computing for Microsoft Windows and released by the 3DO Company in 2000. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... James Joseph Jacques Tissot (October 15, 1836 – August 8, 1902) was a French painter. ... Vasily Vereshchagin Vasili Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (Russian: 1842 - 1904) was the most famous Russian battle painter and the first Russian artist to be widely recognized abroad. ... For a discussion of Jews as an ethnicity or ethnic group see the article on Jew. ... Ethnography (from the Greek ethnos = nation and graphe = writing) refers to the qualitative description of human social phenomena, based on months or years of fieldwork. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry Tanner Henry Ossawa Tanner (June 21, 1859–May 25, 1937) was one of the first important African American painters. ... A 2003 satellite image of the region. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

European

A European Jesus from 11th-century Athens.

In the majority of Western art, narrative and cinema depicting Jesus, he is portrayed with brown hair and brown eyes, having a short beard and white skin. However, some artists, including notably Dürer, have also depicted him as blond and/or blue-eyed. This is also the case in several films, including Jesus of Nazareth (1977) in which he has dark brown hair but pale blue eyes. Nonetheless, because Western or European ethnicities are composed of many subgroups (whether biological or perceived), such as Mediterrean, Slavic, Northern European (Nordic), the issue is more complex than monolithic. In addition, it is possible many European portrayals of Jesus may be based on the appearance of European (Ashkenazi) Jews, who often have "white" skin tones or facial features, and sometimes blond hair and blue eyes. There is wide variation in appearance within the modern Jewish population upon whose appearance artists may base their depictions. The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... This article is about the capital of Greece. ... Self-Portrait, 1493, Oil on Canvas Albrecht Dürer (May 21, 1471 - April 6, 1528) was a German painter, wood carver, engraver, and mathematician. ... Picture of Robert Powell playing Jesus of Nazareth. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Languages French Occitan Greek Italian Portuguese Spanish Catalan Religions Predominantly Roman Catholic Protestant Orthodox The Mediterranean race was one of the three sub-categories into which the people of Europe were divided by anthropologists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, following the publication of William Z. Ripleys... Distribution of Slavic people by language The Slavic peoples are a linguistic and ethnic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Europe, where they constitute roughly a third of the population. ... A Nazi illustration of the perceived Nordic master race. ... Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים Standard Hebrew, AÅ¡kanazi,AÅ¡kanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾAÅ¡kănāzî, ʾAÅ¡kănāzîm, pronounced sing. ...

Image of Jesus as an icon of Nordic "racial purity" from the Nazi newspaper Der Stürmer; he is glaring at unacceptably "racially alien" Jewish converts to Christianity.

Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Fra Angelico and Michelangelo all depicted Jesus as white. Nonetheless, it must be noted that most figures of the Bible, including the Israelites and Egyptians described in the Hebrew Scriptures (or Old Testament), were also portrayed as identical in appearance to European whites. In this sense the portrayal may be largely unselfconscious, as might also be the case even in periods with more prominent awareness of race, such as the 20th and 21st centuries. Image File history File links Sturmer_Nordic_Jesus. ... Image File history File links Sturmer_Nordic_Jesus. ... 1943 Stürmer issue: Satan Der Stürmer (literally, The Stormer) was a weekly Nazi newspaper published by Julius Streicher from 1923 to the end of World War II in 1945, with brief suspensions in circulation due to legal difficulties. ... “Da Vinci” redirects here. ... Fra Angelico, (c. ... For other uses, see Michelangelo (disambiguation). ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum Hebrew Bible refers to the common portions of the Jewish and Christian canons. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Note: Judaism... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... 20XX redirects here. ...

Because of the commonness of this depiction, it is often confused with historical fact. It has dispersed so widely that many cultures have at least to some extent assimilated the image of a white Jesus. Western Christians spread images of a European Jesus through their encounters with peoples of Africa, the Americas, Australia and parts of Asia (often through colonization), from the 16th to the 20th century. Many nonwhite regions and ethnicities have depicted Jesus in this way, sometimes routinely, though sometimes with partial adaptations to the local setting, including dress. Moreover, in addition to images, the fact that Christianity was predominantly introduced to them by white individuals makes the racial connection even more complex. Nonetheless, portrayal of Jesus with local features is also common, especially in areas where Christianity has been prominent for a longer period of history. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Colonialism. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

Additionally, in some cultures nonwhite depictions of Jesus are actually criticized or dismissed outright, with a few considering it blasphemous to portray of Jesus as being of another ethnicity. Ever since the Nazi claim that Jesus was Nordic, Christian white supremacists have commonly equated Christian identity with white racial separatism, sometimes using exegesis of Biblical passages to argue their position.^[10] // For the general identity of an individual with certain core essential religious doctrines, see Christianity. ...

African

An 18th century Ethiopian image of Jesus

The widespread portrayal of a "Black Jesus" is still relatively recent in Christian imagery, though some scattered portrayals of Jesus with this racial identity have existed for several centuries, such as in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. Image File history File links Iyesus_(Ethiopia). ... Image File history File links Iyesus_(Ethiopia). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... This Ethiopian icon shows St. ...

In recent times African-American artists have depicted Jesus as black. Examples include Vincent Barzoni's image of Jesus in the tradition of the "Man of Sorrows". Some confusion over Jesus' race has also resulted from various images and statues, more often of Jesus' mother Mary than of Jesus himself, which are darkly colored, and are referred to using the term Black Madonna. Among the passages in the Hebrew Bible that have been identified by Christians as prefigurations of the Messiah, the Man of Sorrows of Isaiah 53 is paramount. ... The Black Madonna of Częstochowa, Poland A Black Madonna or Black Virgin is a statue or painting of Mary in which she is depicted with dark or black skin. ...

Another example can be found in the Philippines, where, in the district of Quiapo in the nation's capital, Manila, an image of Jesus carrying the cross is revered by thousands of devotees. The Black Nazarene was burnt in the ship carrying it to the Philippines, hence the dark colour of the image. Quiapo is a well known district of old Manila and a place which offers cheap prices on items ranging from electronics to native handicrafts. ... For other meanings of the word, see Manila (disambiguation). ... Devotion in Christianity can mean time spent alone or in a small group of people reading and studying the Bible in a way as it relates to ones spiritual health and well being. ... January 9 is the feast of Black Nazarene The Black Nazarene is a life-sized, dark-skinned statue of Jesus Christ that a priest bought in Mexico, and carved by an Aztec carpenter. ...

Other races

A Chinese painting of Jesus and his disciples, illustrating the story of the rich man (Mark 10)

Throughout Latin America many Saints have been depicted as being mestizo, adapting from Spanish traditions. The Mexican muralists of the early 20th century depicted Jesus in a variety of dramatic ways, as a revolutionary figure often with local features. Image File history File links ChineseJesus. ... Image File history File links ChineseJesus. ... Mark 10 is the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... For other uses, see Saint (disambiguation). ... Language(s) Predominantly Spanish, (with a minority of other languages), while Mestiços speaks Portuguese Religion(s) Christianity (Predominantly Roman Catholic, with a minority of Protestant and other Religions) Related ethnic groups European (mostly Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian), Amerindian people, Austronesian people, Hispanics and Latinos Mestizo (Portuguese: Mestiço...

In India, where the St. Thomas Christians have been established for nearly two thousand years, there is a long-standing tradition of depicting the Holy Family with local features and costume. During the colonial period many European prints or icons were later copied and adapted to be given more Indian features. St. ...

Worshippers in Japan, where Francis Xavier preached, often depict him with Asian features, as do Chinese artists. Saint Francis Xavier (Basque: San Frantzisko Xabierkoa; Spanish: San Francisco Javier; Portuguese: São Francisco Xavier; Chinese: 聖方濟各沙勿略) (7 April 1506 - 2 December 1552) was a Spanish pioneering Roman Catholic Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order). ...

In popular culture

• On the cartoon show The Boondocks's "The garden party" episode, the main character Huey opens in an interruptive statement that "Jesus was black, Ronald Reagan was the devil," and that "the government was lying about 9/11". In another episode, entitled "A Huey Freeman Christmas", Huey is chosen to direct and organize a Christmas play for his school entitled "The Adventures of Black Jesus". The school Principal insists that Huey abandon the project, but is eventually forced to concede. Another character, self-hating black man Uncle Ruckus, occasionally calls out to "White Jesus", and in a later episode, forms a branch of Christianity devoted to achieving "holy whiteness".
• In "Petergeist", an episode of Family Guy, the character Stewie Griffin say that he has met Jesus "on the other side". Surprisingly, he is Chinese and his last name is Hong. Jesus tells Stewie that he doesn't know how or why people came up with "Christ". This may be an oblique reference to Hong Xiuquan, a 19th-century Chinese revolutionary who claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus (in Southeast Asian cultures, the surname is placed first).
  

  James Caviezel as Jesus in The Passion Of The Christ.
• In 1992 the African American actor and director Blair Underwood starred as Jesus in The Second Coming, in which Christ returns to earth in the form of a black man.
• In the 1995 movie Eyes Beyond Seeing a mental patient who claims to be Jesus is played by African American actor Keith Hamilton Cobb.^[11]
• The Kevin Smith film Dogma used the idea of Jesus as a black man for several jokes. Chris Rock's character, "Rufus", is a black "13th Apostle" who was alive at the time of Christ. He is working to change the Bible to include the fact that Jesus was black and put himself back into the Gospels.
• In the song "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" from the Broadway musical Avenue Q, the characters Princeton, Kate Monster, and Gary Coleman briefly argue about the race of Jesus.
• The 1996 TV movie America's Dream includes a segment "The Boy Who Painted Christ Black", based on John Henrik Clarke's story, about a principal (Wesley Snipes) in 1940s Georgia torn between supporting the student who painted a black Jesus for entry into an art contest or appeasing the white state school supervisor (Timothy Carhart) who is offended by such a portrayal.[2],[3]
• In the 2004 movie, The Passion Of The Christ, Jesus was portrayed by James Caviezel who wore a prosthetic nose during filming and had his blue eyes digitally changed to brown to give him a Middle Eastern appearance.^[12][13]

This article is about an animated television series. ... Reagan redirects here. ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... “Petergeist” is an episode from season four of FOX animated television series Family Guy. ... Family Guy is an Emmy Award-winning American animated television series about a dysfunctional family in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. ... Stewart Gilligan Stewie Griffin is a fictional character in the animated television series Family Guy. ... A statue of Hong Xiuquan Hóng Xiùquán (洪秀全, Wade-Giles: Hung Hsiu-chüan, born Hong Renkun 洪仁坤, Courtesy name Huoxiu 火秀; January 10, 1812-June 1, 1864) was a Hakka Chinese Christian who led the Taiping Rebellion and established the Heavenly Kingdom of Taiping, in which he was known... The Passion of the Christ, movie poster, fair use This work is copyrighted. ... The Passion of the Christ, movie poster, fair use This work is copyrighted. ... James Patrick Caviezel, Jr. ... This article is about the film. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Blair Underwood (born August 25, 1964, in Tacoma, Washington) is an American television and film actor. ... The year 1995 in film involved some significant events. ... Eyes Beyond Seeing (1995) is a film starring Keith Hamilton Cobb (Andromeda, Noahs Arc, The Young and the Restless) as an enigmatic mental patient who claims to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. ... Keith Hamilton Cobb (born 28 January 1962) is an American actor, best known for his roles as the ruthless Tyr Anasazi in the science-fiction series Andromeda from 2000 to 2002 and Noah Keefer on All My Children from 1994 to 1996. ... This article is about the American screenwriter and film director. ... Dogma is a 1999 comedy film, written and directed by Kevin Smith, who stars in the film along with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo, and Alanis Morissette. ... Christopher Julius Rock III[5] (born February 7, 1965)[6][7] is an Emmy Award winning American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. ... Avenue Q is a Tony award-winning musical that was conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... John Henrik Clarke (January 1, 1915 - July 16, 1998), born John Henry Clark in Union Springs, Alabama to John (a sharecropper) and Willie Ella (Mays) Clarke (a washer woman), was a Pan-Africanist, author, poet, historian, journalist, lecturer and teacher. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the film. ... James Patrick Caviezel, Jr. ... A United States soldier demonstrates Foosball with two prosthetic limbs In medicine, a prosthesis is an artificial extension that replaces a missing part of the body. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

References

Frederic William Farrar OKW (1831 - 1903), often known as Dean Farrar, was a theological writer, born in Bombay, and educated at King Williams College in the Isle of Man, London University and University of Cambridge, was for some years a master at Harrow, and from 1871-76 Master (headmaster...

Bibliography

• From science and computers, a new face of Jesus. CNN article. Retrieved on November 24, 2005.
• So what colour was Jesus?. BBC article. Retrieved on November 24, 2005.
• What was the race of Jesus Christ, the Messiah?. Black Jesus. Retrieved on November 24, 2005.
• Mosley, William: What Color Was Jesus. Chicago, Illinois. African American Images Press, 1987 ISBN 0-913543-09-8

is the 328th day of the year (329th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 328th day of the year (329th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 328th day of the year (329th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Images of Jesus
• Religious attitudes to racism
• Controversy over racial characteristics of ancient Egyptians

There are no undisputed historical images of Jesus; he sat for no portraits which are preserved and of unquestioned authenticity and undoubted provenance. ... A controversial rendering of Tutankhamun exhibiting hazel eyes and a mid-range skin tone, as shown on the cover of National Geographic in 2005. ...

External links

• Commentators of Jesus' race
• Religion Online discussion
• From Nova Online: George W. Gill argues here for the biological concept of "race" and, in a matching article, C. Loring Brace argues against the existence of "race" as a biological entity.
• From California Newsreel: Race: The Power of an Illusion, an in-depth website (companion to a California Newsreel film), presenting the argument that while race is a biological fiction, racism permeates the structure of society.
• So what colour was Jesus?
• Jesus' Black ancestors