How Jesus looked like?

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My friend aksed me, how do we know that Jesus had a long brown hair, blue eyes, beard, simply- how do we know that he looked like that? From where?

thanks:)
Tarhiel
 
Tarhiel said:
My friend aksed me, how do we know that Jesus had a long brown hair, blue eyes, beard, simply- how do we know that he looked like that? From where?

thanks:)
Tarhiel
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The only description in the bible of Jesus Christ found in the bible is in Revelations 1:12-16
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Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands
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and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest.
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The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame.
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His feet were like polished brass refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing water.
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In his right hand he held seven stars.  A sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest.
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This is how Jesus Christ decided to show St. John, His most beloved, to whom He commanded to take care of His Mother, the one He loves the most, Himself.

Keep that in mind.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
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Filial Fear
 
Tarhiel said:
My friend aksed me, how do we know that Jesus had a long brown hair, blue eyes, beard, simply- how do we know that he looked like that? From where?

thanks:)
Tarhiel
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Representations of Jesus before the 6th Century tended not to be “portraits” but figurative representations. “Jesus the Good Shepherd” was the number one way of representing him. Nobody even tried to figure out what he looked like.

Then, in Odessa (Mesopotamia) a relic was discovered – a cloth purporting to bear the image of Jesus’ face “not made by human hands.” It is referred to as the “mandylion,” and also sometimes called Veronica’s veil. It is possible that it might also have been the shroud of Turin. This image was the first to show long hair, short strands of hair on the forehead, and a particular mark at the bridge of the nose. Two very early 6th Century icons: one called “Veronica’s Veil” and the other called “The Mandylion” (both painted on board – they do not claim to be the actual cloth) bear these characteristics and are so alike that it is said only a trained art historian could tell them apart.

Another magnificent 6th century icon of Christ Pantocrator in the collection of St. Catherine’s monastery on Mount Sinai claims to be the first modeled on the mandylion. Though far more refined than the icons mentioned above, it also shows these same characteristics.

These icons do not show blue eyes, and the color of the hair is very dark: black, if you ask me. Even if these early icons are portrait depictions of the mandylion, eye and hair color come under the heading of “best guess.” Blue eyes would be unlikely, although not altogether impossible.
 
This question is almost rhetorical.

We’re told somewhere in the gospels that Jesus wasn’t very impressive to look at.

I wonder if I would have been blessed enough to recognize Jesus, if I saw Him when He walked on earth.

I fear that I am too dumb to put much faith in myself on this point. I think I might have taken notice of Jesus if I witnessed one of the signs that He performed, or at least I hope so.

Many people had that opportunity to see Him and hear Him, but they turned away and were not impressed, except negatively. How blessed I am not to have been one of those.

We’re supposed to “see” Jesus in everyone around us, even those we might despise – perhaps especially in those we might have a tendency to despise.

Would we have the courage to go to the Middle East and preach the gospel to the Muslims, for example? There were some Franciscan martyrs on the Church calendar a couple days ago, who tried to do just that. They went into a mosque to preach the gospel, and were tortured and eventually killed for their action.

In the Book of Job, he is supposed to have said, Lord, even if You run me through with a sword, yet will I praise You.

In Garry Wills new book “What Jesus Meant” he mentions the tendency of organized Christian religions to sanitize the gospels. We get idealized images of Jesus, rather than the raw (my word) image that is presented in the gospel.

So often, I find myself thinking about Jack Nickelson’s U.S. Marine major character talking to Tom Cruise’s Navy lawyer character shouting “You can’t handle the truth!”

Can we handle the truth of how we meet Jesus today?
 
I would guess that no matter what his physical appearance would be, his light would be so bright and his love so amazing that my eyes would be dazzled with him and his mere presence would make me forget about everything else.

I have an Icon of him that makes me feel him inside of me when I look at it.

I matters not what he will look like when and if I ever am blessed to see him, but I will simply be in such awe that words could never describe.

May we all see him together one day!

This is my prayer.
 
Crumpy said:
This question is almost rhetorical.

We’re supposed to “see” Jesus in everyone around us, even those we might despise – perhaps especially in those we might have a tendency to despise.
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I’m in complete agreement!

I recall reading something ages ago that suggested that Jesus was unlikely to have had facial hair as it was considered to be way out of fashion at the time (as with long hair) due to the locals following the dominant culture of the times (Roman) just as we all drink Coke, eat burgers and wear jeans today regardless of the country we’re in. Certainly food for thought!

As for seeing Jesus in those around us, I’ll go for my surface societal prejudices and ask myself, since I’m white, would I look at Christ differently if he was black? Since I’m tall, would I look at Christ differently if he was short? Since I’m boysterous would I hear Christ if he was quiet?

Anyway, my favourite representation of Christ is a sculpture of his hands, open with strength and love.
 
Tarhiel said:
My friend aksed me, how do we know that Jesus had a long brown hair, blue eyes, beard, simply- how do we know that he looked like that? From where?

thanks:)
Tarhiel
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Blue eyes?

We have no reason to believe that Jesus had anything other than typical Levantine features and followed the conventions of the time with regards to dress and hair style.

Nowadays He would probably get pulled aside when trying to get on a US airliner.
 
Tarhiel,

Hello and welcome to the Catholic Answers Forums. I hope you have a blessed and fruitful time here.

Simply put, we do not in fact know that Jesus had long brown hair, blue eyes, and a beard. The long brown hair and beard are fairly likely, given the sort of people who lived in the Middle East at that time, but the blue eyes are very unlikely.
  • Liberian
 
Crumpy said:
This question is almost rhetorical.

We’re told somewhere in the gospels that Jesus wasn’t very impressive to look at.
?
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We are told in Isaiah that he had no stately form, no majesty that we should be drawn to him, as was quoted recently in the last week on a similar thread on this same topic.

much more to the point is the rest of your excellent post, how do we recognized Jesus in those he commanded us to serve (the judgement of the nations, Mathew’s gospel.
 
Grant Jeffrey takes on that approach at

hhttp://www.grantjeffrey.com/article/shroud.htm
 
Was He blonde? Nah. How many blondes do you see wandering around in the desert? Blue eyed? Probably not. Did he have long hair and a beard? Most likely. Since Jewish men at that time wore their hair long and since the beard was a sign of manhood going short haired and shaven would’ve made Him look weird or at least like a Roman symphathizer.
 
Thanks to you everybody (and thanks for welcome in the forums), that informations you gave me should do enough.

I always imagined Him with brown beard and hair and brown eyes also. To me it is quite important question (even that i didn´t ask it on forum becase of me, but for friend of mine who don´t know English very much) because everything in my life is connected with language (with words, we even thing in language) and with memory (pictures). When I´m trying to remember something I usually first get the picture of peoples, their faces, etc… So it is also important to me, when I´m talking with God that i can see him (or, at least, His Son :)), and i can somehow (maybe not perfectly) know how he look like.

It is really good that God canceled (or took it to it´s perfectness) Moses law and we can depict Jesus, so we can see him:))

Again, thanks
Gby+
 
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