Was Christ beautiful?

[NoPlaceLikeRome]

In a wonderful essay on Christ as hero of every man’s soul, Gerard Manley Hopkins says that He was the most perfectly beautiful man who ever lived, quoting the Song of Songs: “As the apple tree to the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the sons of men”.

St. Therese, by contrast, if I remember aright refers in Story of a Soul to a passage in Isaiah which depicts the Messiah as ugly, and says that for this reason she chose the title “of the Holy Face”.

So, which do you think: during His earthly life was He very beautiful, or (until the Transfiguration and Resurrection) very homely, or neither? Scripture seems to support the latter to some degree, with the apostles not recognizing Him after the Resurrection, although this could be for other reasons…

 

[runandsew]

Isaiah 53:2
He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him.

Everyone is made in the image of God, and therefore is beautiful, since God is total beauty.

It is upon the one viewing that person who recognizes this beauty or does not recognize it.

Some would say Jesus was beautiful, others might have said he was not.

How do you think that his disciples viewed him as compared to the Pharisees?

 

[baltobetsy]

I think He had to be beautiful (handsome). It was part of His attraction. I think the passages in Isaiah refer to Him during the Passion, disfigured from the beatings and crowning with thorns.

Betsy

 

[mariam1976]

I love him so HE is beautiful to me…

 

[runandsew]

I think He had to be beautiful (handsome). It was part of His attraction. I think the passages in Isaiah refer to Him during the Passion, disfigured from the beatings and crowning with thorns.

Betsy

good point, I had never thought of it that way.

 

[LilyM]

I think He had to be beautiful (handsome). It was part of His attraction. I think the passages in Isaiah refer to Him during the Passion, disfigured from the beatings and crowning with thorns.

Betsy

Rubbish. Was Gandhi beautiful? Abraham Lincoln? Napoleon? Moses? Abraham? The Pope? The Archbishop of Canterbury? The Dalai Lama? Mother Teresa of Calcutta? How about St Peter, St Paul, or for that matter Martin Luther or John Calvin? Winston Churchill? :bigyikes:

Teachers come in all shapes and sizes and levels of beauty. So do leaders, spiritual or secular. Physical beauty isn’t usually what attracts people to a leader or teacher.

 

[Caesar]

Rubbish. Was Gandhi beautiful? Abraham Lincoln? Napoleon? Moses? Abraham? The Pope? The Archbishop of Canterbury? The Dalai Lama? Mother Teresa of Calcutta? How about St Peter, St Paul, or for that matter Martin Luther or John Calvin? Winston Churchill? :bigyikes:

Teachers come in all shapes and sizes and levels of beauty. So do leaders, spiritual or secular. Physical beauty isn’t usually what attracts people to a leader or teacher.

Abraham Licoln and Gahndi probably were considered handsome for their times.

Dont know what Moses or Abraham looked like.

Are you suggesting the Pope is ugly?

The Archbishop-pretender of Canterbury is a heretic so I dont care what he lookes like. Same goes for Luther and Calvin.

Mother Teresa was old and worn-out from her years of work.

Dont know about St. Peter and Paul.

Winston Churchill fitted the part of a fat pompous aristocrat very well.

 

[Missa_Solemnis]

Abraham Licoln and Gahndi probably were considered handsome for their times.

Dont know what Moses or Abraham looked like.

Are you suggesting the Pope is ugly?

The Archbishop-pretender of Canterbury is a heretic so I dont care what he lookes like. Same goes for Luther and Calvin.

Mother Teresa was old and worn-out from her years of work.

Dont know about St. Peter and Paul.

Winston Churchill fitted the part of a fat pompous aristocrat very well.

Your posts often times make me smile Caesar.

Anyway,

Yes I think Christ was physically attractive not because its some sort of important doctrine of Christianity, but because Church tradition teaches that the Virgin Mary was extremely beautiful, and that many men tried to marry her when she was young, but God chose Joseph (much of this is Church tradition with a small ‘t’) and so we can logically perdict that Jesus who was 100% Mary’s human nature…inherited some good looks as well as her beautiful eyes dreamy sigh

-Missa Solemnis

 

[porthos11]

I would think that the Lord was (is) a darn fine-looking guy. After all, he is God, who is beauty himself, so it would be reasonable to suppose that he was handsome in his human nature. That is, until his Passion, when he was mauled beyond recognition.

 

[LilyM]

Abraham Licoln and Gahndi probably were considered handsome for their times.

Dont know what Moses or Abraham looked like.

Are you suggesting the Pope is ugly?

The Archbishop-pretender of Canterbury is a heretic so I dont care what he lookes like. Same goes for Luther and Calvin.

Mother Teresa was old and worn-out from her years of work.

Dont know about St. Peter and Paul.

Winston Churchill fitted the part of a fat pompous aristocrat very well.

As much as I sincerely admire Abraham Lincoln, I don’t think there would be any time or society in which he would be considered handsome by any stretch of the imagination.

And no, I wasn’t suggesting that any of the others were ugly at all - especially not Our Lord, or indeed dear Papa J.Ratz

Simply making the point that looks are a matter of supreme unimportance for a spiritual or secular leader. Which the Archbishop of Canterbury is, and Luther and Calvin were, whether or not you agree with what they taught.

 

[Victorious]

As much as I sincerely admire Abraham Lincoln, I don’t think there would be any time or society in which he would be considered handsome by any stretch of the imagination.

I seem to remember reading some contemporary comments that were quite disparaging of Lincoln’s looks. And I suppose that would be true, if you were only looking at the surface. As for Winston Churchill, he was actually quite handsome in his youth. His mother was a very beautiful woman (which makes you wonder what would make his father go out and catch syphilis).

I am betting that Jesus was beautiful, whatever He looked like on the surface. I think the most attractive men are those who are beautiful on the inside, regardless of what they look like on the outside. I find that the better I get to know a good man, the more attractive-looking he is to me, even if he didn’t seem so at first; whereas a man who’s a pig is not at all attractive, even if he’s handsome on the outside. Real beauty comes from within.

 

[Zooey]

I think He had to be beautiful (handsome). It was part of His attraction. I think the passages in Isaiah refer to Him during the Passion, disfigured from the beatings and crowning with thorns.

Betsy

:crying:

I love him so HE is beautiful to me…

:clapping:

I would think that the Lord was (is) a darn fine-looking guy. After all, he is God, who is beauty himself, so it would be reasonable to suppose that he was handsome in his human nature. That is, until his Passion, when he was mauled beyond recognition.

:crying:

As much as I sincerely admire Abraham Lincoln, I don’t think there would be any time or society in which he would be considered handsome by any stretch of the imagination.

[SIGN]:nope: Don’t get me started onhttp://bestsmileys.com/angry1/20.gif Lincoln!!![/SIGN]

 

[LilyM]

:
[SIGN]:nope: Don’t get me started onhttp://bestsmileys.com/angry1/20.gif Lincoln!!![/SIGN]

Lawdy, I do seem to keep pushing those Northern Confederate buttons of yours, don’t I Miz Zooey. Humble apologies, it truly isn’t intended to offend :tiphat:

 

[GoldenArrow]

I’m the only one who voted that His Human appearance prior to the Transfiguration and the Resurrection was that of a homely man.

I say that because the Bible says (I think in Isaiah) that the Messiah would be someone whose appearance was that of someone afflicted and despised.

I think that if Christ were beautiful, then they’d have never crucified Him. Just look at how society treats beautiful people—like Kings.

Wouldn’t someone Who’se Kingdom is not of this world have His appearance in this world veiled?

The pre-resurrected Christ was beautiful in His Soul, and in His Divinity. I believe it THIS is what was unveiled during the Transfiguration and the Resurrection.

The Resurrected Christ is the most handsome and beautiful God and Man that there ever was and ever will be.

God Bless!

 

[Zooey]

Lawdy, I do seem to keep pushing those Northern Confederate buttons of yours, don’t I Miz Zooey. Humble apologies, it truly isn’t intended to offend :tiphat:

On the other hand, both General Robert E Lee, & General Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson were:yup: :yup: exceptionally handsome men!! (Great men of God, as well!)

 

[GoldenArrow]

I often see street bums where I live and I just try to imagine Jesus Christ appearing (before the Transfiguration and Resurrection) just like one of the most homely and dirty of street bums.

In fact, I came across this bum once, who I gave money, that had a scarred, pockmarked face, but who had the most kind and beautiful BLUE eyes of any man I’ve ever seen. In fact, the beauty and purity in this man’s eyes made me gasp. I imagine Jesus Christ might have looked like him.

Strange — I gave this bum money and then I never saw him around town again. I’ve been looking all over for him ever since that day. He disappeared. Makes you wonder.

Anyway, I try to imagine Him looking like that bum. That man had the eyes of Christ, eyes that reflected a combination of suffering and love.

God Bless!

 

[Lion]

I have met people who were physically unattractive, but extremely beautiful and vice versa… Jesus? I am positive that when I finally meet him (and please pray for me on that count ), that I will find him most beautiful!! How could I not?

 

[Neithan]

I voted that he was ‘kinda in the middle’ but I think maybe misunderstood the question.

If you mean strictly in terms of his physical body, then yes, I think he must have been ‘beautiful,’ and by that I mean that Jesus must have embodied an ideal human being aside from the particulars of his race and sex (there is no perfect race and women are more beautiful than men). He was perfectly healthy, with an ideally symmetrical bone structure and proportions. Other than that there was nothing striking about him, as the Bible tells us. He probably had a dishevelled mane of hair and beard with modest clothing.

What we recognise as ‘beautiful’ is really just an ultimate human average. The more ‘beautiful’ someone is (objectively speaking), the more human they look. Christ, as the ideal human [male] and perfect sacrifice, must have been beautiful in this sense. On the other hand he did not have a fancy haircut, sport exaggerated muscles, wear flashy clothes or perfumes.

Recommended website: www.beautyanalysis.com

 

[Neithan]

I voted that he was ‘kinda in the middle’ but I think maybe misunderstood the question.

If you mean strictly in terms of his physical body, then yes, I think he must have been ‘beautiful,’ and by that I mean that Jesus must have embodied an ideal human being aside from the particulars of his race and sex (there is no perfect race and women are more beautiful than men). He had perfect genes: was perfectly healthy, with ideal proportions, symmetrical bone structure and unblemished skin. Other than that there was nothing striking about him, as the Bible tells us. He probably had a dishevelled mane of hair and beard with modest clothing.

What we recognise as ‘beautiful’ is really just an ultimate human average. The more ‘beautiful’ someone is (objectively speaking), the more human they look. Christ, as the ideal human [male] and perfect sacrifice, must have been beautiful in this sense. On the other hand he did not have a fancy haircut, sport exaggerated muscles, wear flashy clothes or perfumes.

Recommended website: www.beautyanalysis.com

 

[undeserving]

Christ would be beautiful to those who believed in Him. This is true of our normal friendships as well. When we like and love someone they appear beautiful to us.