If you’ve ever heard me speak, you know that I usually start with the famous painting by Warner Sallman of called “The Head of Christ” that has hung in my family’s home since the 1950’s.
As much as I’ve loved this image of Jesus, I joke around about the fact that with his blue eyes and fair skin he looks almost as Scandinavian as I am, and wonder if he maybe went to the same salon that I did for his blond highlights.
I go on to point out that it’s not really that surprising that Caucasians have portrayed him as white, because as the gospel has gone out to the world, people have represented him in ways that are familiar to them. In paintings in South America he tends to look Latino, and in China, he looks Asian. But then I invite my audience to ask what Jesus was like in his own native Middle Eastern culture and context.
Well, the joke was on me today, because today I was speaking in a Swedish Covenant church where they prominently display a real chalk sketch of Jesus by Warner Sallman (worth a lot of $$, actually) that he drew for them after his world-famous painting of Jesus was published. Apparently he was a member of the Covenant denomination and he made this sketch when he was visiting this church. Sallman’s own family background was Swedish/Finnish – are you surprised?
(PS – To his credit, in Sallman’s chalk sketch at the church Jesus’ eyes were definitely brown. I checked close up. I believe that when he published the painting there were complaints about them – maybe he decided to change their color later.)
TK says
God bless you. I saw you on jewish voice and enjoyed the segment. The book looks interesting.
The Sallman painting was pretty much everywhere in the fifties but thankfully today we have a much more realistic view of Jesus. Isn’t there a verse in the bible says that his looks were nothing special?
Lois Tverberg says
You’re thinking of Isaiah 53:2- “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, no beauty that we should desire him.” This is a key prophecy about the suffering of Christ, but I don’t feel comfortable assuming that it should be read as an exact, literal description of Jesus. Prophecy is not like that.
Henry Beachey says
Lois, I always thought of Jesus as a dark haired dark eyed person, but I remember looking through a very old large bible in a Museum in the late 1960s. There was a pic. of Jesus, looking straight at you, with blond hair and very blue eyes. The caption said it was painted from a detailed description given by someone who had personally seen him, during His walk here on earth. I have no idea who painted it. It makes me wonder.
Scott Gabelman says
Do you know if this picture of Jesus with blonde hair and blue eyes can be found? I know that there was a man that did research on this and also came up with the same blonde hair blue-eyed jesus. Thank you my email is Ruby Redscott@gmail.com
Rachel says
It is funny how the appearance of Jesus has become quite a controversial issue over the years. About a month ago, I was interested in finding out an estimation of how Jesus could have looked. Knowing that He came from the Tribe of Judah, I tried researching the physical appearance of the typical Jew from the Tribe of Judah. Much to my astonishment, I kept finding article after article, describing how all Jews were originally black and that Jesus was one of the blackest ones. And each article had their own analysis of different Bible passages to back their conclusion. Now, I am not against Jesus being possibly black. However, I don’t like the people’s aggressive and self-righteous attitude in their descriptions and reasoning, making me (being Caucasian) feel very inferior. And I also know that the black Africans came from Ham, one of the sons of Noah. The Jews came from Shem I believe. So, what did the ancient Jews really look like? I have my own idea of how they looked, but I am interested in your input on this.
Marnie says
I am Jewish by religion, but identify with spirituality, after reading hundreds of death experiences from Drs., Nurses, Scientists and many other people.
Do you have the computer generated picture that was rendered from every detail of JC provided by the NT text? I tried to paste a copy, but pasting is not allowed. What a shame…I tried. Clearly, JC was middle eastern, dark skin, hair and eyes. HE WAS NEVER WHITE!
Lois Tverberg says
So true!!! I’m glad you want an image of him that reflects his reality as a dark haired, dark skinned middle easterner. I haven’t seen the image that you’ve seen but I imagine that you can easily use google images to find another that is pretty good. Type in “Middle Eastern Jesus” and click on “Images”. If I find something I’ll send it to you.
Sue says
Interesting. The way you actually know what Jesus looks like, is to talk to those who were actual witnesses to his appearance. In all the near death or afterlife experiences I have heard, He had blue gray eyes. God made a perfect man, that perhaps He (God) wanted to stand out. Some men in the Middle East do have blue gray eyes (although rare). When the boy Colton Burpo of the book “Heaven is for Real.” told of his Afterlife experience, Jesus had light eyes. He chose Akiane’s painting as the painting that looked like Jesus he spent time with in heaven. Jesus had shorter than shoulder length hair, and had highlights in his brown hair. He was a fisherman outdoors after all. Has anyone been to Israel? Everyone talks about Jews as being so dark, which makes no sense; they are not Arabs. Has anyone seen Gal Godot of Wonder Woman. She is lighter than I am in complexion, and I am a natural blonde.
Has anyone seen the Jews in Hollywood? They don’t have dark skin. So please, don’t react, and base beliefs on ignorance. Go by the people who have actually seen Him. Actually Pontious Pilate, in his letter written to Tiberius Ceasar, described Jesus this way: “I was told it was Jesus. This I could easily have suspected so great was the difference between Him and those who were listening to Him. His golden colored hair and beard gave to his appearance a celestial aspect. He appeared to be about 30 years of age. Never have I seen a sweeter or more serene countenance. What a contrast between Him and His bearers with their black beards and tawny complexions!”
Then there is the Letter of Lentulus, written as a contemporary of Jesus Christ, describes Jesus in this way: “He is a man of medium size (statura procerus, mediocris et spectabilis); he has a venerable aspect, and his beholders can both fear and love him. His hair is of the colour of the ripe hazel-nut, straight down to the ears, but below the ears wavy and curled, with a bluish and bright reflection, flowing over his shoulders. It is parted in two on the top of the head, after the pattern of the Nazarenes. His brow is smooth and very cheerful with a face without wrinkle or spot, embellished by a slightly reddish complexion. His nose and mouth are faultless. His beard is abundant, of the colour of his hair, not long, but divided at the chin. His aspect is simple and mature, his eyes are blue-gray and bright….He is the most beautiful among the children of men.”
Lois Tverberg says
After eye color was pointed out to Warner Salman, he himself changed his practice to color Jesus’ eyes brown. Gal Gadot has black hair and very dark brown eyes, but because she is beautiful you assume she has blue eyes? Without even checking? This is a huge, huge problem, that light skin is seen as beautiful and dark skin is seen as ugly and distasteful.
Just this morning I was talking with my precious friend Milly Erema from Uganda and she looked at her skin and said, “I am black, and black skin is cursed around the world!” This is the same woman who has dedicated her life to rescuing needy children and teaching them to follow Christ.
I’m sorry but having blue eyes and light skin should not be seen as extra blessed by God. His dark skinned children are just as beautiful.
Also, the source you quote, Lentulus, is certainly a product of 15th century Italy and not the time of Christ. We know this because it claims to be written by a Roman governor in the first century named Lentulus. Historians know all the names of the Roman governors of that time, and there was never one called Lentulus.
Andy Cons says
Our focus should not be the colour but the message. Jesus’ message is that of universal salvation and brotherhood: Neither Jews nor Greek… white, black, yellow…has no place in JC’s message. The Samaritan attended to the Jewish armed robbery victim, etc. As Michael Almadoss wrote in ‘The Asian Jesus,’ each of us may view Jesus in accordance to our cultures but that does not change the universal message.