[bit.listserv.christia] The appearance of Jesus -- QB

BWA6067@TAMAGEN (02/06/90)

       Call me a cynic, but it has been my contention that those who
       make an issue out of Jesus' appearance have some kind of
       hidden agenda.  I have myself been guilty of that...those of
       us who (rightly or wrongly) ascribe some surpassing
       importance and emphasis to the masculinity of Christian males
       often extrapolate conceptions of Jesus' ruddy masculinity
       from His trade, carpentry.  It is invariably speculation on
       my part when I do so, for I have no Scriptural or secular
       historical evidence that Jesus was big, husky, and strong.  I
       have a hard time imagining Him as a pale, wimpy man, but
       again, that tells you much more about *me* than it does about
       Jesus.

       I must concur with Lauren that Jesus' appearance/skin color
       don't really matter, but for curiosity's sake, it is probably
       wiser to assume that He looked similar to today's Middle
       Easterners.  After all, 2000 years isn't a long enough time
       for significant evolution to have taken place.  *grin*

                for what it's worth, queue ball

bin@PRIMATE.WISC.EDU (Brain in Neutral) (02/07/90)

From article <CHRISTIA%90020616122171@FINHUTC>, by BWA6067@TAMAGEN:
>        I must concur with Lauren that Jesus' appearance/skin color
>        don't really matter, but for curiosity's sake, it is probably
>        wiser to assume that He looked similar to today's Middle
>        Easterners.  After all, 2000 years isn't a long enough time
>        for significant evolution to have taken place.  *grin*

Malcolm X said that Jesus wasn't white, He was black, and the teaching
that He was white was just to get black men to submit to the white man.

Remarkably perceptive for someone that lived 2000 years later, to be able
to tell that someone's skin color was black, particularly someone that
was born of Jewish parents.  :-)

Paul DuBois
Internet:       dubois@primate.wisc.edu
UUCP:           rhesus!dubois
FAX:            608/263-4031