Where in the bible does it describe Jesus' physical appearance?

@gicolet (1702)
United States
March 26, 2009 6:42pm CST
I'm not a consistent bible reader...never was but where in the bible does it describe Jesus' physical appearance? I'm sorry for my ignorance but was his hair based on how most Jews looked like in those days? Ever seen "Jesus Christ Superstar" movie? That's exactly how Jesus looked like on this framed picture my mom had on our wall when I was younger. Is it me or did Jesus looked like a hippie from the 60's? Just curious here.
1 person likes this
4 responses
• United States
27 Mar 09
it does not give a description anywhere. I have looked. The emphasis is on character and not looks. Never feel bad if you do not know something and you are trying to learn about it, only feel bad if you know you do not know something and you are unwilling to learn. As far as those pictures I do not know if there is any historical value in them, they do depict Him as a white man, but he was born and raised in the middle east and so it would make since that he would not be pasty white. I do not know about the hair at all.
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Dec 10
I agree that I don't believe Jesus looked the way they depict Him, but why does it have to be white=pasty regardless all people of all races are God's people I don't think God would like you putting any of His people down.
22 Nov 11
Being that most of the pictures made of christ are from american painters and america trys to rule all we see what the american eye wants us to see if you look back in the american time our country started from us stealing the land from native americans but you dont see that in our history books then white man enslaved africans to do there work... with that being said he is known to be white now at the same time in the bible it says his hair was white as sheeps wool and that his skin was as bronze dont qoute me on every word but it was along those lines and ues these scriptures were told based off visions but also by the same ppl that walked the earth with them so even though it was a vision i believe it to have been a true statement about his physical and spiritual apperance
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
27 Mar 09
No one knows what the christ looked like. They base it on the paintings in the various churches etc. For some reason they like the unwashed look. However, Jews were very meticulus about cleanliness. They did wear beards but they may have cut their hair. If they wore long hair it was probably to look different than the Romans and the Egyptians. There is nothing written about what the christ looked like, but he must have looked a lot like an Arab because both Jews and Arabs were from the same Semetic tribes. Shalom~Adoniah
28 Mar 09
"There was no beauty found in him"
@albert2412 (1782)
• United States
27 Mar 09
There are referneces in the books of the prophets in the Old Testament. Isaiah i think talks about Jesus beling talk thin and not good looking to the eye.
28 Mar 09
"And there was no beauty found in him"
• Philippines
27 Mar 09
Yes Albert your right... There was a reference in the old testament regarding Jesus Physical Appearance... If you read the history when Jesus was here on Earth in the New Testament. You notice that many people rejected Him as the personal saviour most especially those belong to Pharisees because basically they were expecting that Jesus is Handsome, Tall, comes from a Rich family but not as what they were expecting because of their Lack of knowledge regarding the old testament description of which Jesus is not really good looking to the eye but His Character and deeds portrays that He is the Messiah.
@randis1 (112)
• United States
27 Mar 09
No, I am sorry to say that you are both wrong. The verse in Isaiah is in regards to the crucifixion and/or a metaphorical term to describe that the fact that his message was unappealing. And there is no place in the NT the Jewish rulers reject Jesus because of his physical appearance. I don't know who has told you that, but they're wrong. Jesus' physical appearance does have a commonality in portraits that may trace back to some tradition idea. However, he definitely did not hold the clean cut, anglo-saxon picture often depicted. He would have had a beard, long hair (but probably black, curly, and unwashed). His skin would have been very well baked by the sun. I actually (though I know I am in the minority here) beleive the Shroud of Turin to be the actual burial shroud of Jesus (and before anyone rejects, please update yourself on news of the C-14 dating being reversed). In my estimation, we can look at that and know what Jesus looked like. A good book to read on portrait's of Jesus (physical and non-physical) is Stephen Prothero's "American Jesus" Randy (www.ratiochristi.org)
28 Mar 09
Outside of the books of the prophet, the only other description comes to us from John in his vision of the Christ in the book Rev.