Many people have a preconceived notion of what Jesus Christ may have looked like, but this image can vary significantly based on cultural upbringing.
A recent scientific advancement may soon unify these different perceptions with a more consistent depiction of Jesus’ appearance.
Moreover, an ancient text, omitted from the Bible, could potentially change our understanding of Jesus’ teachings and who he was.
In 2002, Carlos F. Cardoza-Orlandi, an associate professor of world Christianity at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, discussed with Popular Mechanics how diverse our mental images of Jesus can be.
“While Western imagery is dominant, in other parts of the world he is often shown as Black, Arab, or Hispanic,” Cardoza-Orlandi noted.
Thanks to forensic anthropology, British scientists, alongside Israeli archaeologists, have been able to recreate what is believed to be Jesus’ face.
Using expertise from primate and human evolution studies and skeletal analysis, Richard Neave, a retired medical artist from the University of Manchester in England, reconstructed what he and his team believe is the most accurate depiction of Jesus.
Neave used skulls from around the same time and region where Jesus lived and preached 2,000 years ago, analyzing them through computerized tomography.
This process generated x-rays of the skulls, highlighting even the smallest details, and Neave used advanced software to approximate the thickness of the skin.
However, the procedure couldn’t determine Jesus’ hair type or eye color.
To make these determinations, Neave and his team explored various archaeological sites predating the Bible, from the 1st century, which indicated Jesus likely had dark eyes and a beard.
The Bible contains a line from the Gospel of Paul stating: “If a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him.”
Scientists believe Paul would not have mentioned this if Jesus had long hair.
However, some argue Jesus had longer hair, citing the Shroud of Turin, believed by many to have wrapped Jesus after his death, which displays marks resembling long hair.
This has been a topic of debate, but most biblical scholars now suggest the Son of God likely had short, tightly curled hair.
Archaeologists estimate his height to be around 5ft 1in, average for his region at the time, and his weight at approximately 110 pounds.
Given his background as a carpenter, it might be argued that Jesus was more muscular than the average person.
After completing his reconstruction, Neave noted that the image represents someone who would have lived in the area at that time, rather than an exact likeness of Jesus.
Alison Galloway, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, shared her insight with Popular Mechanics, stating: “This is probably a lot closer to the truth than the work of many great masters.”