European Jesus has dark brown hair, thin sharp nose and clear skin so unlike the ancient Jews who had dark hair, nose slightly hooked and skin sun burnt, the result of travelling around on donkeys under the sun. Jesus probably had a turban or a covering on his head just like the Arabs who were ethnically and culturally the same as the Jews.
In America I was surprised to see Hispanic Jesus that did not resemble the European Jesus I was used to seeing in many places. The Hispanic Jesus looked so very Mediterranean. I wonder what Jesus in other lands looks like - in Lebanon, Ethiopia, China and Japan. There are pockets of Christian communities in those countries. The Ethiopian Jesus definitely is dark skinned. There are Christian communities in Indonesia too. I wonder whether Jesus there wears a songkok.
If I were to draw a portrait of Jesus, I would have a young man of Semitic descent with thin black beard and a hood or turban that keeps out the sun. But this image would not go well with the religious sentimentality of the Christians in Europe. They would ask "How come the person they worship does not look like them?"
In America I was surprised to see Hispanic Jesus that did not resemble the European Jesus I was used to seeing in many places. The Hispanic Jesus looked so very Mediterranean. I wonder what Jesus in other lands looks like - in Lebanon, Ethiopia, China and Japan. There are pockets of Christian communities in those countries. The Ethiopian Jesus definitely is dark skinned. There are Christian communities in Indonesia too. I wonder whether Jesus there wears a songkok.
If I were to draw a portrait of Jesus, I would have a young man of Semitic descent with thin black beard and a hood or turban that keeps out the sun. But this image would not go well with the religious sentimentality of the Christians in Europe. They would ask "How come the person they worship does not look like them?"
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