Why is Jesus portrayed as White?

[MyGivenNameIsKeith]

well it was, white europeans who did genocide where deeply christian and the church where behind them. you can find support for genocide in the bible.

who created islam? lucifer?

the spiritual condition called "Islam" existed prior to Mohammed. Most don't read their bible and go back far enough or seek out the word of God with a pure heart. Otherwise they would see that the human condition was wicked before 607 A.D.
(NIV for context)
Proverbs 1:11
If they say, "Come along with us; let's lie in wait for innocent blood, let's ambush some harmless soul;
Proverbs 1:18
These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!
Quran
Surah 9:5
When the Sacred Months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them. And capture them, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every ambush. But if they repent, and perform the prayers, and pay the alms, then let them go their way. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.


Also, the term Lucifer is Latin.

 

[Vicomte13]

why does this matter?

For the most part, it doesn't. It matters to Americans because of the history of slavery and segregation in recent American history. Segregation and anti-miscegenation laws are within the lifetimes of half the population, and slavery is within the living memories of people who talked to people who themselves lived in the time of slavery. It's just not that long ago, and the overhang remains in the culture, in economics, in everything.

The race of Jesus matters in place where race keenly matters, and America is the biggest English-speaking place in the world, and a place where race matters most keenly.

If this were a Danish language site, for example, I doubt the subject would ever come up.

 

[TuxAme]

white people have stolen christianity. christianity is actually a religion for everyone. christianity is globalism. but since the days of roman empire christianity has been nothing more than the religion of the white man.

Oh, geez. Really?

 

[t-wings]

I wasn't going to respond to this. I thought, it's just Archivist being pedantic. But on second thought I got really curious about why you said this. Grandson or descendant would both technically apply, and I think "grandson" is better because it's more specific, so why exactly do you think "descendant" is better?

I'm white and I have a black angel decoration I put out at Christmas. Doesn't make any difference to me.

Same here

 

[jovanovic]

Oh, geez. Really?

yes, catholics have their power in white italy, all popes have been white. protestantism has its power in white usa and rose to power in white germany. ortodoxy has its power in white russia. white people forced christianity on non-white people, only etiopians, assyrians and copts converted with no force. and then of course we have the fact that jesus wordwide are painted as a white man.

 

[All4Christ]

To say that most images of Jesus are depicted as being white (European white) is inaccurate. There are just as many if not more than he is not depicted that way. It certainly is influenced by the region. That said, there is a very common depiction of Jesus with Middle Eastern hued skin (of various tints). Check out this Google Search: Icon Jesus - Google Search

ETA: of course, there are variations. My point is that there isn’t just one “white” style depiction of Jesus...and it isn’t even the most common one.

 

[TuxAme]

yes, catholics have their power in white italy, all popes have been white. protestantism has its power in white usa and rose to power in white germany. ortodoxy has its power in white russia. white people forced christianity on non-white people, only etiopians, assyrians and copts converted with no force. and then of course we have the fact that jesus wordwide are painted as a white man.

Oh, wow, you weren't kidding.

Wait, wasn't the point of your thread to point out that Jesus wasn't white at all? Then what would that make saint Peter? Was he the only white guy in Israel? Was Linus (the second pope) also white?

More than a few things aren't adding up here.

 

[jovanovic]

Oh, wow, you weren't kidding.

Wait, wasn't the point of your thread to point out that Jesus wasn't white at all? Then what would that make saint Peter? Was he the only white guy in Israel? Was Linus (the second pope) also white?

More than a few things aren't adding up here.

I am not a person who makes joke. I am always very serious.

My point is that christianity is hijacked by white people.

Saint Peter was white as snow.

Linus the pope was white aswell, just look at this picture:

 

[All4Christ]

I am not a person who makes joke. I am always very serious.

My point is that christianity is hijacked by white people.

Saint Peter was white as snow.

Linus the pope was white aswell, just look at this picture:

You can find pretty much any skin tone you want to find. Stating that they are all white though (with the understanding that the images you are posting are what you consider to be white) is not accurate. There are many hues to skin tone, even within a general skin tone group. You are superimposing your own interpretation on this and making this be about race when our focus should be about who Jesus is.

 

[Barney2.0]

well it was, white europeans who did genocide where deeply christian and the church where behind them. you can find support for genocide in the bible.

who created islam? lucifer?

He who denies the son is an ANTI CHRIST which is Islam. Nice posts your just evening your true colors. White europeans started colonization in the late 16th century by then most european countries were secular the Europeans used to even laugh at the Americans for being so religious in the 17th century. Show me a verse in the Bible where it says for Christians to slay pagans and crucify them.

 

[jovanovic]

He who denies the son is an ANTI CHRIST which is Islam. Nice posts your just evening your true colors. White europeans started colonization in the late 16th century by then most european countries were secular the Europeans used to even laugh at the Americans for being so religious in the 17th century. Show me a verse in the Bible where it says for Christians to slay pagans and crucify them.

All religions denies Jesus is the son.

Yes the states where secular in Europe but people where still very christian and church had much influence and the church never spoke ill about the colonization, the european imperalists had god with them, you do realise if the europeans did not do what they did then christianity would only be as big as buddhism? Africans and fillipino and many others would be only pagans and muslims.

Do not play games with me, you know very well that Old Testament tells the belivers to make genocide. The rules of war in OT is basically kill everyone, the NT do not even bring up the rules for war because the OT already have them, for christians to know how we should act in war we need to look at OT. Jesus never said a ill word about the violence in OT.

 

[Barney2.0]

All religions denies Jesus is the son.

Yes the states where secular in Europe but people where still very christian and church had much influence and the church never spoke ill about the colonization, the european imperalists had god with them, you do realise if the europeans did not do what they did then christianity would only be as big as buddhism? Africans and fillipino and many others would be only pagans and muslims.

Do not play games with me, you know very well that Old Testament tells the belivers to make genocide. The rules of war in OT is basically kill everyone, the NT do not even bring up the rules for war because the OT already have them, for christians to know how we should act in war we need to look at OT. Jesus never said a ill word about the violence in OT.

if you were christian you'd know the Old Testament no longer applies as Jesus said he fulfilled the law. Other religions don't claim to believe in Jesus. Islam claims to believe in the real version of Jesus no other religion claims so and yet denies he is the son of God. Christianity was in Africa before Islam, North Africa was Christian, Jewish, and Pagan before Arabs rolled in with their swords and there shahada written on their banners. Abyssinians were Christians way before Islam. Bhuddism is pretty big its not a small religion filipino Muslims massacre the Christian filipinos in areas where they are the majority and they massacre the pagan filipinos in the South.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I am not a person who makes joke. I am always very serious.

My point is that christianity is hijacked by white people.

Saint Peter was white as snow.

Linus the pope was white aswell, just look at this picture:

Let me get this straight, you start a thread complaining about white European depictions of Jesus depicting Jesus as a white European because Jesus wasn't white, but then use a white European depictions of St. Peter, a non-white Galilean Jew, to argue that Peter was white?

Hint: Peter wasn't white.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[ByTheSpirit]

1. This thread is literally about "race," so you just exposed your own thinking.

2. I think what I said went over your head for now, so I am not going to attempt to explain myself.

Sureeeee

 

[exitstageright]

Jesus was a brown man from Middle East. Why then is he portrayed as a white man worldwide? A typical picture of Jesus looks like this:

Jesus in fact looked more like this:

While he is middle eastern and not the white, pasty faced surfer looking dude most pictures seem to portray him as... his color truly doesn't matter at all. What matters is the heart condition... his in giving himself for us and ours as we submit to him as servant. Color simply isn't relevant.

Good piece here:

Why Jesus’ Skin Color Matters

View attachment 224207

And I think it is fine for people to ask what Jesus looked like as He too is human.

In the book/movie "Heaven is for Real." Colton Burpo a 4 year old boy, in Nebraska, had a near death experience [NDE], in a hospital ER, where he said he met Jesus. His father showed him the traditional pictures of Jesus but he said that is not what Jesus looks like. One day Colton's father was researching similar NDE online and found a painting by Akiane a teen age girl on the east coast. Colton saw the picture and said that's Jesus. Colton and Alkiane had never had any contact. Here is that picture.View attachment 224229

Maybe this is the reason for the second commandment, not to make a graven image.We do not know what the ancient Hebrews looked like. Because,there were no statutes and/or busts made of Moses, Jesus,Elijah, and the other prophets. The Hebrews were not allowed to make images. Therefore,if there were busts and/or images of Jesus made.People would be worshiping the images and not focusing on God. JMO,and I could be wrong.

Why Jesus’ Skin Color Matters

View attachment 224207

And I think it is fine for people to ask what Jesus looked like as He too is human.

 

[WannaWitness]

No matter what thread I happen upon that brings this topic up, I always think of a certain song. It is from an old tape I had for ages called Hi God, and it has a hard-hitting message (for a song aimed mainly at kids).

So as not to be off topic with the OP, I do not know the reason why Jesus is portrayed as "white" (or what, in our modern-day eyes, might be considered "white"). My guess it depends on the artist and how he/she views Him. I still, however, see many artists portray Him with darkish skin (neither white nor black, but olive or tan) which seems pretty accurate to me seeing as how He was Jewish and Jews (in Biblical times, especially) tended to be for the most part darker-complected. But hey, what does it matter anyhow? God is no respecter of persons, regardless of race or skin color, and a true follower of Jesus does not follow Him because of His "race", but because of what He did on the Cross for the entire human race!

Just some food for thought. I wish not to debate with anyone.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

The argument would be valid if we could know for certain what colour skin Christ and his Apostles had. Icons should reflect the subject, especially if we are going to maintain a theology of iconography (the reason we have icons is because these were real people).

Problem is I'm not sure how it is we can know what Christ would have looked like or many ancient figures. We can make guesses but people still debate what race Augustine was (He had Roman and Berber blood in him). I go the idea that Christ had a tanned brown complexion and there are plenty of icons which reflect this.

There is a freedom in iconography to depict the subject not exactly as they were (Christ probably never went around wearing a crimson red/blue attire), so why shouldn't this extend to the race Christ is depicted as?

 

[CosmicTraveller]

At least one theory is that the modern image of Jesus it was modeled on idols of Zeus.

MORE ON COINS WITH AN IMAGE OF JESUS

 

[Monk Brendan]

Jews are generally not brown.

Ashkenazi Jews are mostly white. However the Sephardim are mostly olive skinned--Think of Corporal Klinger (Jamie Farr) on M.A.S.H.

 

[Meowzltov]

Jesus was a brown man from Middle East. Why then is he portrayed as a white man worldwide? A typical picture of Jesus looks like this:

Jesus in fact looked more like this:

You'll find that every culture paints Jesus so that he looks like them. For example there are black Jesus's