The Appearance Of Jesus
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Updated
April 11, 2008
When the Romans overran the Bible lands most of the Jews were dispersed to
other lands. But a few Jewish enclaves remained. The Jews who never left the
Middle East are seen by one author as indicators of the appearance of Jesus. In
his book Christianity 101, Gilbert Bilezikian concluded that Jesus must have
been short by modern standards, with a swarthy complexion, thick black hair,
deep set brown hair and strong facial characteristics. Bilezikian thinks Jesus
must have looked like the average person in Judea in his lifetime.
In fact, we can only guess at the physical appearance of Jesus. The guesses of Bilezikian may be as good as any. It may be that physically Jesus resembled the average person of his day, but in every other way he was far above average. He was above average in intelligence. He was above average in wisdom. He was above average in character. He was so far above average in those three ways that no one has every yet attained to such intelligence, wisdom, and character.
In fact, we can only guess at the physical appearance of Jesus. The guesses of Bilezikian may be as good as any. It may be that physically Jesus resembled the average person of his day, but in every other way he was far above average. He was above average in intelligence. He was above average in wisdom. He was above average in character. He was so far above average in those three ways that no one has every yet attained to such intelligence, wisdom, and character.