Why is Jesus still portrayed as white?

Question

I was just wondering why I always see paintings or representations of Jesus as white. Is it because they are artists renderings not meant to be historically accurate? Are they supposed to represent the audience more then the actual form of Jesus? Or are there not any really good reasons?

Answer 1

He was Jewish, which would make him an olive skinned caucasian with dark hair. The difference in skin tone between a northern European and a Mediteranean does not show up well on canvas.

There is a big difference in looks between the typical arabic middle eastern community and the Jewish community. They are much darker than the Jewish community as a whole is.

Answer 2

Paintings from the Renaissance and Middle Ages show him as white simply because those are the models who were used. They represent the local ideal of beauty.

Current representations follow on this because 1) it's what people know; 2) an Arabic-looking Jesus would freak out most of Middle America and 3) a Jewish-looking Jesus might remind people that he never intended to create a new religion. That was Paul's idea.

Answer 3

Just art. However, I do believe there are many representations that are Middle Eastern. There is such a variety of people in the Middle East and many Jewish people are as white as caucasions, so who really knows. I guess they should at least give Him a tan since He was walking around so much. I think very few are meant to be historical though.

Answer 4

Perhaps because of a very simple reason. Back when people like da Vinci and Michaelangelo were doing the paintings, they had the money to take on the undertakings of the time...they painted Jesus to depict the culture of the artist...also perhaps the Jewish community who rejected him as the Messiah would not have painted him into their cultural art. Therefore the communities who accepted him as the Messiah were the ones who created their version of the face of Jesus to be more like those who wanted him.

Answer 5

Jesus was Jewish. Man will always try to say this and that for their benefit. Artist and others. We just need to read the Bible to find the answers, and the Bible doesn't say he was white. The Apostle Paul said do not go beyond the things that are written.
If someone says other wise tell them to show you in the Scriptures. Example: where is Dec. 25th in the bible? Jesus birth date is not even written in the Bible. People think that Eve ate an apple, but the scriptures just say fruit.

Answer 6

Sometimes artists have portrayed him looking pale and weak to try and convey the feeling of meekness and humility. Remember that Jesus was a carpenter. He was probably quite muscular and well tanned from working outdoors a lot.

Answer 7

Because certain people want to control the religion. If you look at the people in that area, they are neither "white" or "black " ! But they do have brown skin. The bible also says he had hair like "wool". But most pictures show him with long straight hair. Which is odd because there's a passage in the bible that says it goes against nature for a man to have long hair.

Answer 8

my belief is that since those paintings were done by white people they painted Him to look like they want/wanted Him to look. Certainly the white supremecists want Him to be white. I've seen paintings by Black artists which depict Jesus as being Black. I don't care what color He was on Earth, He's still my Savior.

Answer 9

Most of the great paintings were done by Europeans. Therefore, they painted what they knew. (This is also why, in my opinion, Christmas stories and fairy tales are done with white characters.)

I'm more than a little tired of the white or black colored Jesus. He was probably colored like the middle-eastern peoples of today.

Not that it matters what He looked like. What matters is who He is and what He did.

Answer 10

White would be the closest definition of what the inhabitants of Israel 2000 years ago looked like. Those inhabitants had fair to light skin tones; red, brown, or black hair typically; and features closely resembling those of modern day Jews..