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Is this 6th century recollection of Christ’s appearance, found in the Holy Land itself, more likely to be accurate?

“It would be wonderful, but how would we know?” says art historian from the University of Haifa in Israel Maayan-Fanar, who discovered the image.

Only the right light or high-resolution photographs can reveal details of the heavily-eroded Jesus portrait, which is thought to have been painted in the sixth century A.D Picture: Dror Maayan/Emma Maayan-FanarSource:Supplied

The physical features of the ‘son of God’ have long been left to artistic and cultural imaginations. No descriptions of Christ’s physical appearance survive in the collection of vetted tales assembled into what we now know to be the bible in 367AD. And yet, such is the power of the modern image now attached to his identity that it is instantly recognisable. Long, wavy black hair. Piercing blue eyes. Pale skin. A short trimmed beard. Long robes with baggy sleeves. None of this is accurate. But it’s a powerful exercise in establishing an easily identifiable ‘brand’.

The oldest known depictions of Christ come from paintings and carvings made to decorate coffins and the catacombs they were held in. They were made some 200 years after his death.

There is one portrayal and is in the Syrian church of Dura Europus. It shows Jesus healing a paralytic.

“While it is difficult to see facial details, this Jesus has short hair and is clean-shaven,

FACE OF CHRISTIANITY
Art historians say the depiction of Christ with short hair was common in the early eastern Byzantine Empire — which included Egypt, Palestine and Syria. But, eventually, this perception was overwhelmed by new artwork from western Byzantine featuring the well-groomed long hair that continues to be a prominent feature of his portraits even today.

After Constantine
Christianity became legal in 313 and from the middle of the 4th century new images arose. The images used the same costume that was drawn before but more of an iconography style in posing. As time passed Jesus was shown as older and in the 5th century the image of Jesus with a beard, long hair and a halo took over. This image became the standard and somewhat commercial imagery of him.

The Gospels
Images of the peasant preacher were what was left by the Gospels, they did not discuss much physicality or features but these images arose after his death and with the spread of Christianity. The Gospels barely discussed anything regarding his appearance but rather the focus was on character, stories about him, and church scripture. The truth behind this is that if his disciples had known maybe there would be better imagery available.

Eusebius Of Caesarea
An early tradition that was recorded by Eusebius of Caesarea portrayed that Jesus washed his face and upon drying it he left the picture of his face on the towel he used. This was then passed on to King Abgarus of Edessa who wanted Jesus to heal him. The picture is now referred o as the Image of Edessa and many copies of it remain being passed around, however, these were not made using human touch.

Race
Depending on location and country many images of Jesus have shown him as their race. this was seen in Ethiopia where Jesus is depicted with the same features and appearance as the church members. Additionally, in Asia, the race of Jesus is seen as the same as the native people. This trend continues throughout the world. Additional medieval depictions showed Jesus wearing a Jewish hat.