The Appearance of Jesus: Hairstyles and Beards in Bible Times

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No one knows for sure how Jesus looked in the eyes of his contemporaries. However, there is evidence that suggests the hair of Jesus may have been rather short—black or dark in color—and his beard closely trimmed.

Like Abraham the first Hebrew, Jesus was a Semite, a descendant of Noah’s son Shem (Gen. 11:10-32; 14:13; Matt 1:1-17). As such, Jesus faithfully identified himself with the customs of the Jewish people and the teachings of Moses. He came not to abolish the Law but to establish and uphold it (cf. Matt 5:17). Given the Israelite ancestry of Jesus of Nazareth, what information do we have about the physical appearance of Jews in Bible times? Specifically, what archaeological and textual evidence do we have from the ancient world concerning Semitic hairstyles and the wearing of beards? Furthermore, how may this evidence on hair and beards assist us in trying to find out how Jesus looked to his contemporaries in that first-century milieu of Judaism in the land of Israel? We shall consider a variety of relevant ancient sources as we attempt to answer these questions.

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This article originally appeared in issue 41 of the Jerusalem Perspective magazine. Click on the image above to view a PDF of the original magazine article.

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  • Marvin Wilson

    Marvin Wilson

    Marvin R. Wilson was, until his retirement in 2018, the Harold J. Ockenga Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts. He has been honored four times at Gordon commencements with the senior faculty award for “Excellence in Teaching.” His field-trip course…
    [Read more about author]

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