Christ’s resplendence within the Transfiguration says greater than we predict.
Jesus Christ is arguably probably the most famous man who ever lived. His image is in all places. But what did the God-Man from Nazareth actually seem like?
We often imagine a selected “look” based on artistic renderings we’ve seen, but a lot of these designs are influenced by the artist’s culture. And while we may have the option to assume certain visual traits based on the time and culture wherein Jesus lived, there may be little explicit evidence for these assumptions. In fact, the Bible tells us little or no about Jesus’ appearance in any respect.
Other than Isaiah’s remark that he “had no beauty or majesty” (Is. 53:2), the Scriptures never tell us how tall Jesus was, what type of hair he had, his body type, the colour of his eyes, what kind of clothes he wore, and even the colour of his skin.
It’s somewhat unexpected for the Bible to not comment on Jesus’ physicality, since back then an individual’s physical looks often corresponded to their character traits. Ancient authors might note features of their essential character’s appearance to spotlight or foreshadow something about them.
For example, the Old Testament tells us King Saul was “as handsome a young man as may very well be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else” (1 Sam. 9:2) and King David was “glowing with health and had a wonderful appearance and handsome features” (1 Sam. 16:12). Each of those descriptions signaled their heroic and kingly appeal to the people of Israel.
The New Testament narrative only focuses on Jesus’ appearance within the Transfiguration (see parallel accounts in Matt. 17:1–8; Mark 9:2–8; Luke 9:28–36; 2 Pet. 1:16–20). And although there may be much we …
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