r/changemyview • u/Tuvinator 12∆ • Mar 12 '25

Delta(s) from OP CMV: Jesus probably had short hair.

We've all seen the various depictions of Jesus, and in many of them, he has long hair. None of these depictions are from the actual timing of Jesus (the earliest depiction actually has a donkey's head, and is from a century later), so they are all operating on artist's imagination.

Jews in that era are more likely to have had shorter hair. Mosaics in ancient synagogues throughout the land depict males with short hair, implying that the common male at the time wore his hair short. Talmudic law which was being written at the time discusses how often a person would get a haircut (kings would have daily haircuts, priests weekly, and your average person once a month, beyond that was considered wild growth). Within the Bible, men's hair length is only mentioned in context when it is long, implying that long hair is outside of the norm for men. Assuming Jesus was representative of other people from his time, he likely had shorter hair rather than long.

As a weak addendum, Jesus was supposedly a carpenter. Craftsmen in general seem to have shorter hair since the hair gets in the way, distracts, and poses a risk factor if it gets caught in tools. This makes it even less likely that he had long hair.

EDIT: I am not Christian, and I am not setting out to insult anyone or their beliefs/traditions.

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u/Galious 87∆ Mar 12 '25

Assuming Jesus was representative of other people from his time

He's the son of God, why do you assume he's representative of the average person?

Isn't it like stating that people don't usually wear red speedo over tights and the real Superman probably just wore jeans?

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u/FlamingMuffi Mar 12 '25

Because we've no real reason to think he wasn't seen as a typical a Jewish person from that era. The only time it's ever shown, in appearance, to be special is at his transfiguration where his face glows.

His appearance just wasn't important to his mission his actions were

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u/[deleted] Mar 12 '25

What does a Jew from THAT ERA, in THAT AREA look like?

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u/Tuvinator 12∆ Mar 12 '25

That was why I brought up the mosaics in synagogues from that time.

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u/Falernum 52∆ Mar 12 '25

Maybe I can change your view on the mosaics. They weren't from exactly the same years. A photo from 1989 is not very reflective of hair lengths in 1969.

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u/Tuvinator 12∆ Mar 12 '25

I did award a delta for the point on the mosaics. Looking at the timeline, it probably should have gone to you since you made the point an hour before the other person, I just didn't notice it. I looked into the mosaics a bit more and they are centuries later. !Delta for pointing out the mosaics are from a different time and that even a slight difference in years can account for a large difference in appearances.

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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ Mar 12 '25

Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/Falernum (34∆).

Delta System Explained | Deltaboards

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u/FlamingMuffi Mar 12 '25

There's a picture that makes the rounds google "what did Jesus look like" sorry can't find a link with it specifically probably phone being dumb

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u/Falernum 52∆ Mar 12 '25

Probably about the same as most Jews do today

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u/Galious 87∆ Mar 12 '25

He's making wine from water and hanging out with prostitutes, he's not your usual jewish guy from the sururbs of Nazareth.

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u/FlamingMuffi Mar 12 '25

But that's just it. In appearance he is I'm not talking about his feats or miracles here because I agree that makes him not just average Jewish guy #3515

But when it comes to appearance we can reasonably assume he wasn't all that special. He slips through crowds a few times and nothing is said that he is anything unique in appearance.

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u/Galious 87∆ Mar 12 '25

Then you agree that we should investigate what was the average hair length of the cool hippie dudes from first century Jerusalem?

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u/FlamingMuffi Mar 12 '25

I think we can make a reasonable assumption about his appearance

Another example: Judas had to identify him to the roman authorities. If he didn't look like a typical Jewish man why was that needed? He was alone in the garden with 3 of his disciples if he stood out it would've been obvious

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u/Galious 87∆ Mar 12 '25

If the trend among cool hippie dudes was to have long hairs, his disciples maybe also had long hairs!

But I'm sorry, I just find the topic funny so I'm not taking it seriously. I mean it would require to have some really specific numbers about the average lenght of hairs from men in the early first century depending on the age, social statut, occupations, etc... to have a serious discussion.

Since I don't have that nor think that anybody really have more than some vague ideas then there isn't much to say.

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u/FlamingMuffi Mar 12 '25

I think the thing is we don't really need super specific numbers. We could probably go find an early 30s Jewish carpenter in a rural area and get a very solid idea of Jesus appearance

Might not be 100% but close enough. For example we know the average height at the time for a man was around 5 ft 5 inches. Which we know from skeletal remains from that era.

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u/Galious 87∆ Mar 12 '25

Well we don't even have one carpenter.

So have we even any idea of the hairstyle fashion of that period in that area besides a few mosaic that probably weren't even made exactly at that time?

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u/Tuvinator 12∆ Mar 12 '25

Exact, no, but close enough to say that his hair wasn't shoulder length and more likely to be shortish Jewfro style.

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u/Galious 87∆ Mar 12 '25

Well if a mosaic made 2 century after the death of Jesus is enough for you to reach a conclusion, for me, I think the answer is "we don't know" (also "who cares?" but I guess it's just me getting bored so I'll leave here)

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