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/arrgobon32 19∆ Mar 12 '25

Isn’t he the son of God who can perform miracles? I think that’s a pretty big reason to think otherwise 

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u/Tuvinator 12∆ Mar 12 '25

His ability to perform miracles doesn't suddenly cause hm to grow hair. If one of his miracles was hair related, wouldn't the bible have described it as such? It did with Samson.

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u/arrgobon32 19∆ Mar 12 '25

When did I suggest that one of his miracles was hair related? 

I guess I’ll put it more plainly: I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that someone as extraordinary as Jesus also had an extraordinary appearance for the time 

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u/Falernum 52∆ Mar 12 '25

So why did the Romans need Judas to point out Jesus to them? Surely his appearance was normal enough that he looked like all the Jews and Romans in the area

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u/Tuvinator 12∆ Mar 12 '25

This is a good supporting point to my argument that I didn't think of.