The textual, visual, and scientific
evidence agrees, then: Jesus likely was
a short, dark-skinned Hebrew Israelite
with short curly (wooly) hair and dark
eyes.
HOW HAVE DEPICTIONS OF
JESUS CHANGED OVER THE
CENTURIES?Some of the earliest known artistic
representations of Jesus date to the
mid-third century A.D., more than two
centuries after his death. These are
the paintings in the ancient
catacombs of St. Domitilla in Rome,
first discovered some 400 years ago.
Reflecting one of the most common
images of Jesus at the time, the
paintings depict Jesus as the Good
Shepherd, a young, short-haired,
beardless man with a lamb around his
shoulders. The restored fresco
depicting Jesus and his apostles in
the Roman catacomb of Santa
Domitilla.