“The point of these images was never
to show Jesus as a man, but to make
theological points about who Jesus
was as Christ (King, Judge) and
divine Son,” Joan Taylor, professor of
Christian origins and second temple
Judaism at King's College
London, wrote in The Irish Times.
“They have evolved over time to the
standard ‘Jesus’ we recognize.”
Of course, not all images of
Jesus conform to the dominant
image of him portrayed in
Western art. In fact, many
different cultures around the
world have depicted him,
visually at least, as one of their
own.
“Cultures tend to portray prominent
religious figures to look like the
dominant racial identity,” Cargill
explains.