Jesus wasn’t white with long hair as scientists reveal he had washboard abs

Experts have revealed what Jesus would have looked and while there aren’t many physical descriptions of Jesus in the bible, experts say the holy man would have been ‘strong and lean’

Experts have revealed what Jesus likely would have looked like – he had washboard abs that would have sent ladies into meltdown 2,000 years ago.

Dr Meredith Warren, senior lecturer in Biblical and religious studies at Sheffield University, said the muscular depictions of Jesus aren’t “completely off the mark” because he would probably have been “strong and lean” due to his occupation as a carpenter.

She said: “Jesus comes from a family where manual labour is the norm, and he certainly gets exercise with all the walking around.” She added how over time artworks of Jesus began to change from depicting him as a traditional shepherd to an all-powerful creator.

“Later, when we get the idea of an all-powerful Christ as Creator, his depiction aligns with the way Zeus or Jupiter is imaged: with beard and longer hair,” she added. These depictions of Jesus show him with a strong chiselled build, with large arms and biceps included.

The Bible doesn’t actually include many physical descriptions of Jesus but one of the things it does tell us is how Jesus’ appearance was indistinctive.

When Jesus was taken by Roman soldiers at the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas was needed to identify Jesus among a crowd of other Judean men. Dr Warren stated: “Jesus would have had brown skin, brown eyes, like the local population.

“He died before he was 40. He wasn’t rich and would have spent a lot of time outdoors, so some lines on that face, probably. His hands and feet were probably calloused and rough.”

In Dr Warren’s opinion the best representations of what Jesus might have looked like come from ancient Egyptian mummy portraits.

These portraits were made for men that passed away between 80-120 AD and were in a similar part of the world where Jesus lived. Professor Joan Taylor, a historian of the Bible and early Christianity, weighs into the debate around Jesus’ physique.

“Jesus did a lot of walking, during his mission, and his trade was as a carpenter or constructor, so he was not a couch potato,” she revealed.

“He and his disciples essentially lived on hospitality, charity and they shared food, so I don’t think he ate that much. I see him more as wiry than bulky.”

Due to Jesus travelling on foot a lot and eating very little, it’s very unlikely he we would have had some of the bulging muscles that some artists depict him with.

However, due to his manual labour and smaller diet, Jesus with a six-pack may be closer to reality than you would think.