Posted on 12/14/2009 10:51:45 AM PST by Free ThinkerNY
ROME (Reuters) - A nativity scene featuring a dark-skinned Jesus, Mary and Joseph that has gone on display in a Verona courthouse has created heated debate in a city with strong links to Italy's anti-immigration Northern League party.
The nativity's appearance coincides with the League's controversial operation "White Christmas," a two-month sweep ending on Christmas Day to ferret out foreigners without proper permits in Coccaglio, a small League-led town east of Milan.
The Christmas scene -- featuring a dark-skinned baby Jesus dressed in a red shirt and lying in a manger -- was the idea of Mario Giulio Schinaia, the chief Public Prosecutor in Verona.
"History teaches us that baby Jesus and his parents were very probably dark-skinned," Schinaia told Reuters. "This nativity belongs to a universal Christmas tradition that brings together the whole of Christianity in celebration."
The nativity has caused heated reactions in the rich northern town, where resentment toward foreigners has spread as the number of immigrants, particularly from north Africa and eastern Europe, continues to rise.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I figure he was olive-skinned. Certainly not pasty white. But, not African.
SnakeDoc
Jesus was a mans man..... don’t care what color he was. He is a representation of the God head... which defies human understanding. We are so finite...he is so infinite.
SnakeDoc
Tell those paisanos to switch to de-caf cappuchinos.
My best guess would be that he was "olive skinned." But definitely not skinny and frail. He was beaten mercilessly and carried his own cross, so must have been in very good shape. There's no mention in the bible that I know of of Jesus having ever been sick, so he was probably the perfect picture of health.
If I'm not mistaken, many modern Israelis are the descendants of Diaspora Jews from Europe, Russia, and other parts of the world. These Israelis appear more "White" looking, probably because of some level of intermixing between their Jewish ancestors and the natives of the regions in which they settled. Many of Israel's modern leaders were either born elsewhere themselves or had parents or grandparents who moved to Israel from Europe.
As a result, I think the appearance of modern Israelis is a little different than what people of that region looked like in the time of Christ. I expect Israelis of that time would have been darker and more "Middle Eastern" looking than they are now.
I believe this is what he looked like too.
You’re definitely onto something. I agree with you.
A Nordic looking Jesus probably wouldn't have fit in too well in the Israel of that day. Anyway in the day the Nordic types were busy burning each other's villages and worshiping multiple bloodthirsty gods.
Be mindful that a lot of Jews in present-day Israel emigrated there or are offspring of parents from Europe. I don’t think there’s any doubt that the composition of that part of the world has changed dramatically over history.
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