Preface Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction 1. Behold the Man? The Missing Picture of Jesus’ Appearance 2. The Ethnicity of Jesus: From the Apostle Paul to the Letter of Lentulus 3. True Image: The Legend of Veronica 4. Jesus’ Self-Portrait: The Lateran Acheropita, the Mandylion and the Turin Shroud 5 Christ Almighty: The Byzantine Cosmocrator 6. Boy Wonder-Worker: Jesus in Early Christian Art 7. Ugly or Unstable: Suffering Servant or Polymorph 8. Beard and Basics: The Ragged Philosopher 9. Flesh and Bones: Age, Height, and Body 10. Top to Toe: Dressing Jesus 11. What Jesus Looked Like List of Image Credits Index
Did the Jesus of history visually resemble the Jesus of art and iconography? Joan E. Taylor considers the evidence and presents a new vision of this most famous of men.
Joan E. Taylor is Professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King's College London, UK.
[What did Jesus Look Like?] is a rich and lavishly illustrated
adventure into a vexing historical question.
*Biblical Theology Bulletin*
[A] fascinating book. 5*
*The Sunday Telegraph*
This instructive and superbly illustrated study is a joy to
read.
*Times Literary Supplement*
[Taylor] has an enviable eye for the practicalities of life in the
New Testament’s world … It must be a promising sign, wishing a book
did not end when it does.
*The Daily Telegraph*
[A] wide-ranging, richly illustrated study.
*The Daily Mail*
Joan E. Taylor holds a well-deserved reputation as an eminent
scholar of the historical Jesus, and this book will increase
readers’ appreciation for her perceptive analysis and research… a
beautiful and highly recommended book.
*Catholic Biblical Quarterly*
In this beautifully written, lavishly artistic, and appealing book,
Taylor (King's College London, UK) challenges readers to reappraise
their mental picture of what Jesus looked like … By tracing the
artistic development of Jesus to the archaeological findings of the
period, Taylor demolishes the customary and culturally recognized
Jesus in favor of a more realistic picture of Jesus's physical
appearance. Summing Up: Highly recommended.
*CHOICE*
Taylor’s gorgeous book can be recommended for university classrooms
as a text useful for studies of Christian iconography, or the
history of ideas about Jesus.
*Reading Religion*
What Did Jesus Look Like? is significant for all who are interested
in Christian history and faith […] Each time I flipped through it
and beheld the pieces of art, I was flooded with memories of my own
experiences involving images of Jesus. Time and again, I felt like
Holmes’s comrade, Dr. Watson. With each turn of the page, I was
astounded as Taylor took historical clues and transformed my
confusion into clarity.
*The Christian Century*
A well-illustrated compact volume.
*Church Times*
Thought-provoking,informative and beautifully illustrated book ...
Although resting on plenty of solid scholarship, evidenced in the
pages of notes and bibliography, this is a very readable study and
encourages us to reflect on our own picture of Jesus and where it
has come from.
*Methodist Recorder*
I love this richly illustrated book, in which Taylor considers lots
of evidence and presents a new and strikingly different vision of
his appearance.
*The Bookseller*
Thanks to her detailed historical reconstruction, [Taylor] was able
to literally sketch out an image that stands as a more faithful
representation of the most famous man in Western history.
*Aleteia*
An exceptionally grand book … a survey so rich in textual
illustration and artistry that by the time the reader has made it
through to the end of the book their only utterance is a quietly
whispered ‘wow’ breathed out in awe … This book is genius. A term I
am not used to using of books, or most authors and scholars. But
here it applies to both book and scholar. Pure genius.
*Zwinglius Redivivus*
Compelling ... [An] impressive piece of scholarship.
*Journal of Theological Studies*
A terrific book [which] takes us on an intriguing journey into how
people thought about Jesus.
*Psephizo*
Scholarly and erudite.
*Art and Christianity*
In this beautifully illustrated volume, Joan Taylor takes readers
on a fascinating journey all the way back through mediaeval art and
relics, catacomb paintings and basilica frescoes to the historical
Jesus himself. With wide-ranging erudition and impeccable scholarly
judgement, Taylor uncovers both his physical appearance and the
clothing he most likely wore. Prepare to have your mental image of
Jesus changed forever!
*Helen K. Bond, University of Edinburgh, UK*
A lucid, organized, and beautifully illustrated survey of the ways
Christians have pictured Jesus through the centuries. Taylor writes
with the erudition of a scholar and the passion of an excellent
story teller. Highly recommended.
*Robin Jensen, University of Notre Dame, USA*
This is a book I have been waiting for, could not put down and
wished did not end when it did… I recommend this book to those
willing to embark on an intriguing journey to recover what Jesus
may have looked like. It is a great resource for teachers, artists
and preachers.
*Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 227*
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