We have a pretty good idea what Jesus looked like

vanity ^ | 3-4-11 | Dangus

[dangus]

Is it sinful to make religious icons?

And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

--Numbers 21:8-9

[G Larry]

Exodus 25:10
“You shall make an ark of acacia wood, tow and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. Plate it inside and out with pure gold around the top of it. Cast four gold rings and fasten them on the four supports of the ark, two rings on the one side and two on the opposite side. Then make poles of acacia wood and plate them with gold. These poles you are to put through the rings on the sides of the ark, for carrying it; they must remain in the rings of the ark and never be withdrawn. In the ark you are to put the commandments which I will give you.”
“You shall then make a propitiatory of pure gold, two cubits and a half ling, on one and a half cubits wide. Make two cherubim of beaten gold for the two ends of the propitiatory, fastening them so that one cherub springs direct from each end. The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, covering the propitiatory with them; they shall be turned toward each other, but with their faces looking toward the propitiatory. This propitiatory you shall then place on top of the ark. In the ark itself you are to put the commandments, I will tell you all the commands that I wish you to give the Israelites.

[SonOfDarkSkies]

The Sons of God were a race of giants

It was the offspring of the Sons of God (fallen angels) and human women who were the race of giants.

[LearsFool]

"And the LORD said unto Moses..."

I can't recall the commandment to Christians to draw/paint/sculpt images of Jesus. Can you refresh my memory?

[Ciexyz]

If Jesus was careful to wash his hands and feet, he surely also combed his hair. In any case, the traditional artwork is beautiful.

[dangus]

Notice the commonalities in all the images: Long, slender nose; low but pronounced cheekbones; heavy lower lip; long face; moderately heavy brow that falls towards the extremities; deep-set eyes.

[MsLady]

Go here and you will see a miracle. This is what Jesus looks like. I'm certain of it. Not only because of this, but, also the little boy who died and went to heaven in the book his father wrote about it. They looked at tons of pictures of Jesus. Every time they would see one they'd say, Colton, is that what Jesus looked like. Finally one day they saw a picture that Akiane painted and Colton said that was it. Even before he saw the picture he told his dad that Jesus had the most beautiful eyes. Watch the video.

Link to Video

The book about Colton is called, Heaven is for Real.

[aruanan]

Is it sinful to make religious icons?

And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

At the time it wasn't a religious icon because there was nothing it would be iconic of for another millennium and a half, give or take, but a simple matter of survival that depended on one's choosing to believe and look (ha ha, so much for Calvinism). Jesus may have alluded to it in John 12:32 when he said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." That this, not the resurrection, is referring to his being raised up on a pole is in the following verse: "This he said, signifying what death he should die."

[PetroniusMaximus]

ping

[allmendream]

[Joe 6-pack]

"I can't recall the commandment to Christians to draw/paint/sculpt images of Jesus. Can you refresh my memory?"

So if the Bible doesn't explicitly command something it is forbidden?

[Carpe Cerevisi]

I can't recall the commandment to Christians to draw/paint/sculpt images of Jesus. Can you refresh my memory?

The inside of your church must look like the inside of a civic center.

[Rippin]

Read Exodus. God commands all kinds of images to be created in the tabernacle, on vestments on the ark etc.

[RummyChick]

that one picture looks like Hulk Hogan

[LearsFool]

So if the Bible doesn't explicitly command something it is forbidden?

So you're saying God didn't give you a commandment like He gave to Moses?

[Hoodat]

Notice how Jesus looks Italian in all the paintings? I always picture him as a young Billy Crystal.

[LearsFool]

Read Exodus. God commands all kinds of images to be created in the tabernacle, on vestments on the ark etc.

You do realize, of course, that we live under a different covenant than the folks God was talking to in Exodus, right?

[dangus]

>> I can’t recall the commandment to Christians to draw/paint/sculpt images of Jesus. Can you refresh my memory? <<

Either
1. The LORD ordered Moses to break the commandments he had just given Moses, but it’s OK to break the LORD’s commandments when the LORD commands you to break the LORD’s commandments, or

2. You’re misunderstanding the commandments of the LORD.

I’m going with #2. The pagans were fashioning their own Gods. “Graven images” is better translated as “molten idols,” but King James needed an excuse to destroy the cultural memory of his illiterate subjects, who relied on pictures to help recall the stories they had learned.

In contrast, the pagans would melt down their war booty into idols, as a way of saving the precious metals until the next war. To spend their income in any way not related to war would thus be sacreligious. “To worship” was to signify obedience and allegiance.

[Joe 6-pack]

When you type the letters "L-O-R-D" you are making an icon...a visual representation that symbolizes a concept in a manner that has a generally agreed upon meaning allowing you to communicate that concept with others. Keep in mind that the very letters you type evolved from (gasp) pictures. An iconic representation of Christ is no different, and in fact, has more widely and effectively communicated that thought for two millenia.

Until Gutenberg invented the press, and for sometime after, literacy was largely the domain of clerics and the aristocracy. The vast majority of the laity's knowledge of Biblical events was communicated through painting, sculpture and stained glass. Whether or not they actually "looked" like Christ is no more important than whether or not the letters, "C-h-r-i-s-t" look like Christ. They are a means of conveying the concept of Christ.

Unless of course you have something against sharing the news of God with illiterate people...