The question of whether Jesus was black or not is a controversial and complex one. The Bible does not provide a specific physical description of Jesus, and historical records from the time are scarce. However, we do have some information that can help us form an opinion.
First, we know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is located in modern-day Israel. This means that he was likely a Middle Eastern Jew, with features typical of that region. However, it’s important to remember that the Middle East has been a crossroads of cultures, religions, and ethnicities for thousands of years, so it’s difficult to make generalizations.
Second, there is evidence to suggest that people in the ancient Near East had a range of skin tones. For example, ancient Egyptian art sometimes depicted people with darker skin, as did some Greek and Roman sources. This suggests that it’s possible that Jesus may have had a darker complexion.
However, it’s also important to remember that race as we understand it today is a relatively recent social construct. In Jesus’s time, people identified more strongly with their family, tribe, or religion than with a particular racial group. So while it’s interesting to speculate about what Jesus may have looked like, it’s not really relevant to his teachings or his message of love, peace, and salvation for all people.
