Gauracandra Posted December 26, 2002 Report Share Posted December 26, 2002 This is just stupid. Its like saying I know what George Washington looked like, and then picking out the skull of Benjamin Franklin and working off of that. From science and computers, a new face of Jesus By Jeordan Legon CNN Wednesday, December 25, 2002 Posted: 3:36 PM EST (2036 GMT) This recreation of what Jesus may have looked like graces the cover of Popular Mechanics this month. (CNN) -- The Jesus plastered on the cover of this month's Popular Mechanics has a broad peasant's face, dark olive skin, short curly hair and a prominent nose. He would have been 5-foot-1-inch tall and weighed 110 pounds, if the magazine is to be believed. This representation is quite different from the typical lithe, long-haired, light-skinned and delicate-featured depiction of the man Christians consider the son of God. Israeli and British forensic anthropologists and computer programmers got together to create the face depicted in the 1.2-million circulation magazine, which occasionally diverts from its usual coverage of motors and tools to cover the merger of science and religion. "What did Jesus look like?" the article says. "An answer has emerged from an exciting new field of science: forensic anthropology." Looking in on forensic anthropology The same science has been used to create artists' depictions of dozens of famous faces, including the father of Alexander the Great and King Midas of Phrygia. The depiction of Christ is based in large part on the work of Richard Neave, a medical artist retired from the University of Manchester in England. "Using archaeological and anatomical science rather than artistic interpretation makes this the most accurate likeness ever created," Jean Claude Gragard, producer of the BBC documentary "Son of God," told The London Times. Gragard used the same image last year in his series. "It isn't the face of Jesus, because we're not working with the skull of Jesus, but it is the departure point for considering what Jesus would have looked like," he added. How they started Neave and a team of researchers started with an Israeli skull dating back to the 1st century. They then used computer programs, clay, simulated skin and their knowledge about the Jewish people of the time to determine the shape of the face, and color of eyes and skin. They turned to the Bible to determine the length of his hair. In the New Testament, "would Paul (one of the apostles) have written, 'If a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him' if Jesus Christ had had long hair?" the article surmises. The magazine's editors admit they cannot be certain how accurate the reconstruction of the face is. 'Hard to find a lot of evidence' "There is no way that we are saying this is the skull of Jesus," Popular Mechanic's Mike Fillon told CNN. "Christians believe ... that Jesus' entire body was resurrected, so there would never be any bones or skull or DNA evidence of Jesus. Plus, his ministry was very, very short. So it would be hard to find a lot of evidence." Instead the article focuses on describing the painstaking effort of recreating the face and how science and theology both played a part in the process. Despite the concerns over accuracy, Alison Galloway, a professor of anthropology at the University of California in Santa Cruz, told Popular Mechanics that: "This is probably a lot closer to the truth than the work of many great masters." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted December 26, 2002 Report Share Posted December 26, 2002 Yeah like all Jews looked the same back then. Anything to sell some pulp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted December 26, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2002 I think Time magazine was the one that originally put this on their cover. It was some months back. But how can anyone take these guys seriously. The truth of the matter, is as you said, they put it on to sell magazines. Every year, around Christmas or Easter, or some other such day they come out with "Who was Moses?" or "The truth behind Noah's Ark", etc... because they know there are lots of Christians who will buy it. Its good for business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leyh Posted December 29, 2002 Report Share Posted December 29, 2002 Does it matter what Jesus looked like physically? In Nectar of Instruction, Srila Prabhupada warns against seeing a pure devotee from a materialistic point of view. Speculating about the physical apperance of Jesus is just a waste of time. Better to try to follow him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted December 29, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2002 Good point Leyh. Even if this is what Jesus looked liked, the point is to follow the message. My thinking was more the unscientific nature of these scientists. Too often anyone wearing a white lab coat can get away with saying anything, and yet people miss the most basic holes in the arguments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhav Posted December 29, 2002 Report Share Posted December 29, 2002 A look is about beauty. Beauty is in the eyes (mind/heart) of the beholder. A look is a tool/weapon of maya. Abraham Lincoln's look was not beautiful, I have heard. Vyasadev was blakish and ugly looking. Swami Muktananda was so beautiful that his guru Swami Sahajananda had ordered him to cover his whole body and head except the front face, so that women would not get attracted to him. A look can attract people, but cannot hold them for long if there is no beauty of character. Once a noble character beauty of a person becomes known, a look becomes transparent. Jai Sri Krishna! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted December 29, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2002 Swami Muktananda was so beautiful that his guru Swami Sahajananda had ordered him to cover his whole body and head except the front face, so that women would not get attracted to him. This is funny. In a similar vein, I have heard a story (don't remember from where) that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur refused at first to initiate Krsnadas Babaji Maharaj, on the grounds that his good looks would attract all the women to the ashram. I'm not sure if this story is true, but I found it funny /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhav Posted December 31, 2002 Report Share Posted December 31, 2002 he was an advanced sadhu. he was not a bit unhappy about covering his body. such thing is good for sadhu as well as women and of course good for the sampradaya. Jai Sri Krishna! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarun Posted January 28, 2003 Report Share Posted January 28, 2003 Definitely Jesus. Trust me. I could spot him from 100 meters. I know because I helped this very same Jesus cross the US-Mex border at Laredo Feb1973. Jesus Jimenez, born & bred in Guanaguato, Guanaguato. =========== Attracting people to temples? As soon as I saw her ringing her little bell while circling Tulasi... I philosophically decided to shave up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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