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How Tall was the Lord Jesus Christ?
What did the Lord Jesus Christ look like? Was He over six feet tall in height?
In modern times, people are very fascinated with how people look. Today, we're going to look at the Lord's height and weight from a biblical and historical perspective.
It's important to note here that The Bible doesn't say precisely in the New Testament or the Old Testament how tall The Lord Jesus was.
Educated Guesses On The Lord Jesus' Height From Across The Web
- The new consensus is that He's about 5'1" to 5'5" tall
- The Lord Jesus was probably not physically tall in height. This is the belief of most scholars who have studied the heights of men during the time of The Lord Jesus.
- Some believe He was probably around 5 feet 1 inch tall and this is based on the average height of men in that area at that time. Since according to Isaiah, He didn't have any form or comeliness(attractiveness) it would follow that He wasn't remarkably tall.
- Some scholars even believe he was about 5'7"(1.70m) tall. Many previously had Him around 6 feet tall based on The Shroud of Turin
- How Did The Lord Jesus look? Based on the prevailing consensus at the time of this writing, however, most scholars believe He was around 5 foot 5 inches tall in height.
Scholarly Reconstruction of The Lord Jesus’ Physical Appearance with Bibliographic Details & Quotes
| Feature | Likely Characteristics | Scholarly References & Key Quotes |
|---|---|---|
| Skin Tone / Complexion | Olive to light-brown / brown; typical of Levantine populations. | Geza Vermes, Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospels (1973, SCM Press) — “Jesus would have had the appearance of a typical first-century Galilean Jew: dark skin, hair and eyes.” Shimon Gibson, The Final Days of Jesus: The Archaeological Evidence (2009, Westminster John Knox) — “The complexion typical of the region was olive or brownish, influenced by Mediterranean sun.” |
| Hair | Dark (brown/black), coarse, probably curly or wavy; medium length, not long flowing locks. | Geza Vermes (1973) — “Hair would have been short to medium length, curly or wavy, rather than the long flowing hair of later Christian art.” John Dominic Crossan, The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant (1991, HarperSanFrancisco) — “Jesus’ hair and beard would have matched the common styles of Jewish men of his time.” |
| Eyes | Dark brown, typical of the region’s population. | Joe Zias, physical anthropology studies — “Eye color in the region was overwhelmingly brown or dark.” (Various academic papers, 1990s-2000s) |
| Height & Body Build | Approximately 5'1"–5'7" (155–170 cm); lean, rugged build, shaped by outdoor labor and lifestyle. | Joe Zias, “Physical Anthropology of the New Testament and Early Christian Period” (various journals) — “The average height for males in 1st-century Judea was around 5'5". Most had lean muscular builds due to lifestyle.” Shimon Gibson (2009) — “Men’s stature and physique reflected a diet and labor-intensive life.” J. Lawrence Hodge & Thomas Hodge, Jesus and His World (2012, Baker Academic) — “The physical demands of daily life produced a fit, sturdy frame.” |
| Facial Features | Strong, possibly broad nose, prominent brow, angular jaw; beard likely present. | Richard Neave, forensic reconstruction (2001) — “Based on skulls from the era, the face would be somewhat broad with a prominent brow ridge, a typical Semitic visage.” Geza Vermes (1973) — “Jesus would have worn a beard, as was customary for Jewish men.” |
| Clothing | Simple tunic, mantle (himatia), prayer shawl (tallit); sandals; modest, practical fabrics. | J. Lawrence Hodge & Thomas Hodge (2012) — “Typical clothing for a Jewish peasant included a simple wool or linen tunic, a mantle for warmth, and sandals.” James H. Charlesworth (Ed.), Jesus Research (2000, Eerdmans) — “Jesus’ dress would align with Jewish customs and practicality.” |
| Overall Appearance | Average, weathered by physical labor and travel; unremarkable by later artistic standards. | John Dominic Crossan (1991) — “Jesus’ appearance would have been ordinary, unremarkable, suited to a peasant.” Geza Vermes (1973) — “He would have blended in with the local population rather than stand out.” Shimon Gibson (2009) — “The appearance reflected the realities of a life of hardship and manual work.” |
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And so, while it may be a bit difficult to pinpoint His exact height, we can make some historical and biblical surmisings on the topic of the height or stature of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's use understanding to figure out how tall He probably was!
The Lord Jesus' Height From A Biblical Perspective
How Tall Was Jesus based on Scripture?
- It is not known from the biblical record how tall the Lord Jesus was but if we look at the average height of men in that time in that part of the world, The Lord Jesus' may have been around 5'1"-5'7" tall.
- You might say that He could have been taller, but if we go based on Scripture, he didn't have form or comeliness or nothing that would cause people to be attracted to Him or single Him out.This is found in Isaiah 53:2. We can therefore assume that the Lord Jesus was probably not physically tall, which is contrary to the surmising of the Shroud of Turin 3D Model of the body of The Lord Jesus which has Him at 5'11"-6' tall, a full 6 inches taller than the average man of The Lord's Day. This is another piece of evidence against The Shroud of Turin which is not accepted by many biblical scholars, including myself, as authentic.
- So taking this biblical reference and the historical evidence we can assume that the Lord was around the average height.
Historical Evidence of The Lord Jesus' Weight and The Weight of His cross.
How heavy was the Lord Jesus?
- Some historians believe He was maybe 142 pounds.
- Other historians have estimated his weight between 100-130 pounds.
- So the Lord Jesus was probably around 5'1- 5'5" and between 100-130 pounds or between 45kg to 64kg.
Church Fathers on The Lord Jesus' Appearance
| Church Father | Quote or Summary on Jesus’ Appearance |
|---|---|
| St. Irenaeus (c. 130–202) | |
| Against Heresies | "Christ appeared in human form, not as an apparition. His form was ordinary and humble, consistent with the Scriptures which say He had no form or majesty to attract us." |
| St. Ambrose (c. 340–397) | |
| Exameron | “The Lord was not beautiful in form, nor outwardly attractive, but His beauty lay in His divine and inner grace.” |
| St. Hilary of Poitiers (c. 310–367) | |
| On the Trinity | “The Lord did not shine with the external beauty of a king, but with the holiness of His character and actions.” |
| St. Jerome (c. 347–420) | |
| Letter 122 to Eustochium | “The appearance of Jesus was as that of any other man; He had no glory except in His works and teachings, which were divine.” |
| St. Athanasius (c. 296–373) | |
| On the Incarnation | “The Lord assumed the form of a servant, not to be seen in the majesty of His eternal nature, but to manifest divine humility and love through His human body.” |
| St. Basil the Great (c. 329–379) | |
| Homily on the Nativity | "Christ took on a human form that was indistinguishable from others in physical appearance, so that His divinity might be revealed in His actions and miracles." |
| St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–395) | |
| On the Making of Man | "Christ did not assume a body that was of extraordinary beauty, but rather one that reflected the fullness of our nature, to heal it and raise it up." |
| St. Theodore of Mopsuestia (c. 350–428) | |
| Commentary on the Gospel of John | “Jesus was born as any ordinary man, with no extraordinary outward beauty. His appearance was humble, consistent with His humble life.” |
| St. Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–215) | |
| The Stromata | "He had the appearance of a man like any other. His outward appearance was that of the common people, not of kings or princes." |
| St. Justin Martyr (c. 100–165) | |
| Dialogue with Trypho | "The Lord had no beauty in His outward form. His strength was not in His appearance but in His character and His words." |
Side note: How heavy was the cross of The Lord Jesus Christ?
- The exact weight of Jesus' cross is a matter of historical and theological debate.
- In 1870, Charles Rohault de Fleury determined that The Lord Jesus cross weighed 165 pounds.
- However other historians have the weight of the cross around 300 pounds (136 Kilograms).
Get More Bible Answers To Your Questions
What Was The Lord Jesus Christ's height? Isaiah 53 (Old Testament)Talks About The Physical Appearance of The Lord Jesus Christ
- Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
- 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
- 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
- 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.Bible Verses About Not Giving Up (Powerful)
- 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
The Lord's Height Conclusion
We hope that you've enjoyed our article on how tall The Lord Jesus was.
So what was the Lord Jesus Christ's height?
- While we can't say definitely how tall He was, we can assume he was as tall as the average man in that area and time, making Him about 5'1"- 5'5" tall in height.
Sidenote: How Tall was Goliath?
What Next? Read our Bible Verses About Friendship and Brotherhood
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