When we think of prominent men from the ancient Near East, it is common to think of them as having beards. However, there is a school of thought that Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, did not have a beard. We even see this idea in some ancient sources. What is the basis for this idea, and what does the evidence really show?
Early depictions of Jesus without a beard
One of the primary reasons why some people think Jesus did not have a beard is because of early depictions of him. One example is a depiction on the Antioch Chalice. This is an ancient chalice or, possibly, standing lamp dating to the sixth century.
On this chalice, there are depictions of numerous people. Among other important people, it appears to show Jesus himself. Notably, Jesus is not shown with a beard. Although nowhere near contemporary, this is still earlier than the vast majority of medieval Christian artwork.
Prior to the early third century, images of Christian scenes are found on the walls of catacombs. Many of these show Jesus himself. One example is a scene depicting the resurrection of Lazarus. The risen Lazarus is seen coming out of his tomb with Jesus standing in front of it with his hand outstretched.
These early depictions always show Jesus as beardless. Essentially, he looks like a Roman. It is not until the late third century that we begin to see Jesus with a beard.
Earlier evidence
It is easy to see why the viewpoint that Jesus did not have a beard is so appealing. It is directly supported by the earliest depictions of him. Nonetheless, there is earlier evidence that we can use, just not in the form of actual depictions.
The gospels themselves provide an account of Jesus’ life that dates from long before even the earliest of those catacomb depictions. A fragment of the Gospel of John from the mid-second century in Egypt proves that it had already been written before then at the latest. Additionally, all evidence shows that John was the last gospel to be written.
Therefore, the evidence from the four gospels themselves is far weightier than the evidence from even the earliest of the catacomb depictions. So, what does the evidence from those contemporary or near-contemporary accounts reveal about Jesus’ appearance?
Jewish law
One important factor to bear in mind is that it was actually Jewish law for men to keep a respectable beard. In the Mosaic Law, we find the following command:
“You must not shave the hair on the side of your head or disfigure the edges of your beard.” – Leviticus 19:27.
Of course, this does not mean that the Jews were not allowed to cut their beards at all. Other Biblical texts show that it was normal to attend to one’s beard. They did not leave them unkempt. Nonetheless, they were not to shave their beard entirely, nor ‘disfigure’ it.
The Jews still followed the Mosaic Law in the time of Jesus. Some groups, in fact, were even stricter about it than the Jews had originally been when they first received the Law. Therefore, we can be confident that this law about beards was still relevant.
Jesus followed the law about having a beard
If Jesus followed the Mosaic Law, then he obviously must have had a beard. Is there any evidence concerning Jesus’ views on the Mosaic Law? There certainly is. Jesus spoke about the Law on a number of occasions. During his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said the following:
“Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I came, not to destroy, but to fulfill.” – Matthew 5:17
Later, in one of his letters, the Apostle Paul described Jesus as being “under law.” That is, Jesus was obedient to the Mosaic Law. Therefore, based on this early evidence, we can be sure that Jesus highly respected the Law and followed it in all its details.
With this being the case, Jesus obviously would have obeyed the law about not shaving one’s beard. If he had shaved his beard, then his opposers would have criticized him for it. On several occasions, the Pharisees, a strict Jewish religious group, criticized Jesus for perceived violations of the Law.
Yet, there is no record that anyone ever criticized Jesus for not having a beard. This, again, supports the conclusion that he did indeed have one.
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