Even though there is no physical description of Jesus in the New Testament. Christians have always been creative when it comes to drawing God with their own hands, in various images, artwork, statues and idols.
The conventional image of a bearded Jesus with long hair emerged around 300 AD, and became established after the 6th century. Before 300 AD, the Early Christian Church considered illustrating Jesus Christ as controversial so avoided it.
Christians in India worship Jesus Christ, who is often pictured bearing a striking resemblance to popular Hindu Gods, such as Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu etc. 1
Seated in a Hindu God-like upright, erect body, cross-legged lotus position
Thumb and forefinger touching (Yogi)
Four arms (Vishnu God) with symbols painted on palms
Sun Halo glowing from head
Wearing Crux cross necklace
Striking heart on chest (Hanuman God's open chest)
Red dot (Bindi) on forehead
Saffron cloth draped over (Agni holy color)
Garland of flowers (Mala) around neck, and seated on flower bed
Image of Jesus Christ and Krishna the Hindu God holding hands depicts unity, and closeness between Christianity and Hinduism. Perfect for missionary activity!
Christianity teaches worship of Jesus Christ through imagery
It is known, the creators of Jesus' artwork were appreciative of local cultures and adapted their version of God to fit in with local customs, ethnicity, racial characteristics and social expectations.
Below are 99 images of Jesus Christ that Christians adorn their homes with, and subsequently worship.
(hover over image for country of origin)
To view the development of Jesus' image in the first 400 years, click here Jesus - God with No Face
Islam forbids the drawing of Jesus, or any other Prophet
Islam strictly forbids drawing images or illustrations of any Prophet of God. As it involves detracting from their status and showing disrespect to them. It is a transgression against their dignity and undermines the Prophets as the best of God's creation. 2
Who is GOD? In monotheism and henotheism, God is conceived as the Supreme Being and principal object of faith. The concept of God as described by theologians commonly includes the attributes of omniscience (infinite knowledge), omnipotence (unlimited power), omnipresence (present everywhere), omnibenevolence
(perfect goodness), divine simplicity, and eternal and necessary existence.
<ul>
<li>In theism, God is the creator and sustainer of the universe</li>
<li>In deism, God is the creator, but not the sustainer, of the universe</li>
<li>Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one God or in the oneness of God</li>
<li>In pantheism, God is the universe itself</li>
<li>In atheism, God is purported not to exist, while deemed unknown or unknowable within the context of agnosticism. </li>
</ul>