Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu (Garance A. Drosehn) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Jesus' physical appearance Message-ID: Date: 9 Jun 91 18:27:09 GMT Article-I.D.: athos.Jun.9.14.27.08.1991.24911 Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 36 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu [In response to a discussion on the appearance of Jesus, mejicovs@eniac.seas.upenn.edu writes: > If you read the passage popularly referred to as the Suffering Servant > in Isaiah then you see, beside some heavily veiled references that some > believe point to Jesus, the description of the Messiah as being > > not so fair in appearance... > acquainted with pains and diseases... > despised of men... > > I don't know why people don't actually *read* this passage and then try > to match it up with Jesus rather than skimming it and assuming that they > match up because everyone says they do... --clh] To pin that passage down a bit more, I expect you're talking about Isaiah chapter 53. Verse 2 certainly implies a person with an appearance below average. There is nothing there that hints that the suffering servant would have to have a bad leg though. I don't know about the curved shoulders bit, perhaps that's what is meant by "he hath no form" (in verse 2)? That seems plausible to me, but I don't know if that verse really insists on a suffering servant with curved shoulders. If the written gospels are right, then there are many parallels between Isaiah 53 and the events recorded in the gospels. Jesus *was* despised, he was crucified in fact. The gospels claim that a whole crowd of people thought it quite reasonable to crucify him. It's reasonably to assume those people weren't exactly thrilled with him and his message. They rejected him. The churches I've been in have often refered to this chapter in detail, and compare the lines in the passage to events Jesus went thru. We may differ with you over some interpretations, but certainly we've done more than skim over the passage while simply assuming it must refer to Jesus. - - - - - - - - Garance Alistair Drosehn = gad@rpi.edu or gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu