Jesus was 6'4" ?

[LarryN]

I hope the subject line got your attention:

I'm in the middle of listening to a message delievered by Chris Tefft in a Hyles-Anderson College chapel service on 02/04/2004. If you'd like to reference it yourself, here's the link (look for it listed by date):

http://www.hylesanderson.com/chapel/chapel.php

At about 07:40 into the message, the speaker states that "Josephus, the Jewish historian, said Peter was about 6'4"; Christ was of a like stature".

Anybody ever hear anything remotely like this before? Did Josephus ever write anything in regards to Christ's physical height; and if he did, on what calculation basis was any measurement Josephus may have mentioned translated into 6 feet & 4 inches?

 

[Charles Meadows]

Galileans were reputed to be taller than those from the south. I'm not sure where the 6'4" camre from.

 

[WallyGator]

Always thought they were short, like 5'8" or shorter. Will have to look into this.

 

[TexasSky]

I don't know. I do know that they say they found more writints of Josepheus and these seem to confirm that the "testimonia" section was indeed written by Josepheus, and that his writings, as a historian, validate the New Testament scriptures from a historical perspective. It also refers to James, the brother of Jesus; and describes Jesus as a wise prophet who performed miracles.

 

[Humblesmith]

I doubt this very seriously. I just did a few quick searches of my electronic version of Josephus, and came up with nothing. Further, I don't recall it from the book by Gary Habermas, who has spent years digging through every ancient document he could find, including Josephus. Josephus does mention Christ, but not in height or any other physical description.

 

[SaggyWoman]

roflol.

 

[Humblesmith]

The closest thing I found was that in a paragraph that referred to Christ, it has a number (64). In Josephus, this is paragraph number 64, not a height in any way.

Rest assured, it's not in there.

 

[LarryN]

When I first heard the speaker say this, I had to go back & listen to it again- because I thought I must have misheard him the first time!

 

[Dannyboy]

no matter how tall my Lord is Lord indeed.
-------------------
I always figured He was short, because I'm short and made in the likeness of Him... lol

 

[Grasshopper]

Jack Hyles lives on.

 

[Johnv]

Originally posted by LarryN:
Anybody ever hear anything remotely like this before? Did Josephus ever write anything in regards to Christ's physical height; and if he did, on what calculation basis was any measurement Josephus may have mentioned translated into 6 feet & 4 inches?

I think that's a bit of a stretch (no pun intended). I do vaguely recall a Josephus reference referring to Jesus being closer to 5 feet in height, older-looking, thin haired and stooped, with joined eyebrows. In other words, Jesus probably looked like most Gallilean men of the day, and would have been of average height.

If Jesus were 6 feet tall, he would have most cetainly been described as a "giant", using the terminology of the day. Scripture makes no such reference whatsoever. In fact, you get the impression from scripture that Jesus blended easily into a crowd. There certainly would have been no reason for the Temple leaders to have paid Judas to identify Jesus at his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, since a 6 foot tall man would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

 

[Mercury]

Welcome back Johvn!

Originally posted by Johnv:
I do vaguely recall a Josephus reference referring to Jesus being closer to 5 feet in height, older-looking, thin haired and stooped, with joined eyebrows.

Are you thinking of the description of Paul by an unknown 2nd century author from Asia Minor? That description was "a man of small stature, with a bald head and crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and a nose somewhat hooked, full of friendliness." (From Acts of Paul and Thecla)

 

[Johnv]

Thanks fer the welcome

I'm not a hundred percent sure on that. I'm recollecting memory from my bible class years, which were back in nineteen eighty-something.

 

[rsr]

Originally posted by Humblesmith:
Rest assured, it's not in there.

I concur. Nor can I find any reference to Peter.

About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.

- Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3

The Testimonium has been problematic for centuries. It is not certain how much, if any, is original to Josephus. Some scholars think the whole section is a later interpolation by Christian scribes; some think that part of the text is original but has been piously augmented.

On the other hand, G. J. Goldberg has identified many similarities of Josephus' account with the Emmaus narrative in Luke; there is speculation that Josephus lifted the account from a Christian source — one that Luke also had access to — and is simply presenting Jesus as the Christians did, which accounts for the matter-of-fact assertion that Jesus was the Messiah.

[ June 29, 2005, 09:12 PM: Message edited by: rsr ]

 

[dianetavegia]

Isaiah 53:1 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.

When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, they had to have a sign to point out which one He was. Jesus blended in with the other men.

Luke 22:48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? 49 When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? 50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. 51 And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? 53 When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

 

[Jim1999]

CNN ran this item some time ago. They had Jesus at 5' 1"
web page

Cheers,

Jim

 

[dianetavegia]

So Popular Mechanics, eh? Pretty chubby face for a guy of 110 lbs.

The Shroud of Turin information claims slender and 5'7".

 

[Humblesmith]

This whole discussion brings up a good point. I don't know the brother who made the sermon in the initial question, but I'm convinced he got his facts wrong, and presented them as true. I'm sure he had good intentions. As Christians, and especailly as teachers, we should be very careful to have our facts straight. Our credibility should be high. When we mis-quote something, we lose credibility.

 

[Johnv]

Originally posted by dianetavegia:
The Shroud of Turin information claims slender and 5'7".

Unfortunately, the Shroud of Torino (Turin) can't be authenticated as being of Jewish origin, neither can it be authenticated to be of the time of Christ. Carbon dating puts the shroud at being only about 500 years old. On top of that, the "blood" stains have been tested, and have been found to be red ocre, a pigment used by artisans. No blood has been found on the shroud. Also, top-to-bottom laying of a shroud on a body is inconsistent with Jewish burial techniques. The Jews wrapped a body tightly. There was a practical reason for this. A body waas laid in a tomb or catacombs for about a year, allowing it to decompose. After a year, the bones were taken and put in an ossuary, a small box about the size of a breadbasket. That box was permanently interred. Tightly wrapping a body in linen assured that the bones remained intact after decomposition.

I think the Shroud is an incredibly great work of medieval art depicting the suffering of Jesus, and should be displayed as a priceless treasure. But, alas, it is not the burial cloth of our Savior.

 

[mioque]

I didn't know Chris Tefft is Roman Catholic.

It's good to see that Hyles-Anderson College has finally embraced Ecumenism.
One of the churches in Rome named after St. John has a plate resting on 4 pillars that lies on the exact height Jezus had when he was alife. At least that is what the RCC claims. If one assumes that it is correct than Jezus was indeed 1.90 m. long*.

*That's 6'4" for those few still using imperial measurements.