By Steven Bancarz| It is suggested by some in the psuedo-Biblical cult known as the Black Hebrew Israelite movement that Jesus of Nazareth was a black man (and that He only could have been black, because black people are the real Jews), and the verse used to support this idea are in Revelation 1:14-15 where it says:
“The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.“
Before we look at this verse in detail, it’s important to note that as a first century middle eastern man, Jesus would have likely had olive-colored skin. Anthropologically speaking, it can be easily researched as to what the normal complexion of a Palestinian Jew would have looked like in the first century.
But anthropology aside, let’s take a look at this verse and see if the Black Hebrew Israelite movement is justified in claiming that this particular passage teaches that Jesus Christ must have been a black-skinned man. Obviously, it’s not that there would be anything wrong with Jesus being black-skinned, but when false teachers begin to use the Bible to push their cult beliefs (in this case, that black-skinned people are spiritually advantaged, more preferable to God than whites, can alone inherit salvation, etc.), it’s good to cross-check these claims against the word of God. We shouldn’t need Jesus to be any particular skin color, but we should need the word of God to be represented correctly.
Hair like wool
“The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow.” (Rev. 1:14)
The verse says his hair was white like wool, not that it was textured like wool. It is a comment about the color, not the texture or form. If I said that someone’s hair was red like apples, this does not mean we should envision or depict them with apples on their head. Or if someone’s hair is “orange like carrots”, that we should envision their hair as being in the shape of carrots.
Jesus is not said to have hair like wool, but to have hair the color of wool. It actually says in verse 14b that it was white like snow as well, and obviously Jesus doesn’t have hair is textured like snowflakes. So the texture, style, and form is not articulated; only the colour. So, why was it white like wool? This may be because Jesus was in a glorified form in this vision, and just as we see from verse 16 that “his face was like the sun shining in full strength”, the hair of Jesus was also radiating and illuminating the glory of God, which is often depicted as white/yellow light. The fullness of the glory of Christ was seen by some of the disciples in Matthew 17 during the transfiguration on the mount, where it says:
And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. – Matthew 17:2
The clothes he was wearing became white as a result of the glorification, implying that they weren’t originally white. “Became” implies a process of change. They used to be a colour other than white, and then they became white from the glory. It is probable that the hair of Jesus was white in the same context that his clothes were white in the transfiguration, being totally and completely illuminated from the glory of God emanating from him, causing a transformation in visible colour.
Feet like burnished bronze
His feet were like “burnished bronze” as it says in the ESV, or “refined brass” as it says in the KJV. If we are going to look at the English translation only and assume this is a reference to skin colour, we could at most say this is a dark tan, and may have been closer to a gold/light-brown if we are going to go with the KJV says (which Black Hebrew Israelites will often use as their primary translation).
Polished brass and fine brass are not black or dark brown. It is golden/tanned. However, burnished bronze is closer to a dark brown. Doesn’t this text prove Jesus had dark skin, verifying the claims of the Black Hebrew Israelites? Not necessarily, for two primary reasons.
1. The Greek word used for “bronze” and “brass” is ambiguous.
Difficulties arise when we look at the original word that is used here. The word used here in Greek is χαλκολίβανον or “chalkolibanon” which can mean bronze, refined brass, golden ore, or even white/shining copper:
However, we cannot be certain of which alloy his feet are said to be like as this word in Greek is used not anywhere else in Scripture prior to this verse, or anywhere else in ancient Greek literature:
“The feet are likened to chalkolibanon. This word is not found anywhere before this book, and neither here nor in its other occurrence (2:18) does the context make clear what it means. Bronze glowing in a furnace may be right but we have no way of knowing. The chalko-points to an alloy of copper (chalkos = copper), but the evidence does not permit us to say with any certainty which alloy. The reference to the furnace strengthens the conviction that something metallic is in mind.” – Morris, L. (1987). Revelation: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 58). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
“Fine brass. This may stand as a translation of χαλκολίβανος, a word which occurs here and in ch. 2:18 only, and the second half of which has never been satisfactorily explained. It may have been a local technical term in use among the metalworkers of Ephesus” – Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Revelation (p. 7). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
“The difficult compound word χαλκολιβάνῳ, “bronze,” is found just twice in Revelation (here and 2:18) and nowhere else in ancient Greek literature.” – Aune, D. E. (1998). Revelation 1–5 (Vol. 52A, p. 96). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.
2. Feet like burnished bronze may be a symbolic simile for attributes of Christ, not a reference to skin colour.
Furthermore, the reference to the bronze coloured feet may be a simile for divinity and divine judgement:
“Among the lampstands John saw Someone “like a Son of Man,” an expression used in Daniel 7:13 to refer to Christ. The description was that of a priest dressed in a long robe … with a golden sash around his chest. The whiteness of His hair corresponded to that of the Ancient of Days (cf. Dan. 7:9), a reference to God the Father. God the Son has the same purity and eternity as God the Father, as signified by the whiteness of His head and hair. The eyes like blazing fire described His piercing judgment of sin (cf. Rev. 2:18). This concept is further enhanced by His feet which were like bronze glowing in a furnace (cf. 2:18). The bronze altar in the temple was related to sacrifice for sin and divine judgment on it.” – Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 930–931). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
“Christ’s feet are described as “like bronze as having been fired in a furnace,” which suggests his moral purity and will become the basis for his demand that those among whom he walks must reflect this purity in the midst of moral torpitude (cf. 3:18, where “fired” is used in this manner).” Beale, G. K. (1999). The book of Revelation: a commentary on the Greek text (pp. 209–210). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
Figures in the early church understood his bronze feet could mean a variety of things including a metaphor for the apostles themselves, for the two natures of Christ, for the human nature of Christ, and for the church itself.
It says in verse 14 that his eyes were like a flame of fire, and at the end of verse 15 that his voice is like a roar of many waters. Does this mean Jesus had orange eyes, or is this a simile for His piercing omniscience that sees right to the core of our soul? Did Jesus’ voice actually sound like water, or is this a simile for power and authority of His speech? In 16 it says that he was holding stars and that a sword was coming out of his mouth. Was Jesus actually holding literal stars and was a literal sword coming out of his mouth, or is this metaphorical imagery for the attributes and functions of Jesus, such as a sword of Judgement? A very strong argument can be made that the literary genre this book is written in (Apocalypse) permits us to adopt the view that this is metaphorical, poetic imagery attempting to portray the attributes of Jesus, just as the surrounding verses in 14 and 16 do.
Conclusion
Jesus did not have hair like wool. His hair was white like wool and snow, and this is best explained by Jesus being in a transfigured glorified state illuminated with the light of God’s glory. Just like saying someone has hair that is orange like carrots does not mean that their hair looks like a bunch of carrots.
But what about his feet? To call Jesus black based on this text is not only going above and beyond the certainty of the original Greek word used here (chalkolibanon) which can also refer to brass, gold, copper, and any kind of alloy, it is to ignore the metaphorical imagery that contextualizes and surrounds these specific verses. It is far too ambiguous and can just as equally mean fine brass (which is golden).
Furthermore, it says in verse 16 that Jesus’s face was like the sun shining in full strength, which means his face isn’t described as being bronze like his feet are. We all know this is a reference to Jesus being the light of the world and being lit up in glory, which is the whole point. We know Jesus here doesn’t actually have yellow-white skin on his face but simply a face that shines in glory like the sun. Likewise, we need not assume Jesus had bronze-coloured feet (with a yellow-white face) but feet that were sanctified, purified, and divine.
