Many Christians wonder what God looks like and one of the frequent questions is how tall God is. In this article, we will try to find out the answer to this question.
What is God?
Orthodox Christianity believes that God the Father is an indivisible, eternal, and infinite being that is beyond human comprehension.
However, it isn’t so much simple. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity teaches that God is one in essence and three in persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Each of these three persons is co-equal and co-eternal, existing in perfect unity and harmony.
God The Father
While the Bible uses anthropomorphic language to describe God the Father in terms of human traits, such as God’s hand or arm, these descriptions are considered metaphorical rather than literal.
Orthodoxy believes that God the Father doesn’t have a physical height or size, because God is everywhere.
Since God the Father doesn’t have a physical body, only the idea of the divine as a lofty or sublime presence exists in Orthodox Christian worship and theology.
The term “heavenly” is often used to describe God, and the Orthodox liturgy frequently includes references to the “King of Heaven” or the “Lord of Hosts.” This language conveys a sense of awe and reverence for the divine that emphasizes its otherworldly and transcendent nature. Therefore, any image of God the Father in the form of a wise man on the clouds is not only incorrect but even forbidden in Orthodoxy.
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Jesus Christ
The height of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity, isn’t directly recorded in the Bible, nor is there any historical or archeological evidence to suggest his physical stature.
Therefore, it’s impossible to determine how tall Jesus Christ was. However, some historical and cultural factors can provide some insight into what his height may have been.
It’s important to know that the concept of height wasn’t as significant in the ancient world as it is today.
Unlike modern times, where height is often equated with power and success, in ancient times, other things such as strength, skill, and intelligence were more highly valued. Because of this the height of historical figures was often not recorded, as it wasn’t considered relevant or noteworthy.
We can assume the physical characteristics of ancient people from Israel where Jesus was born and make some guesses.
Anthropological and Archaelogical Evidence
Based on the anthropological and archaeological evidence, it’s generally believed that the average height of Jewish men in ancient Israel was around 165 cm. In ancient times, people were smaller than now, visiting any ancient castle we can notice how low the doors are there. The same was in ancient Judea, many people could be even less than 165 centimeters.
However, it’s also important to note that this is only an estimate, and there would have been a significant degree of variation depending on factors such as diet, genetics, and lifestyle.
We can also look to artistic representations of Jesus throughout history to see how artists have depicted him. These depictions aren’t accurate or based on any historical evidence. Rather, they are influenced by the cultural and artistic norms of the time in which they were created.
In early Christian art, such as the mosaics found in the Catacombs, Jesus is typically depicted as a beardless youth of medium height, with curly hair. This shows that the first Christians depicted a medium-sized Christ, for them it wasn’t so important, the main thing was to show that he was a human who lived on Earth.
In later medieval and Renaissance art, Jesus is often depicted as a tall person. In both Western and Eastern paintings, Christ had a good physique and developed muscles.
This reflects the cultural values of the time, where height was associated with power and authority. However, these depictions were often based on the personal preferences of individual artists and were not intended to be historically accurate.
The concept of the infinite nature of God is also reflected in the Orthodox Christian tradition of iconography.
In Orthodox painting, the main thing is the image of the spiritual state of a person, so the artist could only emphasize the suffering of Christ on the cross, showing his exhausted body, which had been perfect before. So, the proportions of figures in Orthodox iconography aren’t based on realism, but rather on their spiritual significance.
At the same time, if we accept the authenticity of the shroud of Turin, then according to research, Christ had a colossal height of 178-180 centimeters for those times.
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is depicted in the form of a dove since this is the only material form of the Holy Spirit that has appeared before people. «and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”» (Luke 3:22)
The Holy Spirit can also be depicted in the form of the tongues of fire. «They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.» (Acts 2:3)
However, such a manifestation of the Holy Spirit shouldn’t be taken literally, as well as the images of angels that appeared to people in various forms. All this can only show a person what he sees in front of him, for example, the image of a beautiful bird or mighty tongues of fire. In this regard, the Holy Spirit also has no height, just like God the Father.
Final Thoughts
While we cannot determine with certainty how tall Jesus was, we can assume his height based on historical factors.
Most likely, Christ’s height should have been above average, but there are no such accurate descriptions of his appearance in the Bible.
Most likely, Christ had a height of about 175 centimeters, but the assumption that he had a height of 180 centimeters also has the right to exist, so he could stand out from the crowd.
At the same time, God the Father and the Holy Spirit have no height. The Holy Spirit appeared in various forms, but like God, the Father has no body.
Charalampos
Charalampos is an Orthodox Christian who wants to help others learn about Christianity. His main goal is to help people understand the Bible and how to apply its teachings in their everyday lives. He also enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports, and hiking.
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