Deconstructing the Icon: Popular and Academic (Mis)Conceptions of the Cinematic Jesus †

This paper investigates claims about the typical physical characteristics of Jesus when he is portrayed in film. A number of critics have referred to a recurring blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus. In reviewing the academic literature, a lack of clarity was found as to any patterns that do exist in this area. An ensuing analysis of the top-grossing films from the last forty years revealed that the recent pattern may be very different from what critics and academics describe.