Western depictions of Jesus look nothing like one would expect a Middle Eastern man to look, but often look very similar. What was the basis for the long, flowing brown hair, beard and white skin of Jesus?

by Kantor48

Similar to each other, that is.

mrhuggables

Why do you say that Jesus looks "nothing like one would expect a Middle Eastern man" to look? Fair skin is far from uncommon in the Levant.

Tsaibatsu

[This icon] (http://campus.belmont.edu/honors/Christs/6thSinaiPantokrator.jpg) is the pantokrator of the Saint Catherine Monastery, in Egypt. It looks pretty much like the prototypical Christ.