Happy Birthday Jesus

The race of Jesus has been a subject of debate since at least the 19th century. The physical appearance of Jesus of Nazareth, though with no explicit emphasis on race, was also debated by theologians from early on in the history of Christianity. Different societies have depicted Jesus and most other biblical figures as their own ethnicity in their art, for example he is primarily white in the West, and black in Africa. Such representations are not, in the modern day, usually intended to be historically accurate. The current dominant opinion among secular historians and scientists is that he most likely had light-brown skin, resembling modern-day persons of Middle Eastern descent. Others, however, have suggested other possible racial backgrounds, including African ones. For some Christians the question is complicated by the belief that his birth was a unique miracle, an "incarnation in flesh of divine substance."