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Have you ever wondered why so many images depicting the crucifixion show Jesus with a very defined, slender and toned body? Either slim, but with a six-pack, or displaying muscles and brawn. While these images are hardly a reflection of what little can be surmised about , they certainly reflect social and cultural ideas about masculinity and .

In many images of the crucifixion, Jesus is depicted as both strong and vulnerable. Crucifixion paintings showing a muscular messiah suggest that Jesus could perhaps physically have overcome his fate, had he wanted to. This interpretation of the crucifixion story amplifies the emotional and spiritual strength of his sacrifice.

The Bible is full of strong men and pumped prophets. Working the land is for eating from the Tree of Knowledge. , filling it with every bird, animal and food. Samson has in the book of —his only weakness is women.

The details Jesus' genealogy in detail, and it is clear that he has other hard men in his DNA. It speaks of Abraham and David, particularly. In , we learn how Abraham gathered an army of over 300 men and launched an attack to save his family. In , he also fathers a child at the age of 100—his son, Isaac.

David is also mentioned as an ancestor of Jesus. He was famous for , whose immense stature . In , David kills 200 Philistine men and to King Saul, so that he will allow him to marry his daughter, Michal.

While some portrayals of Jesus have caused outrage, like those, for example, that represent him as feminine or sexualized, a similar outcry does not seem to follow the muscular Jesus.

There is a story in the gospels of Jesus's physical strength, when he those who were buying and selling in the temple, overturning tables in his anger. In the New Testament, the gospels even narrate a .

The endurance of physical torture before the crucifixion has been well documented in religious iconography, such as the , as well as in films such as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004). Jesus also has to be mentally strong to overcome Satan, so depictions of his physical strength are perhaps supposed to echo his superhuman, spiritual strength.

'Behold the man!'

Paintings that depict Jesus with a six-pack have influenced factions of Christianity. In the 19th century, the idea of took hold. The term, invented in 1857, describes those Christians who see moral and religious value in sports.

In his book (1997), professor of religion Stephen Moore explores the quest for Jesus in a perfect human masculine form, and how this is connected to physical culture and male narcissism. Masculine Christian spirituality is often aligned with the values of .

While his ministry isn't known for its exercise focus, Jesus's fitness can be seen in some interpretations of the gospels. He and on his back.

Through the Eucharist ("take and eat, this is my body"), Jesus's body became sacrament. This has palpable implications for many modern Christians. If Jesus's physical fitness is a sign of his holiness, then it is something to aspire to.

Theologian Lisa Isherwood's book (2008) explores Christian women's weight-loss cultures through programs such as "Slim for Him." Feminist theologian Hannah Bacon's book (2019), meanwhile, analyzes the problematic use of "sin/syn" to refer to "bad" foods in weight-loss programs.

For some Christians, depictions of Jesus as strong and muscular represent the ideal of a man's body. They interpret Biblical stories in ways that mirror these paintings. Many of these groups believe that Biblical ideas of . In response, they put on events designed to attract men to church and promote the ideals of biblical manhood. Praising a muscular body ideal for men—and for Jesus—is part of that.

So next time you're looking at a painting of Jesus in a church or gallery, do remember that such images reflect contemporary social and cultural attitudes to men's bodies, rather than authenticity, in their artistry.

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