Was Jesus ginger? New evidence emerges ahead of Redhead Awareness Day

Was Jesus ginger? New evidence emerges ahead of Redhead Awareness Day

If a stained glass window in a church in Sunderland is to be believed, then Jesus was a ginger. If true, it means the Lord Jesus Christ may have been the first in a long line of famous gingers, followed by the likes of Viking Erik the Red, singer Mick Hucknall and footballer Paul Scholes. An image of the ginger Jesus was sent to the Mirror by The Churches Conservation Trust (The CCT) ahead of National Ginger Awareness Day on 22 February 2015.

The east window of Holy Trinity Church in Sunderland is believed to be the ONLY depiction of Jesus Christ with red hair in the UK. It was designed in Venetian stained glass in 1857 by one of England’s most prolific stained glass artists, William Wailes, and made at James Hartley’s glassworks in Sunderland.

Only 4 per cent of the world's population have red hair, and most of the world's redheads live in the UK, Ireland and Australia. The depiction of Jesus as a redhead could cause a stir in some circles, as a number of less than saint-like biblical characters were depicted as having red hair. Judas, Satan, Eve (after eating the apple) and Cain have all been portrayed as redheads, while Jesus is more commonly portrayed as having brown hair.

The stained glass window might just be one of the only depictions of Jesus as a redhead in the entire world