How Did Jesus Get to be So Hot? The Fascinating History of (Wildly Unrealistic) Depictions of the Savior

Lyrics for the rap song, B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth), include [3] the following line: “The white image, of Christ, is really Cesare Borgia [4].” The idea that our modern image of Jesus could be based on a ruthless power-hungry illegitimate son of a 15th century Pope (and star of the bloody mini-series Borgia [5]) is startling and farfetched. But it is no more bizarre or fanciful …