Episode 143: Picturing Christ (Daniel Becerra)

What did Jesus actually look like, and does it matter? In this episode, professor of ancient scripture Daniel Becerra discusses his new book Picturing Christ, co‑authored with Jennifer Champoux, Mark D. Ellison, and Matthew J. Grey. The book traces how Christians, Latter-day Saints and others, have imagined and portrayed Jesus across two millennia of art and what these evolving images reveal about a shared desire to understand the divine through faith and culture.

Becerra explains that while what Jesus did matters more than how He looked, the way we picture Him still shapes how we relate to God and understand the scriptures. He dives into how assumptions formed by analyzing familiar artwork can influence our spiritual interpretation in subtle ways. The conversation also highlights what archaeology and historical research can teach us about Jesus's real-world context. Insights from excavations, early Christian artifacts, and material culture help ground scriptural stories in historical reality, enriching the way listeners imagine scenese from the New Testament.

Through Picturing Christ, Becerra et al. invites listeners to see the Savior through a broader historical and artistic lens by opening fresh perspectives on the scriptures and deeping our discipleship.

Publications:

• Picturing Christ: Understanding Depictions of Jesus in History and Art, co-authored with Jennifer Champoux, Mark D. Ellison, and Matthew J. Grey, Deseret Book (2026)
• 3rd, 4th Nephi: The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions 9, The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship (2021)
• Book of Mormon Studies: An Introduction and Guide, co-authored with Amy Easton, Nicholas J. Frederick, and Joseph M. Spencer, Religious Studies Center (2022)
• Highlighted artwork:
• Jesus and the disciples at the Last Supper, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
• Making Space for Us, Michelle Franzoni Thorley
• Early Morning with the Savior, Sopheap Nhem
• Homeless Jesus, Timothy P. Schmalz
• The Christ of the Breadlines, Fritz Eichenberg
• Last Supper Sculpture, National Museum of African American History & Culture

Click here to learn more about Daniel Becerra