Which TV or Movie Version of Jesus Looks Closest to New AI Image of Christ?

AI Jesus
Adobe Firefly - Created by AI

Scientists in Italy are now claiming that the famous Shroud of Turin dates back to Jesus’ lifetime about 2,000 years ago. The Shroud of Turin is a 14-foot-long linen cloth that has the faint image of a crucified man and many people believe that it was the burial shroud of Jesus. It is now considered to be one of the most studied human artifacts since it was found in 1354. The Shroud of Turin is currently stored at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin and is shown publicly only on special occasions.

Now, the folks at MailOnline dug a little deeper into this story and asked the AI tool Merlin to create a realistic image of Jesus Christ based on the face in the Shroud of Turin. The image depicts the typical imagery of Jesus in many films, television shows and churches around the world. The AI image shows a white man with long brown hair, blue eyes, thorn marks on his face and a beard. I created my own AI image that looks pretty similar and a little more realistic (see below).

AI Jesus

Adobe Firefly – Created by AI

Tim Andersen, a research scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology shared, “The Shroud is claimed to be the burial shroud that wrapped the crucified Christ when he was placed in the tomb. There is no plausible scientific explanation for how it could have been forged or even created by natural processes. While authenticity cannot be established, it should be fairly easy to determine if it is a medieval forgery.”

France. Paris. 6th district. The Saint Sulpice church. Saint François Xavier Chapel. Reproduction of the holy shroud.

Getty Images

“Yet, despite decades of scientific testing and peer-reviewed articles on it, that conclusion has never been demonstrated,” he continued. “Rather, the evidence has continually pointed away from any known forging techniques.” So, if we believe this AI-generated image looks close to the real person, which TV or movie depiction seems to be the most accurate? Let’s go over a few with photos and vote in the comments!

The Chosen

THE CHOSEN, Jonathan Roumie, TV GUIDE cover, July 24 - August 13, 2023.

TV Guide/Everett Collection

Watch it on Netflix. Season 4 premieres on September 1, 2024.

Passion of the Christ

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, Jim Caviezel, 2004

Newmarket/Everett Collection

Rent it wherever you rent movies.

Jesus of Nazareth

JESUS OF NAZARETH, Robert Powell as Jesus Christ, TV mini-series, 1977

Everett Collection

Watch it on Peacock.

The Gospel of John

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, Henry Ian Cusick, 2003

ThinkFilm/Everett Collection

Watch it on Apple TV+.

Son of God

SON OF GOD, Diogo Morgado as Jesus Christ, 2014

Joe Alblas/20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection

Rent it wherever you rent movies.

King of Kings

KING OF KINGS, Jeffrey Hunter, 1961

Everett Collection

Rent it wherever you rent movies.

Jesus Christ Superstar

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, Ted Neeley, 1973

Universal/Everett Collection

Rent it wherever you rent movies.

What else would you add to this list?

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