A composite image of what 'Galilean Semite' Jesus Christ would have looked like (image via Popular Mechanics) and a Latino construction worker (image via Shutterstock).
In the Bible, Jesus Christ is referred to as a "tekton," which has most been translated to "carpenter" in English. But an alternate translation by a Jesuit priest shows that Christ's profession may have been more lowly.
As priest James Martin wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "today many scholars translate tekton not as carpenter, but as handyman or day laborer." If that were indeed the case, a reader wrote to the L.A. Times' editor following Martin's editorial, "the alt-right is at permanent odds with true Christianity" given both the nature of Christ's work and of his passion for social justice — a term "strangely tarnished" by the Internet-savvy cabal of right-wingers.
While many schools of Christianity, including Roman Catholicism, promote social justice, the term has been co-opted and mocked by many on 4chan and Reddit, the birthplaces of the alt-right. "Social justice warriors," shortened to "SJWs" in their parlance, are heartily loathed — despite the fact that many who benefit from their constituency, like President Donald Trump, purport to be Christians.
Christ, furthermore, was a Galilean Semite, and contrary to popular Western depictions was likely dark-skinned. Add the more modern understanding of his profession into the mix and you've got a dark-skinned, social justice-oriented Jewish day laborer — the type of person the anti-Semitic alt-right and others who oppose undocumented immigration appear to hate.
As priest James Martin wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "today many scholars translate tekton not as carpenter, but as handyman or day laborer." If that were indeed the case, a reader wrote to the L.A. Times' editor following Martin's editorial, "the alt-right is at permanent odds with true Christianity" given both the nature of Christ's work and of his passion for social justice — a term "strangely tarnished" by the Internet-savvy cabal of right-wingers.
While many schools of Christianity, including Roman Catholicism, promote social justice, the term has been co-opted and mocked by many on 4chan and Reddit, the birthplaces of the alt-right. "Social justice warriors," shortened to "SJWs" in their parlance, are heartily loathed — despite the fact that many who benefit from their constituency, like President Donald Trump, purport to be Christians.
Christ, furthermore, was a Galilean Semite, and contrary to popular Western depictions was likely dark-skinned. Add the more modern understanding of his profession into the mix and you've got a dark-skinned, social justice-oriented Jewish day laborer — the type of person the anti-Semitic alt-right and others who oppose undocumented immigration appear to hate.
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