I am sure by now most have seen the meme going around that declares there were no white people in the Bible and then suggest everyone waits while the person reading it gets with the message.

I respect the intent and the point being made. It is a direct rebuttal to “white Jesus”, that is not factually accurate in any way, shape or form.

However…

This is where as a Christian historian I have to pull the plug. I try to stay away from terms and arguments like “always” and “never” unless it is extreme circumstances, as they usually get a person in trouble. It sets up a dynamic that demands analysis, and so let’s analyse.

In this case, the meme is making a statement that is factually unprovable. There were thousands of people involved in the Bible as writers, characters, and editors. The Bible itself was composed orally for centuries before it was put into written form. Over that period more than a dozen cultures interacted, clashed, fought wars, invaded and expelled the people who had once lived in that territory. Bottom line: people moved around. This is before we take into account trade routes and caravans moving throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.

By the time Paul started writing his letters c. 50 CE, Rome had expanded to modern day Germany, Austria, Belgium, England, and all of Europe from south and west of those points. These people integrated into all levels of Roman society. Some Roman troops brought families with them wherever they were sent, and some of those family members stayed to form relationships with the local population. It was also the practice of Rome to move around military and government officials so no one would be fighting their own people.

So, were their white people in the Bible? Probably. But we have no idea who as none of this is provable. The vast majority, including Jesus, were Semitic peoples. That cannot be disputed. But to say absolutely that there were no white people in the Bible? No, we cannot do that with any credibility.