With such a wide variety of Christian symbols to choose from, you may be surprised to find out that the most commonly requested faith-themed body art is that of a Jesus tattoo.
And why not? Jesus’ image is one that is universally recognized the world over but if implemented with considerable artistic skill and talent these actually make breathtakingly beautiful tattoo designs. These designs can range from very small figures with a minimum amount of detail – perhaps just an outline of a bearded man and some robe detail – that can be placed on a smaller area of skin, to much more elaborate pieces. The latter tend to be placed on a large canvas of skin such as the whole back area and involve a great deal of colour and detail. Many of these include very realistic facial features of Jesus, including intricately detailed beard and kind eyes that may appear to look directly at you as well as full bodies versions with folded robes and worn sandals on his feet.
When depicted in body art, Jesus is often illustrated accompanied by other related images however some designs simply use His face alone with a crown of thorns placed upon his head. Of course, he is just as regularly depicted on a cross of some kind, and the crucifix scene is perhaps one of the most widely requested images used for a Jesus tattoo. While most of these designs show Jesus being crucified on the cross, these can also vary in style from very simplistic to much more detailed affairs. Some skilled tattooists have the artistic ability to depict the cross with almost realistic wood graining, complete with big, rough looking nails with Jesus in the centre, again with a crown of thorns to complete the scene. Other popular Christian symbols used for this kind of tattoo include jesus with praying hands, holding a rosary, with the Jesus fish emblem or even accompanied by the Virgin Mary. For the latter, he may even be depicted as the baby Jesus, as the Madonna and child is another popular theme, however scenes from the bible such as the last supper are also widely requested for this kind of faith tattoo.
There is still some debate among Christians about whether tattoos are prohibited in the eyes of the Lord, however more and more of the younger generations are opting to display their faith and express their beliefs with body art. To them this represents a unique and personal way to keep the iconography and religious imagery of their faith close at hand, so a Jesus tattoo is a powerful symbol that resonates with many Christian youths today. One of the most popular young celebrities on the planet today has always been vocal about his Christian faith and has chosen to celebrate this with several tattoos that pay homage to his beliefs. Seventeen year old Justine Bieber already had the name “Jesus” inked in Hebrew on his torso but at the start of 2012 he was spotted on an L.A beach sporting a new tattoo. The young singer was wearing shorts and proudly displaying a large visage of Jesus on his left calf, a very visible ode to his religion.
