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Deciding if the Beatles really were "bigger than Jesus"

by Cskoyles

Created on: August 31, 2008

Who was bigger, Liverpudlain pop-sensations, The Beatles, or our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ?

It's one of those questions to which, much like the old 'Chicken and Egg' conundrum, a true, definite answer may never be found.

Yet that's not to say we can't try to find one.

Our first hurdle in this quest for the answer to the Ultimate Question comes by way of the largely held belief that no physical description of Jesus was ever mentioned in the bible.

That said, numerous scholars and sundry other curious folk have attempted to work out the true height of Jesus Christ. It is said that the image which adorns the Shroud of Turin, the cloth in which the body of Jesus was wrapped as he was laid to rest, depicts a man of between 5'9" and 6'2" depending on who's report you read.

Then again, other sources state that any man who's height fell between this region would have been remarkably tall given the time and place, and suggest that a more realistic height may be around the five foot mark.

So, since we could likely be here all day with this one, let's go for somewhere in the middle and, since he is the son of God, we can give him a few extra inches. So let's say he was a man who stood at 5'11".

Then there's his size. It's widely known that Jesus worked as a carpenter, so it's probably safe to assume that, as a result of all that physical work, he had pretty big muscles and broad shoulders. Plus, he walked everywhere, so you can imagine his leg muscles were pretty bulging too.

John, Paul, George and Ringo on the other hand, were four scrawny lads from Liverpool whom pictures usually depict as rather gangly creatures. Ah hah, we've yet to stick them up against the measuring stick.



A quick search on the internet reveals the heights of the fab four, and though we could argue all day about the accuracy of the web, for the sake of argument, we're going to have to take the internet as, ahem, Gospell.

So, let's look at the heights.
John Lennon - 5'10".
Ringo Starr - 5'8" (maximum, though figures vary from 5'4" to 5'7")
George Harrison - 5'10"
Paul McCartney - 5'10".

And thus, the answer to the Ultimate Question is found.

Were The Beatles bigger than Jesus? No.

Jesus was a good inch taller and probably quite a bit broader.

Now, if you had John and Paul stand side-by-side, and George and Ringo sit on their shoulders, then John Lennon would have been more than justified in his claims that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus.

Learn more about this author, Cskoyles.
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