Praise him: 10 times the movies turned biblical figures into sex symbols

Charlton Heston as Moses in The Ten Commandments (1956) and Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur (1959)

First off, a double-whammy and a shrewd moment of separating the art from the artist. We certainly don’t want to be singing the praises of a gun-loving former NRA president, but g*dd*mn (forgive us) did Heston look bangin’ in these two back-to-back biblical epics. His broad-chested Moses kept our attention throughout the deliriously long Ten Commandments, and his take on the heroic Ben-Hur sure set our chariots a’fire.

Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus in King Of Kings (1961)

Years after cementing James Dean’s legacy as a generation-defining heartthrob, filmmaker Nicholas Ray took the same approach for this re-telling of the story of Jesus Of Nazareth. And by that we mean: He chose a total dreamboat for the lead role, Jeffrey Hunter. Ray even admitted he cast the actor specifically for those gorgeous baby blues, gifting us with a Jesus who had the power to make you blush with just a simple glance. *swoon*

Jorge Rivero as Adam in The Sin Of Adam And Eve (1969)

Known as “El Pecado de Adán y Eva” in Mexico, this Spanish-language film was part of a wave of biblical epics that got away with (at the time) obscene amounts of nudity and sexuality simply because they were adapting stories from The Bible—go figure! Modesty leaves can barely cover the bulging bounty of bodybuilder-turned-actor Jorge Rivero, playing “First Man” Adam/Adán opposite the buxom Candice “Candy” Wilson as Eve/Eva.

Richard Gere as David in King David (1985)

By the mid-’60s, the traditional “biblical epic” had fallen out of fashion, but filmmaker Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy) attempted to bring them back in a big way in the ’80s with this story of David, the king of Israel. It’s said Gere wasn’t his first choice—already known as a silver-screen sex symbol thanks to films like American Gigolo and Breathless—but the actor sure did his best to make this Old Testament story feel new again.

Donny Osmond as Joseph in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamboat (1999)

The Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical had been around since the late ’60s, but certain generations will forever associate it with this ’99 production. Donny Osmond—again, separating art (and muscles) from artist here—makes for a ridiculously pretty Joseph, with those flowing locks and that taut bod, surely inspiring more than a few sexual awakenings. (Though, for our money, out cutie David Archuleta is much better in the role.)

Related:

David Archuleta dons a loincloth and handcuffs in this musical of biblical proportion

The American Idol alum bares his soul (and his chest) in a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical.

Jim Caviezel as Jesus in The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

Taking a page from the book of Nicholas Ray, Mel Gibson cast another twinkling-eye beauty as Jesus in this ambitious re-telling of his final years. Caviezel already had some success in mainstream movies, but he couldn’t resist the temptation of (playing) Jesus. It’s surprising Passion made so much money considering how unflinchingly brutal it is, but maybe folks were just eager for two hours of this hunk on the big screen.

Oscar Isaac as Joseph in The Nativity Story (2006)

Now one of the internet’s preeminent Daddies, Oscar Isaac’s film career started in earnest playing Joseph, the father of Jesus, in The Nativity Story. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Twilight), the film plays things straight, but even still Isaac’s innate magnetism and good looks are striking, making Joseph stand out. He would’ve been in his late 20s at the time, but what can we say? The man has simply never not been Daddy™.

John Legend as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar (2018)

Webber and Rice’s other major musical adapted from stories in the Bible is this rock opera which turned Jesus into a crooner for the ages. There have been many productions over the years, but we’d like to single out NBC’s live television concert, which put singer-songwriter John Legend—who would be named People‘s Sexiest Man Alive the following year—in the titular role. Mr. Chrissy Teigen’s pecs were poppin’ that Easter Sunday, 2018.

Taylor James as Samson in Samson (2018)

The story of Samson has always been one of the Bible’s more far-flung fables, so it’s kind of funny (and not entirely source-inaccurate) that this little-seen bomb fashions the eponymous figure into an ancient superhero, of sorts. We wholeheartedly do not recommend, but actor Taylor James (Mamma Mia!, Vikings: Valhalla) is a sight for sore eyes as Samson, his massive muscles shimmering with sweat in almost every frame.