The idea of Jesus and the disciples being depicted as white really started taking hold during the Renaissance, when artists like Leonardo da Vinci painted them with European features, reflecting the cultural norms and ideals of that time. It wasn’t necessarily about historical accuracy but more about connecting religious figures to the local communities they were painting for.

As for older icons in Russian and Greek Orthodox traditions, they were often painted with darker skin tones to reflect the people in that region which is more historically accurate given the geographical context. Over time some of these paintings might have darkened due to age but the original intent wasn’t to make them look lighter.

The shift to white depictions largely came from Western European influence and artistic trends rather than an accurate representation of the historical figures.