Avondale Pattillo UMC
The Passion
The 2004 film, "The Passion of the Christ" focused attention on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday like few films before it. It also generated much discussion and criticism as well as prompting many people to reread Biblical accounts of the events of Holy Week and to seek information about Catholic traditions that are not in the Bible. This page collects information and links surrounding Holy week, especially as pertains to the the Passion.
We have also recorded the comments of panel members on the interfaith panel on "The Passion of The Christ" that Avondale Pattillo sponsored in 2004.
In addition, the United Methodist Church's Web site has a discussion board dealing with The Passion of the Christ.
On this page ...
Anti-Semitism in Passion Plays
Commentary
by Gordon R. Monk, Purdue University
"The dramatic concept of the Weis-Daisenberger version of the play was melodrama. There was a clear contrast between good and evil. Those who were “good” were “the Christians” - Jesus and his disciples, Mary his mother, Mary Magdalene, and so forth. Those who were evil were “the Jews” - the high priests Caiaphas and Annas, Judas Iscariot, and the Jewish mob who called for Jesus’ crucifixion. No matter that in fact Jesus, his family, and his disciples were really Jews too. No matter that there were no “Christians” until after the death and resurrection of the Christ, i.e. after the passion of Jesus had already occurred. Jesus and his followers were portrayed, through text, costume and demeanor, to be both innocent and holy. The Jews who opposed Jesus were portrayed as corrupt and brutal. Pilate and the Romans were more or less above the fray, attempting to purvey impartial justice, but ultimately unable to do so because of the pressures from the wicked Jews”. Read the full article ("Journal of Religion and Film, Special edition, Feb 2004")
Anti-Semitic non-Biblical influence in the movie
Some reviewers say that parts of the film stray from the New Testament by including material based on reported visions by Mary of Agreda (a 17th century nun) as recorded in "The Mystical City of God", and also the writings of Anne Catherine Emmerich (a 19th century stigmatic).
"The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich" was published in 1833. These highly violent visions include grotesque anti-Semitic characterizations of Jews.
...although the movie depicts both Jews and Romans assaulting and battering Jesus, the vast majority of screen-time is devoted to depicting Jewish violence.
Second, many Jews, such as the High Priest, are portrayed as physically ugly, perhaps drawing on stock anti-Semitic stereotypes of Jews.
For many Jews, the portrayal of Jews in the movie can only be understood relative to the portrayal of Pilate, and Gibson's account is a perversion of history. Historical sources make it clear that Pilate was a greedy, choleric, and cruel tyrant who readily executed any Jewish rebel. For many Jews, it is painful to see a portrayal of Roman-Jewish relations where Roman leaders bow to the interests of Jewish leaders, when the opposite was the case, and where the Romans, oppressors of Jews, are presented as more sympathetic than the Jews they oppressed." Read the full article.
Oberammergau Passion Play Overhaul
Adolf Hitler called the 300th anniversary performance in 1934 "a convincing portrayal of the menace of Jewry."
After Christian and Jewish protests, the Oberammergau Passion Play was significantly changed in 2000. For example, Judas is now motivated by political considerations rather than greed. He is disappointed that Jesus is not leading a revolt against Rome. And Jesus' Jewish defenders during Holy Week have more lines and generate more enthusiasm. Read the full article...
"The Nazi Holocaust (1933-1945), the murder of 6 million Jews, took place in the heart of “Christian Europe,” and the rebirth of a sovereign Jewish state in the Middle East in 1948 were unspoken, perhaps unwanted, guests at the Second Vatican Council and influenced the discussions. Both events, one horrific and one heroic, demanded a radical recasting of long-held Catholic theological, cultural, liturgical and pedagogical beliefs about Jews and Judaism."
..."The fourth century saint, John Chrysostom, called Jews “assassins of Christ,” and he considered the synagogue “worse than a brothel.” In 1543 Martin Luther taught that all Jews in Germany should be “put under one roof” and if they still proved too dangerous for society, the “poisonous bitter worms” should be driven out of Germany “for all time.” In 1871, Pope Pius IX, who was recently canonized, called members of the 2,200-year-old Jewish community of Rome “dogs barking in all the streets.”"
..."The [Vatican II document "Nostra Aetate"] declaration “decries hatred, persecution, displays of anti-Semitism directed against Jews at any time and by any one,” and calls for “mutual respect and knowledge” between Catholics and Jews. It also repudiated the infamous deicide charge that Jews then and now are collectively responsible for the death of Jesus, a cosmic “crime” deserving of both divine and human punishment. For some Christians, the deicide charge became a justification for committing violent acts against Jews."
Jump-starting Jew-Catholic conversation
National Catholic Reporter (NCR) online
http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/100402/100402t.htm
Second Vatican Council
"For Catholics, the most visible results of various
interpretations of the Council's sixteen documents were changes in how
church sacraments were practiced, the use of vernacular languages for
the Mass, and a revolutionary new attitude towards their relationship
with Jews."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vatican_Council
Also read Catholics, Jews, and Vatican II: A New Beginning.
Biographical info about Pontius Pilate
"Philo (Ad Gaium, 38) speaks of [Pilate] as inflexible, merciless, and obstinate."
"... efforts of Pilate to acquit Christ, and thus pass
as lenient a judgment as possible upon his crime, goes further in the
apocryphal Gospels and led in later years to the claim that he actually
became a Christian. The Abyssinian Church reckons him as a saint, and
assigns 25 June to him and to Claudia Procula, his wife. The belief that
she became a Christian goes back to the second century, and may be found
in Origen (Hom., in Mat., xxxv). The Greek Church assigns her a feast on
27 October." (Catholic Encyclopedia)
www.newadvent.org/cathen/12083c.htm
Hollywood.com review
by Leigh Johnson
"Gibson's argument that his film is taken directly from the gospels simply doesn't wash with detractors. Yes, there are biblical passages that implicate the priests of a certain sect of Judaism in turning Jesus over to the Romans, and yes, the story says the Jewish people of the time chose to release from prison the thief Barabbas rather than Jesus. But the Vatican II reforms of 1962-65 absolved Jews from any such responsibility, and placing these dated ideas back into mainstream culture, detractors say, could incite those already inclined to anti-Semitism to new levels of hatred." Read the full review.
The Passion - what's not in the Bible
The Beliefnet staff explains where Mel Gibson got some material for the film that's not in the Bible. Read the article. Other reviews and commentaries below also address this topic. Also see Wikipedia's list of Details in the film not present in the Scriptures. You may also want to read about details in the film, that are present in the Gospels.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Comment
"For filmmakers to do justice to the biblical accounts of the passion, they must complement their artistic vision with sound scholarship, which includes knowledge of how the passion accounts have been used historically to disparage and attack Jews and Judaism. Absent such scholarly and theological understanding, productions such as The Passion could likely falsify history and fuel the animus of those who hate Jews." Read the full comments.
The Power and The Passion: Muslim Wakeup review
"Gibson strips Christ of all the Western mythical and cultural baggage to reveal a man who has more in common with someone being bashed by an Israeli soldier than with the soldier. Christ’s female companions are shown as having more in common with the Palestinian girls in Hebron being harassed by Jewish settlers than with the Jewish settlers themselves.
And what language does Christ speak? Is it American English? Is it modern Europeanized Israeli Hebrew? No. It is Aramaic, a cognate language of Arabic (and ancient Hebrew) still spoken in parts of Iraq and Syria by the Assyrian Christians. In fact, all their services are in Aramaic, and their church music and hymns are in Aramaic. A far cry from St. Andrews choir!"
Beyond Bias: The Passion of the Christ
DecentFilms.com
"Although Gibson, unlike his sede-vacantist father Hutter Gibson, appears not to be in schism from Rome, the younger Gibson does have Traditionalist sympathies that worry Foxman [of the ADL], who reasonably enough would like to see modern-day Passion plays be in the spirit of Vatican II and John Paul II."
... "Compared to the gospels, the character of Pontius Pilate in the film is more nuanced and sympathetic than the canonical figure, while Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest, is somewhat less so."
... "Pilate fears a riot, while Caiaphas fears a Roman crackdown."
... "the film omits the canonical line from John’s gospel in which Caiaphas argues that it is better for one man to die for the people that the nation be saved. Had Gibson retained this line, perhaps giving Caiaphas a measure of the inner conflict he gave to Pilate, it could have underscored the similarities between Caiaphas and Pilate and helped defuse the issue of anti-Semitism."
..."at the moment of the crucifixion itself, Mel Gibson’s own hand [is the one that] holds the nail to be driven through Jesus’ hand, symbolizing the director’s acknowledgement that it was finally for his own sins — for the sins of the whole world, not of any one generation or people — that Jesus died." Read the full review.
Hymn to a Savage God
John Dominic Crossan
Mel Gibson uses a 'hidden script' based on visions of a German nun in making his film.
"Gibson manages, actually, to negate every single one of the 1988 U.S. Bishops' Criteria for the Evaluation of Dramatizations of the Passion in adapting his [Anne Catherine] Emmerich script."
Newsweek Movie Review
By David Ansen
"What you remember is the image of a crow plucking out the eyes of the thief on the cross next to Jesus, punished by God for mocking his son. Caviezel gives an eloquent physical performance, but he has little opportunity to show the Messiah's spiritual charisma; this Jesus' most noteworthy trait is his ability to absorb pain.
"... at various moments his images call to mind the paintings of Caravaggio (the grotesque cherubs who hound Judas to suicide), grisly 15th- and 16th-century paintings of the Crucifixion and Pieta, and such horror movies as "The Exorcist" and "Jacob's Ladder."
"Relentlessly savage, "The Passion" plays like the Gospel according to the Marquis de Sade. ... It's the sadism, not the alleged anti-Semitism, that is most striking. ... There's always been a pronounced streak of sadomasochism and martyrdom running through Gibson's movies, both as an actor and as a filmmaker." Read the full review.
"...with its drastically produced presentation of cruelties and atrocities it minimizes the central message of the holy gospel. This applies especially with an audience that is not familiar with Christian faith. It can easily lead to misunderstandings"
-- Statement by Cardinal Lehmann
Pirated DVDs of ‘The Passion of Christ’ Flood Jeddah
Even Muslim countries are showing interest in seeing the much talked-about film. Read the full Arab News article...
The Passion of The Christ Review
Excerpts from an article by Steven D. Greydanus,
for the National
Catholic Register
"Notwithstanding at-times exaggerated claims of historical accuracy and fidelity to the gospels from some of the film’s defenders, 'The Passion of the Christ' is not an attempt to depict the sufferings of Christ exactly as described in the New Testament. Rather, while following the basic outline of the passion narratives, the film is an imaginative, at times poetic reflection on the meaning of the gospel story in light of sacred tradition and Catholic theology."
"Consider the following incident: As Jesus is being flogged, Claudia, the wife of Pilate, approaches the Blessed Virgin and Mary Magdalene bearing folded linens, which she gives to them. After Jesus is taken away, the two Marys go down on the flagstones and begin mopping up the blood of Jesus which has been spilled around the pillar."
"This incident, found nowhere in the gospels; comes from the visionary writings of Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich, the 19th-century stigmatic and mystic whose Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ significantly influenced the screenplay for The Passion of the Christ."
"The scourging at the pillar is also the occasion of one of Gibson’s own most singular, unnerving imaginative flourishes."
"The depiction of the Jewish mob may be unflattering, but it pales to insignificance beside the unmitigated barbarism of the Roman brute squad. We also see the high priest Caiaphas watching the scourging — not sadistically reveling in the spectacle of Jesus’ sufferings, but clearly troubled, finding it painful to watch. ... this humanizing touch is original to the film."
"... the single most overwhelming aspect of the scourging at the pillar remains its sheer savagery."
"The Passion of the Christ is an artistic expression of the faith, not the faith itself. Yet it is also a preeminently important cinematic expression of the faith — probably one of the most important religious films of all time. It tells only a part of the gospel story, as the passion narratives themselves are only a part of the gospels; but that part is the very crux: that Christ died for us." Read the full review.
Slate magazine review
By David Edelstein
"The idea that Jesus died for the sins of mankind is one of the central tenets of Christian faith. But Gibson has chosen those sections of the Gospels (especially the Gospel of Matthew) that reflect the tension between Jews and Christians 50 years after the crucifixion, when the new religion's proselytizers were trying to convert, rather than incite, the Roman authorities. This is the sort of passion play that makes people mad."
"Pilate, whom historians identify as a surpassingly cruel ruler responsible for crucifying many thousands to maintain his authority, is portrayed as a sorrowful, even-tempered man whose wife ... shows acts of loving kindness toward Mary ... and Mary Magdalene ... Pilate is shocked by the Jews' brutality and by the determination of the priest Caiphas ... to see this so-called blasphemer executed. While Pilate wrinkles his forehead, searching his tender conscience, sundry Jews lean into the camera and hiss or keen through rotted teeth."
Edelstein calls the movie a "protracted exercise in sadomasochism." Read the full review.
Gibson’s The Passion of the
Christ:
A Challenge to Catholic Teaching
"This combination of the Johannine scourging as Pilate’s effort to free Jesus with Matthew’s scene of Pilate washing his hands of responsibility results in a depiction of Jewish hostility that is more relentless, implacable, and evil than either Gospel on its own conveys." Read the article.
Doctrinal Notes on The Passion of The Christ
by the Doctrinal Commission of the French Bishops Conference.
"From a theological perspective the film’s most problematic aesthetic option lies in the decision to isolate the passion from the teachings of Jesus, on the one hand, and from the resurrection narratives on the other." Read the doctrinal notes.
Scene selections mirror paintings
"The Passion of The Christ" was produced in Italy, with
scenes that seem selected to evoke Caravaggio's paintings, grisly 15th
-- and 16th-century paintings of the Crucifixion and Pieta.
Caravaggio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo_Merisi
Tradition and iconography
Many scenes in the movie are inspired by Catholic tradition and iconography, and are not actually part of the New Testament.
Mel Gibson's fake "Passionate" effects
Read the full article from Israel Insider.
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Bible Resource Center - The Passion. (The American Bible Society)
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Is the New Testament Anti-Jewish? No, says the group Jews for Jesus.
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Mary's role in Passion Plays. Mary's role in Passion plays is usually rooted Scripture, apocryphal gospels, and legends and traditions.
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Michaelangelo's "The Pieta" (The Lamentation of Christ) -- a statue of Mary holding Jesus' dead body).
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Passion of Christ - paintings by the masters - A commercial site selling reproductions of paintings. Most images are of Jesus at the cross, but others are included.
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The Passion of the Christ - resource links (Beliefnet)
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The Passion Film Guide. A very good one-page (folded) summary of points and reflections.
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Resources on the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ (Boston College)
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Read what the Bible says. Notice Luke 23:27 -- pro-Jesus sentiment from the crowd.
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The Resurrection Story (video)
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Study guides on the Passion of the Christ. Five free study guides are available on the Passion of The Christ Five free study guides on the Passion of The Christ from Catholic.net. The study includes information, a Facilitator's Guide text, Discussion Questions, Resolution ideas, and resource links. The guides include:
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Christ’s self-giving love and freedom
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Christ confronts evil
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Obedience to the Father
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Mary, witness to suffering with love and faith
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Pilate: What is truth?
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More hold Jews Responsible for Christ's Death
A poll from the Pew Research Center says that more people now think that the Jews were responsible for Jesus' death. Read the survey details.
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This page was last edited 04/01/2006 06:21 PM
