The Passion of the Christ
After mass, I headed over to see The Passion today. You already know if you’d like it. If you’d like a movie about the last 12 hours of the life of Christ, then you’d like the Passion. If you wouldn’t, you won’t. It’s not like there is a surprise Sixth Sense ending coming.
Overall, I thought it was quite well done. I’m far from a biblical scholar, but everything was in line with my personal knowledge of the Gospels and of the early Roman Empire. There’s a little oddness, in what I’m surmising was supposed to be Satan, but that’s about it.
Despite the clamor in the media building up to the release, this movie was anything but anti-Semitic. In fact, I can’t really identify a single scene that could be taken that way, without taking other scenes with Romans as being anti-Italian. Reading some the criticisms after having seen the movie, it’s appalling how misleading some of them can be. The Boston Globe had the following quote:
Robert Leikind, New England regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, called the movie “incredibly evocative,” but said he was also very disturbed.
“The Jews in this passion play are a caricature — they are hateful, they are haughty, they are bloodthirsty, they are angry, they are conniving, and they are capable of manipulating the greatest power in the world at that time to fulfill their goals,” Leikind said.
Errr… not quite. Certainly, the Pharisees are portrayed in a negative light, but they are a far cry from representing all of Judasim at the time. (And I would certainly hope that Mr. Leikind isn’t suggesting that they are synonymous with Judasim today.) Judasim was comprised of a several distinct groups:
- Pharisees, who emphasized the Jewish traditions and practices that separated them from the Roman pagans
- Sadducees, who tended to side with the Romans
- Zealots, who were committed to military resistance
- Essenes, who stayed out of politics and largely stuck to wandering around the wilderness. (John the Baptist and Jesus were probably of this type)
The Pharisees are not positively portrayed in the gospel – in any of the gospels. Anyone with a passing knowledge of the New Testament could tell you that. For Mel Gibson to not do would essentially be re-writing them, explicitly what he set out to avoid. Additionally, Mr. Leikind completely overlooks the other Jewish characters in the movie: Mary is clearly not depicted as hateful, Peter is not depicted as bloodthirsty, John is not depicted as angry, and Simon of Cyrene is not depicted as conniving. (Not to mention Christ himself.)
Anti-Semitism is certainly something to be on-guard against, even in today’s world. With religious intolerance still running rampant in places like France, it’s a very valid concern. However, the objection here is puzzling.
February 26th, 2004 at 9:19 pm
i once got into an agrument with someone who got mad at me because i suggested that jesus was a jew. the last 12 hours of jesus’ life were quite violent, i’m surprised they made a movie about it.
March 7th, 2004 at 1:34 am
Yes in many ways it is surprising. I have not seen the movie yet but have heard many things about it both good and bad. One person told me it was excessively violent and that it was rated as a horror movie. My response was I agreed with the rating. It is not usual to think of religious events as horrific but to me the passion of Christ was the most horrific event in humanities history and I think it may not be an easy movie to watch but for a generation of people with little to no imagination I think it may be an excellent manner in which to convey the core beliefs of Chrisitianity.
I am not surprised by all the controversy at all. It has been the same throughout history the message of the Gospel has always divided people violently.
I do not think it is fair to use the atrocities that have been committed in the name of Christ as a reason not to watch the film and think about what it is saying
March 9th, 2004 at 10:57 pm
controversy is the lack of merchandising. these people are not all there. come on, where’s the crown of thorn baseball cap or the scourging loofah?
April 7th, 2004 at 12:18 pm
Your surprised they made a movie about it they been making Jesus movies for a long time just in the other Jesus movies they sugar coated it in this one it was real like you where there Mel is a genius he knows how to make movies i think he knows how to make movies better then act in movies.
November 9th, 2004 at 1:27 pm
For a Better Tomorrow…Today.
February 6th, 2006 at 11:53 am
I just watched the video yesterday ( instead of the Superbowl!) and was totally blown away, it was SO violent yet so moving, a really amazing movie, you really had to pay attention to get some of the parts, I guess that strange person who kept appearing was supposed to be the devil? Anyhow it was good, and I appreciated reading the above info about the different types of Jews of that era, and what the Pharasees really were. Mel Gibson is an awesome director.