An Evangelical Christian Reviews "The Passion of the Christ"

[Doctor Pedantic]

I saw The Passion of the Christ last night with a Catholic, an agnostic, an atheist and his Jewish girlfriend. The Catholic was very moved, the atheist and girlfriend were angered, and the agnostic was intrigued. My own reaction was decidedly mixed.

First, let me say this: I just didn't think the movie was very good. If you're going to tell one of the most famous stories in the world, you'd better bring something new to it, and for the most part I think Gibson failed here. He did add some nice touches (an allusion in the Garden of Gethsamene to God's curse against Satan, an expansion of Simon's role as he carried Jesus's cross to Calvary). However, for the most part I think Gibson was mind-numbingly literal, and that the film doesn't really stand on its own as a great work of art.

Second, as a very devout believer I didn't find the movie, as a whole, terribly powerful or moving. I think part of this was that the actors spoke Aramaic and Latin. That you couldn't understand them (without reading the subtitles) to me led to some emotional distance. With a stronger script and more nuanced acting, I think that barrier could have been overcome, but it just didn't work for me. I do have to say, though, that the flogging and the walk to Calvary did touch me, and really put in context Jesus's statement on the Cross "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" But overall, I certainly have seen far more powerful films, religious and otherwise.

Third, Gibson went out of his way to place nearly all of the blame for Christ's death on the Jews -- no doubt about it. I read all four Gospel accounts of the Passion two days ago, and I cringed reading Matthew's version because he, too, pulls no punches when assigning guilt to the Jews. But Gibson can't claim he was just being Biblical. It would be problematic enough if he chose to go with that angle rather than with a different one. But Gibson went overboard in making some of the Romans, and in particular Pilate and his wife, sympathetic. He invented many scenes here that come close to absolving Pilate and the Missus. So he can't say "don't blame me -- I just showed what the Bible said." When Jesus said on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," Gibson emphasized that the "them" needing forgiveness were the Jews, not the Romans.

So in sum, not a great or powerful movie, and yes, it clearly blames the Jews for Christ's death and lets the Roman government (especially Pilate) off easy. There was really no reason to make this movie.

One final point, though, and here's where I might get flamed. One can certainly read Matthew's gospel and come away thinking that the Jews, or at least the Jewish leaders, were the ones primarily responsible for the crucifixion. That's certainly how I was taught. Thankfully, most scholars have discredited that theory, and it's no longer the majority view in Christianity (including Catholicism), and it's certainly not my view. But it's possible to believe in the story as traditionally told without being "anti-Semitic." Blaming a few people who lived 2,000 years doesn't, and shouldn't, have any bearing on people living today. It doesn't make sense to blame all Japanese or German people for WWII, or to blame Chinese-Americans for current prosecution of Christians in China. It certainly doesn't make sense to blame Jewish people as a race, culture, or religion for the death of Jesus. I am sure that there are plenty of well-meaning Christians who understand that, even though historically people have misused the Passion story to fan the flames of hate.

What's troubling here is that Gibson refused to display any sensitivity to members of the Jewish community who found his message hurtful. Gibson missed the opportunity to tell the story in a new and meaningful way, and to avoid indicting the Jews for Christ's death. He then got angry at the reaction and said that those who didn't like his film were the forces or dupes of Satan. I'm not quick to label people (whether as racist, anti-Semitic, or whatever), but the way Gibson chose to tell this story, and his complete disregard for the Jewish community's concerns, are, taken as a whole, deeply troubling.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

1. Excellent review, DP.

[southerngirlwriter]

2. Thanks.

You've solidified my decision not to see it.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[glarius]

4. Gibson's brand of "hardgore" fundamentalism....that's what the movie is!

I lifted the "hardgore" from a review I read in the Toronto Star....I think it is aptly descriptive!