Passion of the Christ
Director Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ, has had a tremendous impact on New Testament studies and culture at large. The movie's violent nature has created a great deal of controversy, but the movie has largely been seen as an accurate portrayal. In terms of New Testament studies, the movie's reach is limited, as it contains a relatively restricted look at Jesus' teachings, and the movie has been criticized as anti-Semitic. Perhaps the movie's greatest impact has been on culture at large, as it has increased interest in Christ's resurrection. Religious groups have taken this opportunity to use the movie as an outreach opportunity, while internationally The Passion of the Christ has generated a great deal of controversy, and met mixed reactions.
Much has been made of the violent nature of Gibson's film. Noted film critic Roger Ebert wrote unflinchingly, "This is the most violent film I have ever seen." Indeed, Ebert seems correct in his assertion that close to 100 of the 126 minutes of The Passion of the Christ are "concerned specifically and graphically with the details of the torture and death of Jesus" (Ebert). Ebert describes the movie in terms of "whippings, flayings, beatings, the crunch of bones, the agony of screams, the cruelty of the sadistic centurions, the rivulets of blood that crisscross every inch of Jesus' body," which seem to be truly accurate descriptions of much of the film's content.
Impact on New Testament Studies
The film contains few references to the teachings of...
Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ For most of its duration, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ lingers horrifyingly on a mostly-naked male body in pain; as a result, the rest of the film seems exceptionally anxious otherwise about the issue of homoeroticism. Gibson claimed in interviews that the principal source for the film's screenplay (credited to Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald) besides the New Testament came in the recorded
Mel Gibson's film, "The Passion of the Christ," has evoked a number of different responses from viewers and critics. It appears that, like the topic of religion itself, the one certain thing is that it is impossible to remain untouched after seeing the film. Perhaps then a study of the scholarly and cultural ramifications of Gibson's work would be profitable. First then, the impact of the film on New Testament
Biographical Background Born Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson in January of 1956, Mel Gibson is one of the most controversial but well-known actors and filmmakers in America. When Gibson was a teenager, his parents moved the family—including Mel and his ten siblings—to Australia, ostensibly to prevent their children from being drafted into the Vietnam War (“Mel Gibson Biography”). Mel Gibson completed his high school and university education in the Sydney area, where
Public Relations and Society Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic remarks Mel Gibson is well-known for his history of discriminating diverse communities and what is even more concerning is that his record of insults seems to be recurring with a relatively increased frequency. During recent years he was very open with regard to opinions he had about particular races and ethnicities. Even with the fact that he is known to have put across aggressive behavior
There is a strange close relationship between Satan and Jesus in this movie. Satan is the only one who cares what is going on with Jesus, other than the women. Satan walks parallel to Mary when they are mourning Jesus. Lucifer temps Jesus in the garden of Gethsemene in this movie, but in this Bible this does not happen. Jesus, in the Bible, had been tempted by Satan much earlier
Mel Gibson's 2004 film The Passion of the Christ contains universal and timeless motifs, symbols, and themes. Among the themes that most viewers will easily relate to are the love between mother and child, the nature of human suffering, and the nature of devotion. However, one of the most poignant topics addressed in the film that also pertains to the modern era deals with the nature of government, the
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