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...
As such, it reflects only a portion of the Biblical understanding of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. However, it can be argued that it is highly effective in its treatment of this single event: the death and resurrection of Christ.
Further, the violence contained within Gibson's movie may play an important role in depicting the resurrection of Christ. Indeed, the movie's title, The Passion of Christ, gives a good indication of Gibson's aim in depicting the struggles and breadth of Christ's experience. This movie is about passion, in the great sense of the word as suffering, pain, and depth of belief and feeling. As such, the violence in the movie acts to graphically underscore the depth of this passion.
Gibson's movie has been criticized as being anti-Semitic in nature, and accusation that has an impact on New Testament studies as well as on larger culture. In the movie, Gibson decides to omit the line from John's gospel that shows Caiaphas' inner torment at sending Jesus to the cross. In omitting this line, it can be argued that Gibson's movie is anti-Semitic, as it clearly shows Pontius Pilate's inner conflict with his actions.
Largely, The Passion of the Christ has been heralded as consistent with Biblical teachings. Paul Cedar, Chairman and CEO, Mission America Coalition notes that The Passion of Christ is "accurate and very consistent with the Biblical account of the passion of Jesus Christ of Nazareth" (cited…
