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Analysis of the Passion of Christ
Analysis of the Passion of Christ
Analysis of the Passion of Christ
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So it was thought there was nothing more to be written or said about Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Wrong. The controversial motion picture The Passion of the Christ has been at the height of discussion since first word of its inception. Throughout history both Christians and Jews have been at odds and many have taken their passions, perceptions, and perversions of the Cross of Christ to the extreme. The core issue is that the Jews have been blamed for the death of Jesus Christ. The movie Passion of the Christ portrayed the last twelve hours of Christ's life before and up to the crucifixion. Religious leaders around the world where petrified that this re-enactment on the big screen would fuel the fire of hatred towards altering religions. The belief was that there would be an uproar of Christians putting forth anger towards the Jewish communities. The movie The Passion of the Christ did not by any means portray Anti-Semitism, nor was this re-enactment too violent or unscriptural.
The Passion of the Christ revealed to us the death of Jesus Christ, but nowhere did it show us that the Jews alone where to blame. Jewish leaders call the Passion of the Christ anti-Semitic claiming that it will cause violence between religions (Assist News Service 2003). There's no doubt that the Bible says who is responsible for Jesus' death. God ordered the crucifixion as part of his plan for humanity's salvation, and Jesus allowed it to happen. The chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network, John Maxwell said, "Anyone who sees this film and thinks that the Romans and Jews killed Jesus missed the point" (Assist News Service 2003). Those of us who are believers in and followers of Jesus Christ must always be very attentive a...
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...racticing Semitism, but to educate in the life, the death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The violence in the Passion was merely an interpretation of what the scriptures tell us, but it was a day that is unbelievably unimaginable to re-enact the torture that Jesus was held too. This film was just an image of what took place on that day. Gibson held the script of the Passion as close to the teachings by the four Gospels as anyone has ever done trying to recreate the Passion. It is true to believe that in this day and age that mankind that is so desperately falling into darkness and has the utter most difficulty excepting the truth, gets satisfaction from criticism. The Passion of the Christ is the most spirit moving, factual, eye opening, life changing depiction of the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ ever conceived by man.
Hostile to Semitism is a long way from another idea; its vicinity has discolored and molded history, from the earliest starting point of the Jewish faith, up until contemporary times. While anti-Semitism is majorly highlighted in new testament, one of the most incriminating event, in the New Testament, attested to the Jews, is the Jewish peoples responsibility for Jesus killing; Judas, a Jew, betrayed Jesus, leading to his crucifixion, Pontius Pilot, also a Jew, was the direct cause of the crucifixion of Jesus, and various other Jewish leaders were held responsible (New International Version Mark 14:43-46, Acts 27).
Our understanding of Jewish and Christian history has changed dramatically with the publication of Caesar's Messiah by Joseph Atwill (Ulysses Press), which had previously been privately published under the title The Roman Origins of Christianity. According to Atwill, the Gospels are not accounts of the ministry of a historical Jewish Jesus compiled by his followers sixty years after his death. They are texts deliberately created to trick Messianic Jews into worshipping the Roman Emperor 'in disguise'. The essence of Atwill's discovery is that the majority of the key events in the life of Jesus are in fact satirical: each is an elegant literary play on a military battle in which the Jewish armies had been defeated by the Romans. This is an extraordinary claim-but supported by all the necessary evidence.
In Conclusion, Elia Kazan’s portrayal of a young savior attempting to bring justice to those that oppress and give a better life to those around him was done superbly. From a series of complex conflicts that broadened to much more than a mere death, to the sheer feelings he evokes through the use of characters and plot; Kazan created a critically acclaimed piece of art that tells a dark tale of one rising against a monopoly for the sake of those around him. This film shows his artistic prowess, and helps inspire new film makers daily: creating storytellers that can spin tales that hypnotize audiences for generations to come.
The movie is subject to a lot of criticism. People are worried about many things. Are the images depicted correct? Is it too gory? What will people’s reaction be? Will any demographic of people get hurt from the movie? A Catholic teacher from California was fired for offering students extra credit to see the Passion. (It is a rated “R” movie) There are many other problems too. Does The Passion bring about acts of anti-semitism? This will be the purpose of this paper.
...ude the controversial issues about Jesus. Andreas seemed to have been on the border line with following Jesus and believing he was some guy that was telling lies around the cities. It’s not until Jesus is up for execution when he becomes a follower of Christ. Once Andreas returns, he learns that Barabbas and two zealots were arrested. Barabbas is Andreas’ friend, so he decides to propose ways of rebellion to the Romans. Pilate decides to have a meeting with Andreas about his proposal leads. Pilate manipulates Andreas’s proposal by giving the people of Jerusalem the decision which criminal to keep from execution: Barabbas or Jesus. In the end the people chose Barabbas which meant Jesus, including two other criminals, was sent to be crucified. The story concludes with Andreas recognizing Jesus’ power after so many of the people in his life have been changed by Jesus.
Over the past few days, the class and I have watched a film titled One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Throughout the film, you began to see some parallels to the main character, McMurphy, and that of Jesus Christ. There are many references to the Christian religion within the film.
Marendy goes on to discuss more persecution of Jews by Christians up to the Holocaust. Once he reaches this point in history he begins to explain how Christian views seem to change and even ask forgiveness from the Jewish community for the atrocities done to them over the centuries. One figure the essay focuses on is Pope John Paul II. Marendy describes the Pope’s efforts as, “trying to build a fundamentally new and enduring relationship between the Catholic Church and Jews” pg. 18. Marendy
One of the most common arguments about The Passion is that it is focused on the intentional blaming of the Jews for the death of Jesus Christ. Throughout the movie, and in particular the scenes where he is held before Pontius Pilate and Caiaphus, Jesus is berated and blamed for blasphemy by his own people, a notion that is not explicitly talked about within the Bible. It is obvious in the movie and the Bible though, that Jesus has no bad intentions or threats to anybody, yet he becomes the enemy. The implied reason for this is that the Jews rejected Jesus and God. But why are the ideas of love and freedom that Jesus is promoting, in the movie and the Bible, so evil and unacceptable according to the people and high priests? At most of t...
In addition to the harsh feelings shown toward the Jews by the non-Jewish community, this film shows the cold relationship between the different groups of Jews.
According to the New Testament, nearly 2000 years ago, the world was changed forever thanks to one man. Born of the Virgin Mary, Jesus grew up to become a greater advocate for the Jewish faith than any other man or women preceding him. Going from town to town, he healed the sick, befriended the poor, and captivated the hearts of nearly everyone to whom he preached the word of God. Yet, none of his life impacted the world quite like the climax of Jesus’s life: his crucifixion. Jesus Christ, the son of God, did not have to die on the cross, and yet he did so that we might not be burdened by sin—Christians, or those whom believe in Jesus Christ, are taught this from day one. Generic as it might be, this widespread understanding is not far off
The rise of Christianity in the ancient world created many problems for leaders at the time. Alexandria had the largest population of Jews. There was a lot of social conflict between the Jews, Christians, and Pagans in the city. The movie shows scenes of mobs of Christians rioting in the streets of
Before the reign of Adolf Hitler the seeds of anti semitism had been planted firmly in world history with the death of one key figure, Jesus Christ. Early instances of anti semitism stemmed from the death of Jesus christ, and these would eventually evolve into the modern anti semitism that was present in Germany before the second world war. After these earlier occurrences of anti Semitism steps would be made in most of the civilized world to turn the Jews into second-class citizens. Europeans made sure that the Jews would remain in this position by limiting the kinds of Jobs they could take up and by limiting their other rights. These practices continued for hundreds of years, so it’s no wonder that anti-semitism was so ingrained in Germany
The term anti-Semitism has been widely used since the 19th century to describe opposition to the Jewish people as a race. Merriam Webster defines anti-Semitism as “hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group”. The terms anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism have been discussed for years and yet still no concrete definition for either exists. Gavin Langmuir, a historian during the WWII time period, describes anti-Judaism as oppositions towards Judaism since it is an inferior religion and therefore opposes anyone who practices it. Anti-Judaism consists of accusations that hold some truth, just a difference in belief of religion. However, he describes anti-Semitism as false accusations that have no merit at all. He uses examples such as blaming Jews for the poisonous water, blood libel, and even the plague. The two terms anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism have been used interchangeable in history and the main reason for this is that they are omnipresent. There is a thin line differentiating the two terms so it is hard to describe which term applies where.
The establishment of Christianity began in Palestine by followers of Jesus of Nazareth (Bryan, 2007, p. 38). Jesus professed to be the Son of God, the promised Messiah who would establish the kingdom of God and remove all wickedness. His work and the results of his ministry were opposed by the Jewish clergy whom he exposed as false teachers (King James Version, Matthew 23). The Jewish religious leaders charged Jesus with crimes against Rome, the ruling power over Palestine, and Pontius Pilate acting as governor pronounced the death sentence in 36 C.E. Jesus followers used the scriptures to preach about his death, resurrection and future kingdom and began a campaign to spread the faith. That faith was called “the Way” by early Christians who believed Jesus death was for their sins and that blessings that would come under his rulership (American Standard Version, Acts 19:9). Many people became followers of Jesus and the faith spread over the Middle East area. Others viewed Jesus as special, such as first century historian Flavius Josephus, who recorded the following:
Jesus of Nazareth (ca. 6 B.C.E-ca. 29 C.E.) was the Jewish preacher responsible for the establishment of Christianity. With much respect to the Jewish scriptures, Jesus preached his own opinions on religious matters such as Sabbath observance, food laws, and ritual purity. Ultimately, the spread of these opinions was the impetus for his arrest and crucifixion upon his arrival in Jerusalem. Although deemed as an agitator by many, many Jews believed that Jesus was indeed the Messiah mentioned in the Old Testament. Jesus emphasized the importance of loving God and fellow human beings so that his followers could prepare for the “coming” of the kingdom of God. Christianity, now the world’s most practiced religion, originated from the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and will continue to have a significant impact on the modern world.