Judas Reimagined, the Unsung Hero of the Bible
Forget everything you think that you know about Christianity as you sit down to watch heresy hit the big screen in all of its glittering glory in Norman Jewison’s 1973 rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar. Camera angles, costumes and close-ups take the place of theology in this drastic and highly entertaining rewrite Jesus’ last week of life. Rather than dying as a sacrifice for humanity’s sins, it turns out that Jesus was really just an ordinary guy who bought into his own hyped-up image and refused to listen to the story’s true hero – Judas Iscariot!
Written off as a thief and traitor by the Bible, Carl Anderson reveals Judas’ true character to be that of a dedicated activist who is the only
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Played by Ted Neeley, throughout the movie Jesus is presented to us as a fairly boring, whiny and self-centered superstar without a clearly defined mission. There is no mention of the highly critical and confrontational interactions with the priests which the Bible highlights as one of their key reasons for hating him, nor is there any explanation of the actual purpose of the movement which he had supposedly wandered from. He treats his disciples like groupies, smiling at them and accepting their adulation with no rebuke for those like Simon who urge him to provoke outright rebellion against Rome. His primary complaint against his followers is that they do not care about him at all and that they will forget him shortly after his death. When surrounded by the lame and sick begging for healing, he panics and yells at them to heal themselves because there isn’t enough of him to go around. He seems to be a martyr without a cause, not knowing why he has to die in the first place. By completely changing his character to suit their purposes, the producers only succeeded in creating a straw puppet for them to knock down and ultimately to leave dead and disgraced in the
What would happen to the world when the Government and the drug producers create a partnership that benefits each side? This is reality in The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer. The drug producers are given land between Mexico and the United States, known as Aztlán, that is theirs to do whatever they want, without the interference of outside government, as long as they make sure no illegal immigrants come to the U.S. In the middle of all of this, there is Opium. This is the largest exported drug from Aztlán and the center of young Matt’s life.
Iago throughout the book uses manipulative language to convince characters throughout scenes. However he doesn’t fail, from the beginning he has a well thought out plan, he manipulates people and he has complete lack of empathy which gives him the perfect traits for being a villain. A perfect villain in my definition is someone who can plan out a villainous act and act it out without failure. Iago has achieved this and so I consider him a perfect villain. Although Iago has a few flaws acting out his plan he achieves his goal to an extent in an evil and villainous way such as the failure of murdering of Cassio and his being tortured.
In Act 1, Scene 1 of the Crucible, Arthur Miller’s theme is evident when Abigail worryingly puts all the blame on tituba because she knows that Tituba’s race puts her at a disadvantage, thus leading to tituba lying for her own safety. Passionately trying to seek answers Parris threateningly screams, “ You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!”(Miller 24) Tituba fearfully replies, “ No--no, don’t hang Tituba. I tell him I don’t desire to work for him, sir.” (24). In the quote, Parris didn’t like that tituba didn’t tell him she dealt with the devil so he threatened to kill her. Historically whipping was a method to abuse or punish slaves for misbehaving. After the beatings if still alive the slaves will suffer mental and physical distress. This image of a brutal death
Ever since its release and subsequent #1 status on the New York Times' bestseller list, Dan Brown's novel `The Da Vinci Code' has refocused the attentions of scholars and the ordinary man on the historical accuracy of the life of Jesus Christ. The crux of the debate relates to the closure of what are referred to as the Canonical Gospels, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Vermes, Geza. Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospels. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973.
A timeless and infamous text that has been influenced is the New Testament story of Jesus Christ. His teachings were written as early as 50 AD but the story was only put into text from oral tradition as early 63 AD, but it wasn’t until 80 AD when all recognised accounts were finished. This gives an idea of how powerful and large the story had spread and how the cinematic storytelling techniques originally employed by the likes of Homer to immerse specific audiences and achieve its goal of spreading the word of Christ. Set from just before the start of the common era to circa 30 ACE, it was a time where the Jews were heavily oppressed and occupied by the Romans. Jews were forced to worship the Roman emperor like a God(2), pay heavy taxes to Rome and one was severely beaten by Roman soldiers if one did not comply. Also there was a strict social order in which if you broke, you...
...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.
Ultimately, Jesus Christ Superstar is just another Jesus film. Unique to its rock-opera genre, it is an attempt to
Stanton, Graham. Gospel Truth?: New Light on Jesus and the Gospels. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1995. Paperback.
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
"The Passion of the Christ" by Mel Gibson, recounts the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, portraying his arrest, trial, crucifixion and death. One of the most popular religious movies in modern times, it therefore becomes susceptible to criticism. Although the film is based upon the stories within the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, there are many exaggerations and non-biblical elements present in the movie. This is not unexpected, since it is a movie, but the vivid detail of the brutality in the movie as well as the Anti-Semitic theme are the most publicly criticized elements of the movie. The Passion emphasizes the brutality Jesus endured to give himself for his people, but at the same time in the movie the Jews are the ones that cry for his death. During several scenes of The Passion of the Christ, there are elements such as characters, themes, and motifs that are not found within the gospels, but are in the movie to add more dramatic elements.
The evangelists wrote their Gospels from the point-of-view of faith, to convince readers ‘to share their faith and serve the God of Jesus Christ”. They demand a response from their readers. This is why they chose to write their accounts in narrative form. Narratives encourage identification with their central character, involve their readers in a rich network of human experiences and draw audiences into their world. in order to understand these narratives and be transformed by them, the modern reader needs to read them as a Bios of Jesus, that draws deeply from the Jewish world and represents the thoughtful testimony of trustworthy eyewitnesses.
...ds to film, the religious stories surrounding the scenario are more than likely far less exciting and more straightforward than what is portrayed. The depiction of Christianity in a melodramatic fashion aims to keep people interested but it is not taken into consideration that the events that had taken place in Christian texts such as the bible could be equally interesting and exciting if they are depicted accurately within the story being narrated. Movies are over eager when they get a religious topic to work with and place it unnecessarily over the top, so that the religious undertones and lessons are almost lost and to get them, one must pay extremely close attention.
Porter, J.R. Jesus Christ: The Jesus of History, the Christ of Faith. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Most Christians will agree that their main three purposes in life are to serve, know and love God. After watching Jesus of Nazareth, I felt I had accomplished them all. It was the year of 1977; I was only six years old and at home with my mother when Jesus of Nazareth movie first broadcasted. My mom insisted that we watch this movie with her. It was directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The main cast of this series was led by a British actor, Robert Powell, who portrayed the role of Jesus. Due to the fact, that I was only a child at the time, I didn’t really understand what this movie was all about. Approximately, six years ago, it aired again on the History Channel and I watched it with my church family. Jesus of Nazareth embellished the birth,