'It Is as It Was' (Peggy Noonan on the Pope's Viewing of "The Passion)

Wall Street Journal ^ | 12/17/2003 | Peggy Noonan

[Pyro7480]

'It Is as It Was'

Mel Gibson's "The Passion" gets a thumbs-up from the pope.

Wednesday, December 17, 2003 1:06 p.m.

Here's some happy news this Christmas season, an unexpected gift for those who have seen and admired Mel Gibson's controversial movie, "The Passion," and wish to support it. The film has a new admirer, and he is a person of some influence. He is in fact the head of the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church.

[Eva]

I occurs to me that the Catholic Church, like the Democrat Party is in danger of a philosophic schism, along political lines, not religious.

[WilliamWallace1999]

Don't you be a nit-wit too. NO Catholic thinks the Pope is greater than or more important than the Holy Trinity. It is a term of respect and deference to refer to the Pope as "Father". Catholics also read the Bible. The WHOLE bible, not the abbreviated and edited KJV.

[Mr. Thorne]

Brings to mind the verse, "Jesus wept."

Short. To the point. Power in its brevity.

"It is as it was."

wow.

[Aquinasfan]

It is as it was.

I can't imagine higher praise for a film regarding the Passion than that.

[jonno]

Passion bump!

[ArrogantBustard]

I hope catholics like yourself will see the truth and read the bible for yourself.

We do, and we have. That's why we're Catholic. How anyone can honestly and sincerely read the Bible, and be a Protestant, utterly eludes me. And yes, I've heard the arguements over and over and over ad nauseaum. They don't persuade.

And now we have a Catholic, Mr. Gibson, making a film of the central event of the whole Bible, and apparently doing it right. At least, the honest folk who have previewed it seem to think so. I look forward to seeing it myself.

[jonno]

BTW - has a date for the movie's release in the U.S. been set?

[Mike Darancette]

"It is as it was."

The Vatican don't know beans about secular politics. But I'll have to bow to The Holy Father's opinion on matters such as this.

[VOA]

bump

[pctech]

Sorry to tell ya, but the KJV is not an abbreviated version. It was translated from documents that were as close to the originals as is possible. The Latin Vulgate and subsequent catholic interpretations were not.

I don't want to hash religious arguments here though, for am I very impressed and pleased with the Popes statement. Even though I am not catholic and don't agree with the catholic doctrine, doesn't mean I can't put that aside and praise the Popes words. I fear for the world when that man leaves us for his reward.

[johnb838]

Brings to mind the verse, "Jesus wept."

Excellent point, which gave me goose bumps. I once read of "Jesus Wept" described as being the shortest complete paragraph in the English language. Now I have to think that "It Is as It was" must be right up there as well.

[Pokey78]

Thanks!

Peggy ping!

[Lando Lincoln]

Thanks Poke.....

Lando

[A.A. Cunningham]

Saint Jerome's Latin Vulgate was in existence nearly 12 centuries prior to the commissioning of the abridged and heavily edited KJV.

[BraveMan]

I know you'd be interested in this . . .

[hoagy62]

US release date is Feb. 25th.

[Urbane_Guerilla]

Peggy Noonan is almost unreadable. Her cotton candy prose is pretentious and cloying. It is amazing that her banality sells so well, but what people really are buying is the psuedo-profundity of her tone which is her distinctive trademark.

It did not surprise me at all that she sold her integrity to Enron for 50k.

Which is too bad, because she says conservative stuff.

[pctech]

That's because the Latin Vulgate was the only "bible" the middle-century-dark-ages-catholic-church would allow the public to have, and most couldn't even afford or understand it. Or did we somehow forget about that nasty subject called "The Inquisitions?"

[Urbane_Guerilla]

And furthermore, you folks should listen to yourselves, getting all goose-bumply over "It is as it was." This is a doddering statement from a doddering man.

What the hell does "It is as it was" mean? That the movie captures the historical and spiritual significance of the passion? How does anybody know THAT, if in fact that is what it means?

Folks, "It is as it was" is a movie review, and a trite one at that. In true Peggy fashion, her preciousness is mistaken for insight.

Next time your teenager tells you LOTR was "awesome" dont get out the applications for Ivy League colleges.