Mel Gibson`s Passion: Jesus and the Jews

Seamax ^ | 6/19/2003 | Fr. Michael Reilly

[Hugenot]

Imagine if the New York Times tried to accurately present the news?

That's what Mel Gibson is attempting in his new film The Passion.

Gibson's film is an attempt to present the last twelve hours of Jesus' life as accurately as possible, using Aramaic and Latin with no subtitles.

Meanwhile, theologians are accusing him of portraying the Jews in a negative light and presenting the crucifixion as it is recounted in the Gospels.

It remains unclear how the theologians secured the script.

The individuals who killed Jesus are long dead and buried. How can living human beings be blamed or punished for the actions of dead people? Those individuals who killed Jesus are guilty of a terrible crime. Sharing their heritage is not a crime.

Do movies about slavery lead to hatred of modern white southerners?

After all, as Gibson points out, "Jesus himself was a Jew, his mother was a Jew, and so were his twelve apostles." So some of the villains and all of the heroes in the movie are Jews.

Why must our society view everyone through the lens of race? Can't people be responsible for their own actions as individuals? Or am I doomed to pay for every mistake made by Irish Catholics for 2,000 years?

Orthodox Jewish author David Klinghoffer, in defense of Gibson wrote in the New York Jewish weekly Forward that, "Our loyalty should be to Judaism and to truth, not to an officially sanctioned, sanitized version of Judaism or the truth -- which may be neither Jewish nor true."

Pope John Paul II used the millenium as an opportunity to apologize for historical failures on the part of the Catholic Church. His openness to history as it really happened should be lauded, but it doesn't make modern Catholics guilty for the crimes of their ancestors.

And a film about Jesus' crucifixion doesn't make modern Jews responsible for killing Jesus.

[RhoTheta]

My understanding of the Gospel is that the Jewish Orthodoxy of the day was just the proximate cause of Jesus' physical death. If the Gospel is to have any meaning, it is the race of fallen mankind that put Jesus to death: it is my sin in my life that put him to death every bit as much as that of the contemporary orthodoxy of the day. "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (Jn 1.11) has to do with fallen man refusing to recognize God. If it was as simple as "a bunch of Jews of the day, now dead, killed Jesus," then I have no redemption for my sin, no salvation, no sanctification.

The point is, Jesus died "for every mistake made by Irish Catholics for 2,000 years," as well as all Jews, and all non-Jews to follow. Jn 1.12-13 goes on to say "But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God."

If Mel Gibson can portray that truth, in the face of Hollywood, and the modern Orthodoxy (today's theologians), then he will have done a great thing.

Go, Mel!

[Malesherbes]

I'm looking forward to seeing this film. The events are well known and so sub-titles are not necessary. It will be fascinating to hear both Latin and Aramaic spoken, a real note of authenticity.

[msdrby]

bump

[PigRigger]

Well said.

[Alouette]

I read David Klinghoffer's article in The Forward and it sounded rational and well-reasoned.

Jewish liberals are making a big mistake if they think that this movie is going to send crowds of angry Christians into the streets shouting "Kill the JOOS!" That's not going to happen. If a movie was being made about the life of Mohammed and its portrayal of the Qurayaish, they might have more reason to worry.

[Pietro]

"If the Gospel is to have any meaning, it is the race of fallen mankind that put Jesus to death"

I believe that if Christ came into the world today the same tradgety would unfold, the perpetrators would be catholic or protestant or fundementalists or jewish, muslim, mormon; man.

God's truth is not of this world. Earthly power and the power of God eminate from different sources. Speaking truth to power will almost always get the speaker killed, and if it is Truth it will absolutely get the speaker killed.

The one constant through-out the ages is the perfidy of man.

[Rightly Biased]

I say we crucify Christ every day with every evil thought and deed to blame the Jew is to look at things through a racial lens and completly destroys why the crucifixion of Christ took place

Thanks Mel for not being scared to show the truth.

[Scothia]

I'm looking forward to seeing this film. The events are well known and so sub-titles are not necessary. It will be fascinating to hear both Latin and Aramaic spoken, a real note of authenticity.

My brother-in-law, an administrator at LMU, tells me that Mel Gibson is working with a faculty member there who is the leading expert on Aramaic, to produce the most realistic film possible. Gibson was their undergraduate commencement speaker, and from what I heard, did a superb job. Bro-in-law got to hang out with him for the afternoon. (siiiiiiiigh)

[reagandemocrat]

Just signed up, did you? You might wanna put some ice on that.

RD

[Scothia]

For two millennia Jews have been the victims of the most brutal persecutions precisely because they have been collectively blamed for the death of Christ by the Roman Catholic church.

And on whom can you pin the persecution suffered by the Jews before the death of Christ, or in parts of the world, such as among the Arabs, where Jesus is not worshipped?

The Jews have suffered greatly. I don't think that many who inflicted this suffering truly did so thinking they were honoring Jesus, but rather as a smokescreen in order to grab power, lands, and possessions. Do you honestly think Hitler or the Tsars were true Christians? If so, you know nothing whatsoever of Christianity.

[A. Pole]

You seem to forget that you have been the the perpetrators here and we the innocent victims.

Nobody is perfect with the exception of God. We all are victims and perpetrators.

[rmlew]

Theoretically speaking, the Tsars were supposed to be the guaranteors of Russian Orthodox christianity, like the Byzantine Emporers.
Reality is often different. The first Tsar was Ivan IV, Ivan the Teribble.

[TheAngryClam]

What kind of horrible crime was that?

Jesus was indeed a rabble-rouser and revolutionary, which lead to the authorization of his execution by the Roman governor of the territory.

And does anyone think that Jesus would have mattered (religiously, historically, etc.) had he not been crucified? Kind of hard to die for mankind's sins when you live to a nice old age.

The whole theicide issue is based on not really thinking things through.

[RobbyS]

If the Jews were collectively blamed for anything, it was not for killing Christ but for rejecting him as the Messiah. Catholic theology is clear that the guilt for his death rests with mankind as a whole, Any special guilt attaches to those Jews who refused to accept him as their rightful ruler. As for persecution, Jews were the first offenders. The leadership showed strong hostility to early Christians. When Paul returned to Jerusalem the last time, they tried to get him executed, and they did execute James, the bishop of Jerusalem. For almost eighty years they fought the Romans. The Jewish Wars in th 60s did not end their desire for power. It was a Jewish uprising that forced Trajan to withdraw from Mesopotamia and the Romans had a hard time beating down that rebellion. Hadrian finally suppressed Jewish political ambitions in 135 and Romanized the site of Jerusalem. After that rabbinical Judaism more or less repudiated politcal ambition and I don't think that the Orthodox are gung ho about zionism to this day. Of course, the Christians gained political power and in the 4th Cerntury began persecution of the Jews and pagans.

[DPB101]

Hope the film is shown in Indonesia.

[TexConfederate1861]

I think some of the Tsars were, ESPECIALLY the last one Nicholas II....don't lump everfybody together...some were good, others were bad!

[TexConfederate1861]

I would like to remind YOU that Jews have not always been perfect either...they persecuted the early Christian Church with a zeal just as strong and misguided as the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian Faiths!

Not a good idea to throw stones....FORGIVENESS is the key word that should be used!