Ridley Hall, Cambridge

Resources: Biblical Studies Bulletin 31

Issue 31: Mar 2004

The Passion of the Christ

From the 637 or so reviews I had already read, I expected Mel Gibson's film to be a 'sacred snuff' movie that was pornographic in its violence, anti-semitic/Jewish in its character, and soul-scarring for children. Aware that Gibson stands to make a massive fortune from it, the cynical side of me also half-expected to see an exercise in exploitation. On the other hand, the part of me that weeps at crucifixion scenes in other films expected to lose it completely at 'the real thing'.

In fact, I found myself underwhelmed by the experience. Perhaps I had heard too much hype, so my expectations, either to love it or to hate it, were extravagant.

This film is not any more anti-semitic than the gospel accounts. If anything, Gibson has made it less anti-Jewish than his sources (e.g., by excluding Matthew 27.25 which apparently Caiaphas and the crowd say before Pilate in the film but which is not translated). At Jesus' 'trial', the Jewish leaders are divided among themselves as to his guilt, and clearly those who call for him to be crucified do not represent every Jew in the film. Simon of Cyrene, who helps Jesus carry the cross and who eventually takes a risk to defend him, is specifically called a Jew. There is no denying that some Jews play a key role in bringing about Jesus' death in this film, but no more than they do in the gospels. To criticize Gibson for failing to sanitize sufficiently the Passion so that it cannot be misused sails close to asking for a fundamental revision of the story of a man who bore the sins of all people.

The Roman soldiers emerge as the real villains. Contra one reviewer's claim that 'there was no sign of the Christian emphasis on love and compassion', Jesus' teachings on non-retaliation and love for one's enemy appear explicitly through flashback and in his prayer from the cross for his Father's forgiveness, making it difficult for the viewer to go away angry at anyone, except perhaps at Mel Gibson.

Certainly Pilate seems more of an angel than the brutal governor described by Josephus. Yet precisely because he was apparently contemptuous of the Jews I find it hard to believe that he would have been eager to please Caiaphas and the other religious leaders in general. Pilate's reticence to execute a man on very little evidence in this particular circumstance may not simply have come from his concern for truth or from listening to his wife, as the film would have us believe, but I did not sense an attempt to exonerate the Romans from their responsibility for crucifying Jesus.

As for the violence, the film did not strike me as pornographic. It is vivid, deserving the '18' ratingno children should see itbut it was not as bad as I had expected. The camera mercifully did not focus entirely on what was happening to Jesus' back during his scourging (arguably the most horrific, if accurate, part of the film). Neither were the scenes of scourging and crucifixion as long as I had been led to believe in other reviews. In fact, I left relieved that I had been spared seeing the full extent of the suffering that really happened, just as I felt when I first saw Schindler's List.

Let's be clear what this film is and isn't. Despite an introductory quotation from Isaiah 53, it is not a presentation of the Gospel, since it focuses on (certain aspects of) Jesus' suffering, without a corresponding exposition of its significance. That is left to the viewer. A brief resurrection scene ends the film, but it feels more like an afterthought than an integral part of the story with the weight given by 1 Cor 15.4ff. The Passion is therefore not really a balanced evangelistic tool, although people may come to Christ through it.

It is not an attempt to present a literal reading of a gospel account, since no single gospel is followed. Where the gospels are content to say simply that Jesus was scourged and crucified, Gibson gives us much more, and a number of details have no biblical basis whatever. Every attempt to depict the story of Jesus will have to improvise in the telling, hopefully yielding insights and inspiration. This film has its moments, but it also occasionally goes beyond what is necessary. The most bizarre additions are Jesus' worry that his other disciples will see him 'like this' (i.e., agitated) after his prayers in Gethsemane, and a rogue raven who attacks the unrepentant thief on the cross. The Passion is not really a mirror for the Bible, although people will gain insights from it.

It is not an attempt to portray 'what really happened,' i.e. an account informed by current critical scholarship, whether your favourite scholar is Dominic Crossan or Tom Wright. The most obvious howler is the dialogue. Gibson's use of Aramaic (with subtitles) works well, but Pilate's conversations with Jesus and his accusers would have been in Greek, the lingua franca of the day, not Latin. Given all of the pain in this film, it's surprising that we don't see the prolonged ordeal Jesus would have suffered while on the cross, with the threat of asphyxiation making it impossible for him to stay in one position for any length of time. Also lacking is the full shame of crucifixion; Gibson's Jesus is still respectably clothed in a loincloth, when in reality he would have been naked. The Passion is not really trying to give us history, although people will see something that happened in history.

Instead, The Passion powerfully portrays the emphases of Gibson's Roman Catholic piety and tradition, especially in respect to the precious blood of Christ. In fact there is so much blood (much of it dripping) that one wonders how Jesus could have retained consciousness, much less had the strength to carry his cross as long as he does. And it's a very heavy cross; unlike the two thieves who carry only the crossbeam, Jesus is made to bear the whole thing. Because of the inclusion of Veronica and her handkerchief and all of the other nonbiblical but traditional stations of the cross in the journey to Golgotha, that sequence felt much more drawn out than in other films. Mary appears frequently; no doubt she followed Jesus closely as much as she could, but arguably the pieta scene at the foot of the cross after his body is brought down forms the real climax intended by the director.

For those who do not share Gibson's particular tradition, this well-acted film still has much to offer, and I am very glad that I saw it. The crucifixion did not move me as much as Peter's denial, the scourging, and a scene when Jesus stumbles and Mary in a flashback remembers running to rescue him when he was a child. Satan is present as tempter in Gethsemane at the start, and his repeated appearances effectively emphasize the constant temptation Christ endured of seeking a way of escape.

No one can see this film without being reminded that our redemption was costly and painful. If I were an incumbent, I'm not sure I would take my congregation to view The Passion, but it deserves to be seen. I would certainly plan an adult education programme to help people reflect on what it does and does not tell us about the death of Jesus. His crucifixion is a fact of history; rather than playing a game of distraction with side issues about the film, Christians have been given a brilliant opportunity to discuss the meaning of that fact.

The Editor

What did you think of the film?

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Letters to the Editor

David Holgate, Deputy Director and Dean of Studies at Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme in Salisbury, writes:

Looking up some details on the Ridley website I discovered your BSB index to guidance on commentaries. Thanks for making this useful resourse more widely available. I have posted a link to all the STETS students.

Thanks David. Some readers may not be aware that all back issues of Biblical Studies Bulletin are available online at the Ridley Hall (www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/ridley_news.html ) and Grove Books (www.grovebooks.co.uk) websites. Now if we could only get some decent jokes.

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Book Review

Nick Spencer, Beyond Belief? Barriers and Bridges to Faith Today. LICC 2003 (available for £5.50 inc p&p from London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, St Peters, Vere Street, London, W1G 0DQ; tel 020 7399 9555, email: mail@licc.org.uk).

This report describes a research project carried out in November 2002. It looked into the attitudes to religion, Christianity and the church of five focus groups of non-religious agnostics.

Those who spend much of their week with agnostics may not be surprised at the findings. But for those who work with Christians and have been part of the Christian scene for many years, these contemporary attitudes may come as a shock. However, a realistic understanding of the barriers and bridges to faith in the UK today can only help Christians to be wiser and more effective in explaining their faith.

In particular, attitudes to the Bible were somewhat depressing, especially since logical refutation of error is not a popular style of discourse! Knowledge of the Bible was very, and sometimes unbelievably, low, but that did not prevent respondents making judgements on biblical historicity, etc. Almost without exception the members of the groups held the 'Chinese whispers' theory of the Bible, that it was written down centuries after the events by unreliable and sometimes deceiving authors. Other beliefs included: 'There is no evidence to support anything in the Bible.' 'Jesus was not a person. He's a made-up character...' 'They read it and they don't question it, that's what I don't get...' 'I cannot believe that people just worship a book.' 'The Bible contradicts itself. In the New Testament there are four different stories.' 'You go through the Bible and all the commandments are broken...it's a huge contradiction.' 'I can't help but think that a society with Neanderthals or something like that, thought, how did we get here...'. Was it always the same, or are we in a different ball game? Read on...

Margaret Killingray

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Software Review: Accordance 6

Accordance has been around for a long time. I bought a copy ten years ago when version 1.0 was released for the Mac; it was the best programme available on any computer platform for serious study of the Bible then, and ten years later the latest version just released (6.1.2) maintains that tradition.

What makes it so good? Simplicity of use, intuitive controls and layout, powerful and sophisticated search criteria, speed, quality and range of available modules (far too many to begin to list here), easy import and export of data in a variety of formats, excellent online help, and a responsive development team immediately come to mind.

If you're new to computers and simply want a replacement for a bulky concordance, a basic package for $69 (approximately £40) will get you started. This is also the tool of choice for scholars and those who teach Greek or Hebrew, whether your primary textbook is the OT, NT, LXX or the Apostolic Fathers. With a few simple clicks of a mouse you can have graphical or tabular analyses of where and how frequently a word, phrase or grammatical construction appears in your chosen text(s). Any number of tools such as the Anchor Bible Dictionary or the Expositor's Bible Commentary can be grouped together and searched at the same time, or indeed all of the modules one has may be searched at one go.

The new version has been revised to reflect the simplicity of Mac OS X (although it will run on any Mac OS from 7.1), and it adds a number of useful features. Changing the font size in a text pane, adding new text or tool panes, or accessing the powerful analysis features could not be easier. Sometimes with older versions the sheer number of choices on multiple control palettes could be confusing; now they have been consolidated and simplified. A new workspace feature enables many search or tool windows to be neatly organized as tabs in a single window, and the process of importing new texts to create your own user tools has been improved.

One new module is especially impressive. The Essential IVP Reference Collection gives access to the full text of over a dozen standard IVP reference books, such as the very fine Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, and others in that series. A Bible atlas and basic commentaries on the OT and NT are also included, as well as other useful tools. As with other modules, all of these resources can be searched (separately, in groups, or altogether) for a word or phrase at the click of a button. The price of this module ($180; approximately £100) would be a good deal just for the texts, but the bonus is that the Accordance programme itself comes with it. This makes the package a good starting point for students or pastors who can then go on to add other text or tool modules as needed.

Full details can be found at the Accordance website (www.oaksoft.com). The good news for PC owners is that a free Mac emulator is available to enable them to join the Accordance party (http://www.torahresource.com/Accord.html). But there's a better way: simply get a Mac and say goodbye to computer worms and viruses!

The Editor

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Humour, etc

The following come from Mikey's funnies at the Youth Specialties website (http://www.youthspecialties.com). Be forewarned: unless you act now to provide better material, more of these will appear in the next issue.

Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married?
A. Ruthless

Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.

Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

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Computer Corner

• Two fine sites for up-to-date news of biblical interest are Jim Davila's Paleojudaica blog(http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com) and Stephen Carlson's Hypotoposeis (http://www.mindspring.com/~scarlson/hypotyposeis/blogger.html ). Thanks to Dr Mark Goodacre, whose own blog site remains one of the first to go to for information (http://www.ntgateway.com/weblog/).
• Those looking for critical responses to the findings of the 'Jesus Seminar' may want to have a look at Michael Marlowe's collection of links (http://www.bible-researcher.com/links04.html#canon-jesusseminar ).
• David Instone Brewer of Tyndale House draws our attention to several web resources: (1) Teologiportalen, a search engine for theology which uses experts to refine searches from Google to get useful results (www.teologiportalen.dk/search.php?sprog=en); (2) Online Books (http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/subjectstart?BR-BX ), a source for online texts, as also are (3) Early Christian Writings (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/onlinebooks.html ), and (4) the Internet Public Library with over 19,000 volumes (http://www.ipl.org/div/books/).
• Over 7000 pages of study notes written by Dr. Thomas L Constable are now available for free download as pdf files, forming a commentary on every book of the bible (www.soniclight.com/constable/notes.htm). Dr Constable has taught English Bible at Dallas Theological Seminary for over twenty years. The theological perspective is American conservative-evangelical and dispensational, with its consequent benefits and limitations.

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Grove Biblical Series

This month's booklet is B 31 Refreshing Bible Study, edited by Ian Paul. Written by members of the Biblical series editorial group, it's a collection of ideas and new ways to deepen Bible study for groups and individuals.

Individual titles in the Biblical Series are available direct from Grove Books at £2.75 each. Annual subscription (4 books) costs £8.50, a saving of over 20%. Call, fax, email sales@grovebooks.co.uk or visit www.grovebooks.co.uk to order.