Interfaith Panel Comments
On the evening of March 21st, 2004, Avondale Pattillo UMC sponsored an Interfaith Panel discussion about the controversial religious film, "The Passion of the Christ". Below are notes from the stimulating and intriguing session.
Panelists are identified by their first initials. All are students at Emory University, Candler School of Theology. Their religious backgrounds and degree pursuits are as follows:
P: United Methodist (Hebrew Studies)
B: Jew (Hebrew Studies)
T: Eastern Orthodox
W: Roman Catholic (New Testament Studies)
W (Roman Catholic)
This film is hard to categorize. It may be best to think of this as a piece of faith-inspired art with vivid realism in such areas as language and costuming. As art, it's poetic and interpretive religious art. In Gethsemane, for example, Jesus moves into and out of the shadows. Demonic children hound Judas. The use of flashbacks during Christ's suffering is masterful art.
This is a very Catholic interpretation and theology of the Passion of Christ. Director Mel Gibson is a member of a very conservative splinter group of Catholics that renounces Vatican II. Vatican II, among other things, began a rapprochement with Judaism.
The film includes non-canonical Catholic traditions. It shows, for instance, the very Catholic "Sorrowful mysteries" and the Stations of the Cross. Veronica's veil is not in Scripture, but is in the Stations of the Cross and in the film. The lifting of the Eucharist during the film mimics the Catholic method of lifting the Eucharist during communion.
Imagery in the film is personal for the viewer. When the Priest tosses the bag of coins to Judas, you don't see Judas. The coins come at the camera -- at the viewer.
One can note the Genesis parallels in Mary's words -- Adam/Jesus, Eve/Mary.
T (Eastern Orthodox)
The Passion Play idea is not an Eastern Orthodox tradition. Orthodox members may be less comfortable than some people of other religions in seeing this extraordinarily, perhaps excessively, violent movie.
Art in the Eastern Orthodox tradition is more stylized. This movie is an odd mix of history with highly stylized, interpretive material. The violence element of Christ's Passion is less important to the Orthodox person. An item of more importance is cosmic reversal. The cross is marched around the sanctuary as these words are spoken, "He who hung earth upon the waters is hung upon a tree."
The Eastern Orthodox has more focus on the mother of God... her suffering, foreknowledge, and importance.
Eastern Orthodox had no reformation -- no big disputes.
Protestant traditions downplay the Passion. The roots of this film suggest that perhaps the Passion needs more emphasis.
B (Jew)
Judaism is not just one set of ideas and opinions -- it's diverse. That said, I was shocked by the violence and at other times deeply moved.
Passion Plays are a scary thing in the Jewish community. They were used in the past (in Europe) to rile up mobs.
Mel Gibson says he's "expressing the truth", but the Gospels actually differ. And he has used the most anti-Semitic Gospel, Matthew, as the basis for much of the movie.
Some of the anti-Judaic traditions that Gibson uses are:
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Pilate is portrayed as weak and manipulated.
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When Pilate and Jesus talk, Pilate says he doesn't want to do this. And Jesus Replies, "The man who brought me bears more responsibility..."
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Jewish Law would prohibit Jews from being at the cross. Placing the Jewish leadership there is more cruel than realistic.
There has been no Jewish push to boycott this film, but Jews feel a need to tell their Christian neighbors when they are doing something that can lead to problems for the Jewish community. The Holocaust could not have happened without anti-Semitism.
For more information about Judaism, see Judaism 101.
P (United Methodist)
Scripture alone is the norm for faith. The movie is problematic where it departs from scripture. A couple of examples are the presence of the figure of Satan at every stage. There is no hint of this in Scripture. Secondly Satan and the demonic child was bizarre and pointless.
Collapsing the Gospels into one account was tried in the second century, but was rejected. You gain from four different gospels with four different messages. Collapsing into one results in it being artificial and unreal.
The movie starts in the middle of nothing -- the Garden of Gethsemane -- and assumes that you know what's happening.
The movie divorces the suffering of Christ from understanding it. The movie is almost sadomasochistic. I did not see the Jesus of the Gospels there. The Jesus of the Gospels was so much more that I came away disappointed.