Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ
The Film, the Gospels and the Claims of History

Edited by Kathleen E. Corley and Robert L. Webb

Continuum International Publishing
August 31 2004    ISBN: 082647781X   $17.95  £ 9.99

This book is the first analysis of the movie by an international team of leading Biblical historians and critics.

Readers are guided by historical Jesus scholars who help distinguish between the contents of the film and the contents of the Gospels, and between the contents of the film and what might be historically reconstructed about Jesus. The book also places the movie in context as a work of art, assessing it alongside other portrayals of Jesus in different media.

"This film gets inside your head and demands a reaction. Some apparently leave the cinema wanting to repent of their sins; others cannot find a good word to say about it. The images are so compelling, so moving that they demand a lot from the viewer."  Mark Goodacre, Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the Department of Theology, University of Birmingham, UK

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is not only a powerful and evocative film, it is also an important cultural phenomenon. Claims and accusations about this film have been made in newspapers, on television, and from pulpits. In particular, claims have been made that the film is accurate to the stories in the Gospels and to history. This book gathers together top international scholars to help you understand the similarities and differences between this film and the Gospels and the claims of history. Although the film has been greeted as an accurate portrayal of the gospels, it can be shown that it is not as true to the gospels as has been assumed, and should not be taken as true to what we know about Jesus and his death. Written in clear, non-technical language, this book will help you understand the issues being discussed and make an informed evaluation.

Dr. Kathleen E. Corley is Oshkosh Northwestern Distinguished Professor and Professor of New Testament at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She is a sought after speaker in local churches and on television and is the author of Private Women, Public Meals and Women and the Historical Jesus. 

Dr. Robert L. Webb is an independent scholar in Toronto, Canada, who writes and teaches on a variety of New Testament subjects

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION: The Passion, the Gospels and the Claims of History
Robert L. Webb and Kathleen E. Corley

PART 1: THE PASSION AS A FILM VIEWING EXPERIENCE: RESPONDING TO THE FILM AS A WHOLE

2. Hymn to a Savage God
John Dominic Crossan

3. The Power of The Passion: Reacting and Over-reacting to Gibson's Artistic Vision
Mark Goodacre

PART 2: THE PASSION AS STORY: EVALUATING THE FILM'S CHARACTERIZATION AND PLOT

4. The Flashbacks in The Passion: Story and Discourse as a Means of Explanation
Robert L. Webb

5. The Betrayal of Jesus and the Death of Judas
Scot McKnight

6. Satan and the Demons
Mark Allan Powell

7. Mary and the other Women Characters
Kathleen E. Corley

8. The Jewish Leaders
Alan F. Segal

9. Pilate and the Romans
Helen K. Bond

10. The Trials of Jesus
Glenna S. Jackson

11. The Procession and the Crucifixion
Craig A. Evans


PART 3: THE PASSION AS ART: CONSIDERING THE FILM'S ARTISTIC INFLUENCES

12. The Passion in the History of Jesus Films
W. Barnes Tatum 

13. The Passion, Classical Art and Re-presentation
David J. Goa

14. The Passion and the Influence of Emmerich's The Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ
Robert L. Webb


15. CONCLUSION - The Passion, the Gospels and the Claims of History
Robert L. Webb and Kathleen E. Corley

Glossary
Notes
Bibliography

 

Hyperlinked Footnotes available here