The Passion of Jesus Christ and The Son of God

Although the Bible’s description of Jesus and his crucifixion has not been changed, the perception of the people about Jesus has been changing throughout the ages. The poem “The Dream of the Rood” is good example of a unique view of Jesus and his crucifixion. The poem is referred as “one of the first and most successful treatments of the crucifixion” in Old English poetry (Burrow 123).

In the book Simply Jesus, N.T. Wright makes three different claims throughout. N.T. Wright's first claim is about the “perfect storm”. The “perfect storm” takes up a large section of the first few chapters, and in those chapters N.T. Wright writes about that to enter the “perfect storm” you must step out of your own storm that is happening in your life, you must jump back into the “perfect storm” just as Jesus did in his own life. N.T. Wright fails to fully support the idea of the “perfect storm” throughout the book. Wright writes about the two myths that create the “storms”, the first is “… the high-pressure system of conservative Christianity” and the second is “... the new classic modernist myth…”. N.T. Wright loses his credibility to his claims by never giving evidence that disproves they myths. N.T. Wright states that the stories in the bible “...’really did happen’. And there the matter ends…. Facts or no facts”. N.T. Wrights claims are never fully

Jesus' death was an act of love that represents his final testimony to his trust in the faithful and loving God he proclaimed as his father.

The Bible has been translated into 451 languages, sold over 6 billion times, and depicted in over 40 movies. The Bible and the crucifixion of the Messiah are prominent aspects in cultures all around the world today. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has been translated, dramatized, televised, adapted, and cartooned. In “The Dream of the Rood,” translated by R.M. Liuzza, the Biblical cross comes to life to tell its own version of Christ’s death and resurrection. The author recreated the Biblical account to appeal to the Anglo-Saxon warrior group to effectively convert them. However, the story from the cross’s perspective matches the crucial material of the Biblical account of the crucifixion without defaming Christ.

The crucifixion of Christ is treated differently within the bodies of Old English and Middle English literature. The values of each era's society are superimposed on the descriptions of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Christ is depicted either as the model of the hero, prevalent in Old English literature, or as the embodiment of love and passion, as found in Showings by Julian of Norwich.

The Drama of Scripture frames the biblical narrative as a work of drama, with six acts. These acts are Creation, Fall, Israel, Jesus, Church, and New Creation (Drama pp. 23-24, 2014). The first three acts come from the Old Testament, and the final three come from the New Testament. In many ways, I feel that this Six Act Drama plays itself out in my life as well. As a Catholic man of faith, this makes a great deal of sense to me. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, hence CCC, states that, “God is the author of Sacred Scripture. ‘The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit’” (CCC 105, 2000). Additionally, it states “The inspired books teach the truth…” (CCC 107, 2000). These two quotes point to the primacy of Scripture in how I find my life playing itself out. Since Scripture is how God narrates His will, and since we are made in the image and likeness of God, it follows that patterns present in Scripture would manifest themselves in my life. Each act of the drama represents a phase of my life which has either happened, is currently happening, or one for which I still await.

The image of Jesus nailed to a wooden cross by the palms of his hands and with a crown of thorns wrapped around his head is one that has transcended all time barriers. It has inclusive been replicated into figure form that is utilized in various ways but whose primary function is to serve as a constant reminder of the physical suffering endured by Jesus. In The Dream of the Rood however, the perception of Jesus Christ as not only the son of God and savior of mankind but also as a human with the capacity to feel pain, is subverted when through the perspective of a personified cross he is conveyed as a warrior in the midst of combat. The portrayal of Jesus in this way immediately evokes the image of an ideal stereotypical hero who is strong,

In The Judaeo-Christian Tradition by Jack H. Hexter, the trial of Jesus is addressed in an unorthodox perspective. The trial of Jesus incorporates two trials: the Roman trial and the Jewish trial. In Hexter's book the Roman trial is addressed in great length while the Jewish trial is almost unaddressed. Hexter provides a perspective of the trial of Jesus with only one cause: the charge of sedition, for claiming to be king of the Jews. By using the four gospel texts, Hexter's view is illuminated and we find crucial aspects to the trial that not only counter Hexter's view on the sedition charge but also provide evidence for other important charges. Themes other than the charge of sedition supporting Hexter's perspective include, the

The Last Temptation of Christ, was released in 1988, starring Willem Dafoe as Jesus of Nazareth. The film caused controversy amongst Christian’s for it’s contentious representation of Jesus Christ. In the opening scene, Willem Dafoe is seen in a foetal position, whilst hearing disturbing sounds, from a high angle looking down on him, exposing his vulnerability. Jesus in the Last Temptation of Christ, built crosses for the Roman Empire, in order for the crucifixion of the Jewish. Judas barges into Jesus' home, which they have a debate on the activities, Jesus partakes in. Through the debacle, Jesus is portrayed as a coward through the use of high angles, and low angles of Judas, blatantly calls Jesus a "disgrace" and a "Jew killing Jews". This representation of Jesus challenged the Christian subculture's values and beliefs. In the eyes of a Christian, Jesus is represented as a virgin with no sin, who has the mission to help the undesirables. The alternate reading of the film was decoded by Christians in a negative light as they classified the film as sacrilegious, viewing the film as a mockery of the life of Jesus as the two characters juxtapose one another. In traditional images and drawings, Jesus is characterised as having power and influence over others. A character, the illustration of the nativity scene has emphasised the humility of Jesus and promoted a more tender image of him, as a major turning point from the early "Lord and Master”. These attitudes towards Jesus and conservative values are challenged in LTOC. Through the film, it is evident that Jesus has internal conflict and a symbol of violence, when returning from the desert, Jesus, meets with his disciples and holds up an axe, inviting them to war, saying “I believed in love now I believe in this”. This representation disturbed Christians, as it has distorted their image of Jesus, as a merciful and gentle being. The Last Temptation of Christ represents the conservative values of Christians, as they caused controversy. Angry Christians took to the streets to make a change, calling for protests and boycotts. A harsher censorship was wanted, to prevent the movie to be seen from a larger audience. The film was banned in many countries, such as;

Incorporating traditional Anglo Saxon beliefs of heroism with the image of Christ on the cross allows the poet of The Dream of the Rood to effectively communicate the benefits of Christianity to pagan warriors. By comparing characteristics, duties, and treatment of heroes in Beowulf and the Battle of Maldon to the depiction of Christ in The Dream of the Rood, it becomes evident that the image of Christ is altered to mirror that of heroic warriors. Through this melding of heroic beliefs and Christianity, the poet of Rood is able to show how Christ can become the ultimate ring giver or Lord.

Another comparison to the Bible is the death of Guido to save his son. At the end of the film, Guido is forced by a German soldier to proceed to the place of his death. As he goes there, Guido passes by the crate in which Joshua is hiding. Instead of running from the guard, Guido marches on to amuse Joshua. Similarly, after Jesus was condemned to death, soldiers led him to the hill where he would eventually die. Jesus did not resist. As Jesus marched to his death, he comforted those who wept in sorrow and sadness. Again, Guido acts as Jesus Christ acts in the Bible. In the Bible, Jesus saves His people by giving his life for them. Similarly,

The film also depicted that crucifixion was typically a form of death that was harsh, violent, and humiliating, which is accurate in comparison to crucifixions in history. In the film, Jesus was spit on, and the Romans mocked him, saying that if were really the king, that he would save himself. This picture of the Jesus’ crucifixion, and the violence that forced upon him, that was displayed in the film, The Passion of the Christ was an accurate description of what actually happened during crucifixions during the ancient times (Religions).

Many people believe that there is only one account of the Passion of Jesus Christ or they believe that each story is the same; whereas there are four separate Gospel accounts of the Passion of Our Lord. Each of these Gospel accounts supplements the others, however each gospel account of the crucifixion of Jesus is unique, not only in how the story is told but also in the events and features themselves. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John clearly present different portrayals of the death of Jesus Christ. By examining each account the reader discovers the evangelist's understanding of the death accounts of the crucifixion and death of Jesus. The reader must examine and compare all of the Gospel accounts to have a full and

Many Americans flocked to see Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ.” On over 2.000 screens across America the viewed the “harrowing depiction of Jesus' last 12 hours in wide-screen vivid color.” (Allen 2004) People viewed images of Jesus being flogged, crucified and left to die. This violence caused some Christians discomfort with theology, and some Jews’ fear that it will “incite violence against them because of its portrayal of Jews’ involvement in Jesus’ death.” (Allen 2004)

The most impactful and visual image is when someone is nailed on to the cross. Yes, here I am talking about the story of Jesus Christ facing the crucifixion. In the movie, Son of God, the crucifixion of Jesus is powerfully illustrated. The movie focus on the narration of Jesus Christ from birth, life, sacrificial death, resurrection and the ascendance. However, the Hollywood encouraged by the church focused on the scene where Jesus was flogged and then carried his cross up on to the “skull.” Where he was physically nailed and placed upon that cross and suffered a humiliating death. This film played throughout many movie theaters around the United States and even the world. Therefore, many people witness the crucifixion of Jesus on the big