Newswise — Never has so much been written about a film so few have seen. Mel Gibson has said that "The Passion of Christ," scheduled for release Feb. 25, is based literally on the Gospels. He has said that he and every human killed Christ through their sins. Yet critics of the film say Gibson is anti-Semitic. They point out that he belongs to a conservative Catholic group that rejects the Vatican II declaration of 1965 that the Jews should be held blameless for the death of Christ. Gibson says he does not portray Jews as Christ's murderers, yet some who have seen the film says he does. Gibson has removed a controversial segment of the film that depicts Jews as the ones calling most loudly for Jesus to be crucified.
Judson Shaver, president of Marymount Manhattan College and a recognized scholar on the history of Christianity and Judaism, is one of the few who HAS seen the film. But Shaver, who has written or edited two books, numerous articles and taught undergraduate and graduate courses on the subject, says the debate still shouldn't be over the movie. "It's about the book and its interpretation," says Shaver, referring to the Bible and specifically the New Testament, which contains accounts of the suffering and death of Christ in four separate Gospels. Americans hear the Gospels in church, he says, and what they may hear is ethnic blame. What they might not hear or know is that the Gospels cannot be taken as accurate historical accounts. Scholars have long recognized that Jews in 1st Century Palestine would not likely have had the power to crucify Jesus and that crucifixion was a method used by the Romans, who dominated and oppressed the Jews of that time. Regardless of what people think of the film, Shaver says:
"¢ Professors of religion should seek opportunities to share their learning and provide the historical context and interpretive methods needed to rid Christianity of anti-Semitism. They should do more media interviews, speak to local church groups and lecture on their own campuses to non-majors.
"¢ Media covering not only the film, but also religious issues generally, should seek scholarly experts so they can report more accurately on this often emotional subject.
"¢ Educational institutions should offer more Biblical studies courses in their continuing education and distance education programs.
Shaver, will deliver a lecture on the origins of Christian Anti-Semitism at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18 in the Theresa Lang Theatre at Marymount Manhattan College. He also is available as a news source for media interested in expert perspective on the early Christianity and Judaism.
Marymount Manhattan College is a traditional liberal arts college located in the heart of New York City. A total of 2,100 undergraduates from 44 states and 60 countries study the humanities, literature, history, art and science, and the college has a national reputation in theater, dance and communication arts. U.S. News & World Report has rated Marymount Manhattan no. 1 in diversity among national liberal arts colleges.
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