Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION: KATHLEEN CORLEY AND BOB WEBB PART 1: THE PASSION AS A FILM VIEWING EXPERIENCE: RESPONSES TO THE FILM AS A WHOLE 1. John Dominic Crossan 2. Mark Goodacre PART 2: THE PASSION AS STORY: EVALUATING THE FILM'S CHARACTERISATION AND PLOT 3. The Flashbacks to the Life of Jesus - Robert Webb 4. The Betrayal of Jesus and the Death of Judas - Scott McKnight 5. The Portrayal of Satan and the Demons - Mark Allan Powell 6. The Portrayal of Mary and the other Women Characters - Kathleen Corley 7. The Portrayal of the Temple Leaders and the Jewish People - Alan Segal 8. The Portrayal of Pilate and the Romans -Helen Bond 9. The Trials of Jesus - Glenna Jackson 10. The Procession and Crucifixion of Jesus - Craig Evans PART 3: THE PASSION AS ART: CONSIDERING THE FILM'S ARTISTIC EXPRESSION 11. The Passion in Light of a History of Films on Jesus - Barnes Tatum 12. The Passion and the Use of Classic Works of Art - David Goa 13. The Passion and the Influence of Anne Catherine Emmerich's The Dolorous Passionof our Lord Jesus Christ - Robert Webb Conclusion - Kathleen Corley and Robert Webb

About the Author

Dr. Kathleen E. Corley is Oshkosh Northwestern Distinguished Professor and Professor of New Testament at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Robert L. Webb lectures in the Religious Studies Department of McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. He is the executive editor of the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus (Sage) and of the monograph series Library of Historical Jesus Studies (a subset of LNTS, T&T Clark). He is the author of John the Baptizer and Prophet: A Socio-Historical Study (Sheffield Academic Press, 1991) and more recently the co-editor with Kathleen Corley of Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ: The Film, the Gospels, and the Claims of History (Continuum, 2004) and with John Kloppenborg of Reading James with New Eyes: Methodological Reassessments of the Letter of James (T&T Clark, 2007).

Reviews

"...solid collection of 14 scholarly and well-argued articles. Highly Recommended."-Library Journal

  "This volume contains fifteen essays by biblical scholars from Canada, the U. S. and the U. K. who have viewed the movie attentively and who comment from various perspectives on the experience of watching the film, on its relationship to the gospels and to history and on the artistic influences that shaped it. Since religious leaders have touted ‘The Passion' as exceptionally faithful to the gospels and to history, it is important to test those claims against the film's actual content. This informed and multifaceted volume would be suitable for use in a course on Jesus films or in church-based ‘faith and film: discussions." -Toronto Journal of Theology  

'Lively and engaging, it undoubtedly makes fine reading for specialist and mere (screen-) spectator alike...Love or hate the film, there is no denying a deeper appreciation of its aims and issues will be gained with this superb collection to hand.' ~ Louise Lawrence, University of Glasgow

Mention of Robert L. Webb's essay:   "...provides a useful analysis of the much criticized, anti-Semitic influence of Anne Catherine Emmerich on Gibson's screenplay..." (Christianity and Literature, Spring 2007)
*S. Brent Plate, Texas Christian University*

"Many of the essays...identify a subject from The Passion, such as Mary or Pilate, examine its depiction in the film, and then consider how the Gospels and Scripture scholars treat the same subject. This is useful way of considering the accuracy of the film." -Commonweal, May 2005
*Commonweal*

'...All of the essays in the book are well written and balanced...a thoroughly useful tool in evalluating the film...highly...recommended!
*Expository Times*

"With the surprising and long-lasting popularity of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, there is every reason to expect that this solid collection of 14 scholarly and well-argued articles about the film will receive attention as well. The editors have commissioned scholars from Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic perspectives from the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.... The first thorough investigation of the movie, this is highly recommended." -Library Journal, November 15, 2004
*Library Journal*