Mel Gibson's Passion and Philosophy Read online

  Mel Gibson’s Passion

  and Philosophy

  Popular Culture and Philosophy® Series Editor: George A. Reisch

  VOLUME 1 Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (2000)

  VOLUME 2 The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh! of Homer (2001)

  VOLUME 3 The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (2002)

  VOLUME 4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale (2003)

  VOLUME 5 The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All (2003)

  VOLUME 9 Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts (2004)

  VOLUME 12 Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful than You Can Possibly Imagine (2005)

  VOLUME 13 Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice, and the Socratic Way (2005)

  VOLUME 17 Bob Dylan and Philosophy: It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Thinking) (2006)

  VOLUME 19 Monty Python and Philosophy: Nudge Nudge, Think Think! (2006)

  VOLUME 24 Bullshit and Philosophy: Guaranteed to Get Perfect Results Every Time (2006)

  VOLUME 25 The Beatles and Philosophy: Nothing You Can Think that Can’t Be Thunk (2006)

  VOLUME 26 South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating (2007)

  VOLUME 28 The Grateful Dead and Philosophy: Getting High Minded about Love and Haight (2007)

  VOLUME 29 Quentin Tarantino and Philosophy: How to Philosophize with a Pair of Pliers and a Blowtorch (2007)

  VOLUME 30 Pink Floyd and Philosophy: Careful with that Axiom, Eugene! (2007)

  VOLUME 31 Johnny Cash and Philosophy: The Burning Ring of Truth (2008)

  VOLUME 32 Bruce Springsteen and Philosophy: Darkness on the Edge of Truth (2008)

  VOLUME 33 Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Mission Accomplished or Mission Frakked Up? (2008)

  VOLUME 34 iPod and Philosophy: iCon of an ePoch (2008)

  VOLUME 35 Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant (2008)

  VOLUME 36 The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am (2008)

  VOLUME 37 The Wizard of Oz and Philosophy: Wicked Wisdom of the West (2008)

  VOLUME 38 Radiohead and Philosophy: Fitter Happier More Deductive (2009)

  VOLUME 39 Jimmy Buffett and Philosophy: The Porpoise Driven Life (2009) Edited by Erin McKenna and Scott L. Pratt

  VOLUME 40 Transformers and Philosophy: More than Meets the Mind (2009) Edited by John R. Shook and Liz Stillwaggon Swan

  VOLUME 41 Stephen Colbert and Philosophy: I Am Philosophy (And So Can You!) (2009) Edited by Aaron Allen Schiller

  VOLUME 42 Supervillains and Philosophy: Sometimes, Evil Is Its Own Reward (2009) Edited by Ben Dyer

  VOLUME 43 The Golden Compass and Philosophy: God Bites the Dust (2009) Edited by Richard Greene and Rachel Robison

  VOLUME 44 Led Zeppelin and Philosophy: All Will Be Revealed (2009) Edited by Scott Calef

  VOLUME 45 World of Warcraft and Philosophy: Wrath of the Philosopher King (2009) Edited by Luke Cuddy and John Nordlinger

  Volume 46 Mr. Monk and Philosophy: The Curious Case of the Defective Detective (2010) Edited by D.E. Wittkower

  Volume 47 Anime and Philosophy: Wide Eyed Wonder (2010) Edited by Josef Steiff and Tristan D. Tamplin

  VOLUME 48 The Red Sox and Philosophy: Green Monster Meditations (2010) Edited by Michael Macomber

  VOLUME 49 Zombies, Vampires, and Philosophy: New Life for the Undead (2010) Edited by Richard Greene and K. Silem Mohammad

  VOLUME 50 Facebook and Philosophy: What’s on Your Mind? (2010) Edited by D.E. Wittkower

  VOLUME 51 Soccer and Philosophy: Beautiful Thoughts on the Beautiful Game (2010) Edited by Ted Richards

  VOLUME 52 Manga and Philosophy: Fullmetal Metaphysician (2010) Edited by Josef Steiff and Adam Barkman

  VOLUME 53 Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness (2010) Edited by Graham Priest and Damon Young

  VOLUME 54 The Onion and Philosophy: Fake News Story True, Alleges Indignant Area Professor (2010) Edited by Sharon M. Kaye

  VOLUME 55 Doctor Who and Philosophy: Bigger on the Inside (2010) Edited by Courtland Lewis and Paula Smithka

  VOLUME 56 Dune and Philosophy: Weirding Way of the Mentat (2011) Edited by Jeffery Nicholas

  VOLUME 57 Rush and Philosophy: Heart and Mind United (2011) Edited by Jim Berti and Durrell Bowman

  VOLUME 58 Dexter and Philosophy: Mind over Spatter (2011) Edited by Richard Greene, George A. Reisch, and Rachel Robison-Greene

  VOLUME 59 Halo and Philosophy: Intellect Evolved (2011) Edited by Luke Cuddy

  VOLUME 60 SpongeBob SquarePants and Philosophy: Soaking Up Secrets Under the Sea! (2011) Edited by Joseph J. Foy

  VOLUME 61 Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy: The Footprints of a Gigantic Mind (2011) Edited by Josef Steiff

  VOLUME 62 Inception and Philosophy: Ideas to Die For (2011) Edited by Thorsten Botz-Bornstein

  VOLUME 63 Philip K. Dick and Philosophy: Do Androids Have Kindred Spirits? (2011) Edited by D.E. Wittkower

  VOLUME 64 The Rolling Stones and Philosophy: It’s Just a Thought Away (2012) Edited by Luke Dick and George A. Reisch

  VOLUME 65 Chuck Klosterman and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Seth Vannatta

  IN PREPARATION:

  Neil Gaiman and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Tracy L. Bealer, Rachel Luria, and Wayne Yuen

  Breaking Bad and Philosophy (2012) Edited by David R. Koepsell and Robert Arp

  The Walking Dead and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Wayne Yuen

  Curb Your Enthusiasm and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Mark Ralkowski

  Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Jon Cogburn and Mark Silcox

  The Catcher in the Rye and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Keith Dromm and Heather Salter

  Jeopardy! and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Shaun P. Young

  Planet of the Apes and Philosophy (2013) Edited by John Huss

  Boardwalk Empire and Philosophy (2013) Edited by Richard Greene and Rachel Robison-Greene

  The Wire and Philosophy (2013) Edited by Joanna Crosby, Seth Vannatta, and David Bzdack

  For full details of all Popular Culture and Philosophy® books, visit www.opencourtbooks.com.

  Mel Gibson’s Passion

  and Philosophy

  The Cross, the Questions,

  the Controversy

  Edited by

  JORGE J.E. GRACIA

  OPEN COURT

  Chicago and La Salle, Illinois

  Volume 10 in the series, Popular Culture and Philosophy™

  To order books from Open Court, call toll-free 1-800-815-2280, or visit our website at www.opencourtbooks.com.

  Open Court Publishing Company is a division of Carus Publishing Company.

  Copyright ©2004 by Carus Publishing Company

  First printing 2004

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, Open Court Publishing Company, a division of Carus Publishing Company, 315 Fifth Street, P.O. Box 300, Peru, Illinois, 61354-0300.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Mel Gibson's Passion and philosophy : the cross, the questions, the controversy / edited by Jorge J.E. Gracia.

  p. cm. — (Popular culture and philosophy ; v. 10)

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN: 978-0-8126-9812-1

  1. Passion of the Christ (Motion picture) 2. Jesus Christ—Passion. I. Gracia, Jorge J. E. II. Series.

>   PN1997.2.P39M35 2004

  791.43'72—dc22

  2004019747

  Contents

  Preface: Philosophy Confronts The Passion

  Acknowledgments

  1. Who Do You Say That I Am? Mel Gibson’s Christ

  RALPH McINERNY

  I Did Christ Have to Suffer Violently?

  2. Seeing the World Made New: Depictions of the Passion and Christian Life

  MARK A. WRATHALL

  3. Christ’s Atonement: Washing Away Human Sin

  JERRY L. WALLS

  4. The Focus of The Passion Puts the Person of Jesus Out of Focus

  CHARLES TALIAFERRO

  5. Gibson’s Sublime Passion: In Defense of the Violence

  WILLIAM IRWIN

  6. God and Man Separated No More: Hegel Overcomes the Unhappy Consciousness of Gibson’s Christianity

  JAMES LAWLER

  II Is The Passion Anti-Semitic?

  7. Passions of the Christ: Do Jews and Christians See the Same Film?

  THOMAS E. WARTENBERG

  8. The Passion as a Political Weapon: Anti-Semitism and Gibson’s Use of the Gospels

  PAUL KURTZ

  9. Is The Passion of the Christ Racist? Due Process, Responsibility, and Punishment

  J. ANGELO CORLETT

  10. The Passion of the Jew: Jesus in the Jewish Mystical Tradition

  ERIC BRONSON

  III What Is the Truth?

  11. Pilate’s Question: What Is Truth?

  WILLIAM IRWIN

  12. How Can We Know What God Truly Means? Gibson’s Take on Scripture

  JORGE J.E. GRACIA

  13. The Women Who Loved Jesus: Suffering and the Traditional Feminine Role

  CYNTHIA FREELAND

  IV Why Was Christ Killed?

  14. The Craftiness of Christ: Wisdom of the Hidden God

  DALLAS WILLARD

  15. The Death of Socrates and the Death of Christ

  GARETH B. MATTHEWS

  16. Dances of Death: Self-Sacrifice and Atonement

  BRUCE R. REICHENBACH

  17. The Crisis of the Cross: God as Scandalous

  PAUL K. MOSER

  V Who Is Morally Responsible?

  18. Christ’s Choice: Could It Have Been Different?

  JONATHAN J. SANFORD

  19. Forgiving Judas: Extenuating Circumstances in the Ultimate Betrayal

  ANNA LÄNNSTRÖM

  20. Resist Not Evil! Jesus and Nonviolence

  GREGORY BASSHAM and DAVID BAGGETT

  About the Authors

  Index

  Philosophy Confronts The Passion

  Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ has become one of the most controversial films ever made, and it is already a block-buster of cinematography. Its defenders passionately regard it as one of the most moving and influential pieces of religious art ever created. But its detractors argue with comparable vehemence that the violence and gore it contains, its alleged anti-Semitism, a particular take on the Christian message, and a lack of historical and biblical accuracy, make it nothing more than a kind of political propaganda. Father Thomas Rosica praised it as one of the great masterpieces of religious art, but the secular humanist Paul Kurtz thinks of it as a political weapon in the hands of the religious right. Film critics are divided in their judgment, giving the film anywhere from no stars to five stars. Regardless of what one thinks of the film, however, its impact both personal and social is beyond question. Discussions about it are frequently heard everywhere, and not too long ago the news reported that a Christian minister had died of a heart attack while seeing the film in Brazil, so moved was he. The Passion deeply stirs people.

  Who is right and who is wrong? Good question. But perhaps more important than the question are the reasons behind it. Many other works of popular culture raise important issues and produce controversy. Movies like The Matrix or The Lord of the Rings pose interesting quandaries about good and evil, the nature of reality, the ultimate end of humanity, time and morality, happiness, and free will and determinism, for example. Unlike many of these works, however, The Passion goes beyond a theoretical interest and well into the heart of many people’s deeply treasured beliefs and values. Although other films may raise similar issues to those posed by this movie, Gibson’s work puts them in a religious and social context that gives them particular significance. Audiences who see the movie cannot help but be disturbed and challenged by a message that concerns the very roots of their faith and the understanding of the world around them. The significance of Jesus himself, the tragic story of his life, and the subsequent history of Christianity touch deeper cords than a science-fiction story like The Matrix or a fantasy like The Lord of the Rings. After all, there has not been any other person with greater impact than Jesus in the history of the world. People have died for the Christian message and people have died because they have rejected it, so we are not talking here about a light matter. The Passion challenges both Christians and non-Christians to look again at the story of Christ’s trial, conviction, and crucifixion, as seen from the perspective presented in the movie.

  A work as powerful as this film provides an unusual opportunity to raise and address some of the most fundamental philosophical questions concerning the human predicament in a context in which the general public can relate to them. Philosophy began on controversy and thrives on controversy, so it was to be expected that it would take up some of the challenges posed by The Passion of the Christ. This collection of essays addresses some of these. It begins with a chapter that raises the fundamental question: Who is Christ? We are asked to think about how Gibson’s depiction of Christ’s passion and the excruciating suffering he endured contribute to the understanding of Christ’s identity.

  This brings us to one of the two most debated questions concerning The Passion, which is also the title of the first part of the book: “Did Christ Have to Suffer Violently?” Obviously Gibson not only thought so, but believed it was necessary to portray the violence in the film, which brings us to the issue of how comprehensible such violence is to us and in terms of what concepts it can become intelligible. This leads to the notion of atonement. Does the depth of human sin require the kind of suffering that Jesus is portrayed as having endured in The Passion? If so, what does this tell us about humanity, sin, and Christianity? Does such suffering make sense, both as atonement and cinematically? Does The Passion distort the whole person of Christ by concentrating on the gore and violence? And does this emphasis contribute to the value of the film as a work of art?

  The second most debated question about The Passion has to do with its purported anti-Semitism and the role that Jews played in Christ’s death. So the next section of the book is entitled, “Is The Passion anti-Semitic?” Does the film blame all Jews for the death of Jesus? Is the film racist? And does the movie take into account that Jesus was a Jew well entrenched in a Jewish mystical tradition? What explains the different reactions that people have to the film, particularly in the context of anti-Semitism?

  At the center of the film, and related to the questions raised so far, is the understanding of God’s message and the relation between faith and truth. Foremost for philosophers is the question of what truth itself is, and how it is related to faith. In general, how can one know the truth, and in particular how can one know that what is believed through faith is true? Even more pointed still, if the Gospels are taken as the word of God, we need to ask about the best way to approach them, and how effectively Gibson meets this challenge in the movie. How does the transfer from word to film affect the message of the words? And finally, what do we make of the women who loved Jesus? What is their true role in the story of the passion? These issues are explored in a part entitled “What Is the Truth?”

  This is followed by a part entitled, “Why Was Christ Killed?,” pointing both to the reasons for and the significance of Christ’s death. It begins by exploring what is characteristic of the death of Christ, which involves redemption and its meaning
. What is crafty and wise about Christ’s choice to redeem humanity? What is the significance of his self-sacrifice? What does the cross entail for philosophers in particular and the world at large, and does it answer some of the questions philosophers have not been able to answer? Indeed, how does Christ’s death compare with that of another martyr, Socrates, who is considered the philosopher par excellence?

  Christ’s choice to die for humanity naturally leads to questions of freedom, divine foreknowledge, and moral responsibility which are at the center of both the Christian faith and The Passion. Was Christ free to choose death when, as God, He knew from all eternity that He would do so? The question of freedom does not only apply to Christ as God. Humans also face a problem, which can be put in the context of Judas’s predicament: How can Judas be considered morally responsible for his betrayal of Jesus when God knew that he would do so and his action was necessary for the accomplishment of human redemption? This logically leads to questions about how much humans are capable of resisting evil and the best way to do it. And this brings us back to Christ’s nonviolent behavior and his teaching on nonviolence. These matters are explored in a section headed by the query: Who is morally responsible?

  These topics are explored by twenty well-known philosophers and scholars in short, direct, and provocative essays in this volume. Their background helps to make the treatment of the issues they raise lively and challenging, while keeping a sense of their serious nature. All of them feel strongly, perhaps passionately, about the issues they discuss, but they take different perspectives arising from deeply held convictions. Some of the authors are Evangelical Christians, some Roman Catholics, some Jews, at least one is a Mormon, some have no religious faith, and some are militantly anti-religious. Different genders and ethnic backgrounds are also represented, all of which provides a good sample of the diverse viewpoints people take both toward the film and the philosophical issues it raises. The pieces are aimed at both depth and accessibility, and should generate discussion and reflection.