Alert_Feb_12

February 12, 2004

The Passion of the Christ to be released Ash Wednesday

NCC provides reflection guide to movie for congregations

On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25, Mel Gibson's new film, The Passion of the Christ, opens in theaters nationwide to fears by some that it could impair Jewish Christian relations or lead to a rise in anti-Semitism. The National Council of Churches Interfaith Relations Commission has prepared a reflection guide for Christians who want to consider an array of issues raised by the film.

The NCC guide to this movie is in a bulletin-insert style suitable for reprinting and sharing with congregations, available in PDF format. It requires that Adobe Acrobat Reader be installed on your computer.

The guide can be found at www.ncccusa.org/interfaith/passionfilmguide.html.

If you do not have Acrobat, you can download it free at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Here is a list of Internet-based and print resources prepared by the NCC Office of Interfaith Relations for your further study.

Resources to accompany the NCC reflection guide to the movie The Passion of the Christ

Internet-based

1. The Christian Scholars Group on Christian-Jewish Relations, sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College has three very useful resources on their Web page.

First is a great study guide for viewers and reviewers of dramatic portrayals of Jesus' passion, entitled, "Facts, Faith, and Film-Making: Jesus' Passion and Its Portrayal."
Second is a short categorized bibliography of recent publications.
Third is a 2002 statement by the Christian Scholars Group on ten topics that impact Christian-Jewish relations.

2. A panel of Lutheran Scholars and Clergy recently issued a statement of "Concerns and Recommendations" about this movie.

Also on the ELCA Web page is an excellent statement entitled "Gibson's "Passion": Some Need-to-Know Background," by Dr. Carol Schersten LaHurd.

3. International Council of Christians and Jews maintains an excellent clearinghouse of information on the Web. A search for any of the key words on the movie (e.g. Mel Gibson, The Passion) will yield several articles. You can access that website here: www.jcrelations.net/

Books

1. Recent books that deal with the question "Who killed Jesus"

Crossan, John Dominic. Who Killed Jesus? Exposing the Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of The Death of Jesus. New York: HarperSanFrancisco 1995.
Sloyan, Gerard S. The Crucifixion of Jesus: History, Myth, Faith. Minneapolis : Fortress Press 1995
Brown, Raymond. The Death of the Messiah. New York: Doubleday 1994.
Rivkin, Ellis. What Crucified Jesus? The Political Execution of a Charismatic. Nashville : Abingdon Press 1984.

2. Recent books that deal with questions of Anti-Judaism and its origins

Kee, Howard Clark and Irvin J. Borowsky (eds), Removing Anti-Judaism from the New Testament. Philadelphia: American Interfaith Institute/World Alliance 1998
Kee, Howard Clark and Irvin J. Borowsky (eds), Removing the Anti-Judaism from the Pulpit. Philadelphia: American Interfaith Institute 1996
Beck, Norman A. Mature Christianity in the 21st Century: The Recognition and Repudiation of the Anti-Jewish Polemic in the New Testament. NY: Crossroad 1994
Hall, Sidney, G III, Christian Anti-Semitism and Paul's Theology. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress 1993

3. Recent books in which Christians and Jews reflect on each other's tradition

Boys, Mary C. Has God Only One Blessing? Judaism as a Source for Christian Self-Understanding. New York: Paulist Press 2000
Frymer-Kensky, Tikva et al. Christianity in Jewish Terms. Boulder, CO: Westview Press 2000
Klenicki, Leon (ed), Toward a Theological Encounter: Jewish Understanding of Christianity. New York: Paulist Press 1991

4. Towards a new paradigm of Christian Jewish relations

Bernadin, Cardinal Joseph, A Blessing to Each Other: Cardinal Joseph Bernadin and Jewish Catholic Dialogue. Chicago: Archdiocese of Chicago 1996.
Perulmuter, Hayim Goren, Siblings: Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity at their Beginnings. New York: Paulist Press 1989

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