Screen Jesus

Since the dawn of film in the 1890s, religious themes and biblical subjects have been a staple of cinema. One of the earliest focuses of screen presentations was the Bible, especially the New Testament and the Gospels. In Screen Jesus: Portrayals of Christ in Television and Film, Peter Malone takes a close look at films in which Jesus is depicted. From silent renditions of The Passion Play to 21st-century blockbusters like The Passion of the Christ, Malone examines how the history of Jesus films reflects the changes in artistic styles and experiments in cinematic forms for more than a century. In addition to providing a historical overview of the Jesus films, this book also reveals the changes in piety and in theological understandings of the humanity and divinity of Jesus over the decades. While most of the Jesus films come from the United States and the west, an increasing number of Jesus films come from other cultures, which are also included in this study. Fans and scholars interested in the history of religious cinema will find this an interesting read, as will students and teachers in cinema and religious studies, church pastors, parish groups, and youth ministry.

Jesus is as American as baseball and apple pie. But how this came to be is a complex story - one that Stephen Nichols tells with care and ease. Beginning with the Puritans, he leads readers through the various cultural epochs of American history, showing at each stage how American notions of Jesus were shaped by the cultural sensibilities of the...

While Jesus has attracted the sporadic interest of film-makers since the epics of the Sixties, it is often forgotten that between the advent of motion pictures in the 1890s and the close of the "silent" era at the end of the 1920s, some of the longest, most expensive and most watched films on both sides of the Atlantic were focused on the Life and Passion of the Christ. Drawing upon rarely seen archival footage and the work of both the era’s most important directors (e.g. Alice Guy, Ferdinand Zecca, Sidney Olcott, D.W. Griffith, Carl Dreyer, and C.B. DeMille) and others who have been all but forgotten, this collection of essays offers a representative survey of the Silents of Jesus, illustrating the ways in which the earliest films and those which followed were influenced by a multiplicity of factors. Written by leading scholars in biblical and early film studies this collection explores the ways in which the Silents of Jesus were shaped not only by the performing and visual arts of the nineteenth century and the technological challenges and opportunities of a new medium and industry, but also by the artistic, theological and ideological predilections of studios and directors, and the expectations of audiences as the genre evolved. Taken together, the essays collected here offer a seminal treatment of the genesis and early evolution of the cinematic Jesus.

The T&T Clark Handbook of Jesus and Film introduces postgraduate readers to the critical field of Jesus and/on film. The bulk of biblical films feature Jesus, as protagonist, in cameo, or as a looming background presence or pattern. The handbook assesses the field in light of the work of important biblical film critics including chapters from the leading voices in the field and showcasing the diversity of work done by scholars in the field. Movies discussed include The Passion of the Christ, The King of Kings, Jesus of Nazareth, Monty Python's Life of Brian, Son of Man, and Mary Magdalene. The chapters range across two broad areas: 1) Jesus films, understood broadly as filmed passion plays, other relocations of Jesus, historical Jesus treatments, and Jesus adjacent cinema (privileging invented characters or “minor” gospel characters); and 2) other cinematic Jesuses, including followers who imitate Jesus devotionally or aesthetically, (Christian) Christ figures, antichrists, yet other messiahs, and competing Jesuses in a pluralist world. As one leaves the confines of Christian theology, the question of what a film or interpreter is doing with Jesus or Christ becomes something to be determined, not necessarily something traditional.

V. 1. How to study the historical Jesus -- v. 2. The study of Jesus -- v. 3. The historical Jesus -- v. 4. Individual studies.

Since the advent of the cinema, Jesus has frequently appeared in our movie houses and on our television screens. Indeed, it may well be that more people worldwide know about Jesus and his life story from the movies than from any other medium. Indeed, Jesus' story has been adapted dozens of times throughout the history of commercial cinema, from the 1912 silent From the Manger to the Cross to Mel Gibson's 2004 The Passion of the Christ. No doubt there are more to come. Drawing on a broad range of movies, biblical scholar Adele Reinhartz traces the way in which Jesus of Nazareth has become Jesus of Hollywood. She argues that Jesus films both reflect and influence cultural perceptions of Jesus and the other figures in his story. She focuses on the cinematic interpretation of Jesus' relationships with the key people in his life: his family, his friends, and his foes. She examines how these films address theological issues, such as Jesus' identity as both human and divine, political issues, such as the role of the individual in society and the possibility of freedom under political oppression, social issues, such as gender roles and hierarchies, and personal issues, such as the nature of friendship and human sexuality. Reinhartz's study of Jesus' celluloid incarnations shows how Jesus movies reshape the past in the image of the present. Despite society's profound interest in Jesus as a religious and historical figure, Jesus movies are fascinating not as history but as mirrors of the concerns, anxieties, and values of our own era. As the story of Jesus continues to capture the imagination of filmmakers and moviegoers, he remains as significant a cultural figure today as he was 2000 years ago.

Jesus films arose with cinema itself. Richard Walsh and Jeffrey L. Staley introduce students to these films with a general overview of the Jesus film tradition and with specific analyses of 22 of its most influential exemplars, stretching from La vie du Christ (1906) to Mary Magdalene (2018). The introduction to each film includes discussion of plot, characters, visuals, appeal to authority, and cultural location as well as consideration of the director's (and/or other filmmakers') achievements and style. Several film chapters end with reflections on problematic issues bedeviling the tradition, such as cultural imperialism and patriarchy. To assist teachers and researchers, each chapter includes a listing of DVD chapters and the approximate “time” (for both DVDs and streaming platforms) at which key film moments occur. The book also includes a Gospels Harmony cataloging the time at which key gospel incidents appear in these films. Extensive endnotes point readers to other important work on the tradition and specific films. While the authors strive to set the Jesus film tradition within cinema and its interpretation, the DVD/streaming listing and the Gospels Harmony facilitate the comparison of these films to gospel interpretation and the Jesus tradition.

◆ Marty Mann and Nellie Dixon are back for another irreverent, liberal, twisty, time-travel comedy! This time they have Jesus Christ, the actual guy, on their side. The timeline correction Marty Mann and Nellie Dixon accomplished in their first episode was successful. . . . Or was it? When the two humans and their Krichard friends, Chrissie and Tina, return to year 2020 Earth to verify the change, they find an advanced, peaceful planet. The four friends move into Marty’s new timeline home and the next morning head out for a flying car tour of Oodlelakeolis. The city, which was Minneapolis in the previous timeline, is beautiful from the air, but when they swoop down to land, the Colorless Ones, a cult of religious extremists from the planet Krichardia, reverse the timeline change and abduct Chrissie and Tina. Instantly, President Handley is back to dropping nuclear bombs, and once again, Marty and Nellie must find a way to stop him. After our heroes gain possession of the Krichards’ time-traveling Chromosphere Cruiser, they return to AD 31 with plans to restore the advanced timeline by wowing the locals with the Holy Smokin’ Hot Nellie act. Unfortunately, an unexpected event forces them to return to the year 2020, but they have a stowaway—Jesus Christ! Can Marty Mann and Nellie Dixon save the world and rescue Tina and Chrissie with snark being their only superpower? Can a dark-skinned Jesus with a fondness for profanity and a disdain for religious hypocrisy thrive in the twenty-first century? And who are the Soldiers of the White Jesus, and what will they have to do with any of this? These questions and more will be answered in this unforgettable episode. Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again! is a hilarious, thought-provoking satire with unpredictable twists, colorful and colorless aliens, the outrageous Holy Smokin’ Hot Nellie, and a juicy role for Jesus Christ, the actual guy! Reviews: “Time Is Irreverent 2 is a madcap blasphemous comedy of the most delightful sort. Recommended for those whose tastes incline that way; if you loved Time Is Irreverent, run, don’t walk, to consume this perfect sequel.”—Tom Flynn, editor, Free Inquiry magazine “An excellent follow-up to the original, and this from someone who typically hates sequels! All the same great characters and more, plus Jesus—although not your mama’s Jesus. The funny is funnier, the crazy crazier, and the politics even more in your face (in the good way!). If you loved the first, you’ve got to read the second. Well done, Marty!”—Jeff Abugov, writer, producer, director “For those aficionados of entertaining, optimistic sci-fi, who have been avidly waiting for another Time Is Irreverent adventure—your wait is over. Marty Essen has produced a fine follow-up to his first time traveling escapade and I hope that the likeable characters he has created will get many future outings. A great addition to a currently gloomy, pessimistic genre. I do not hesitate to recommend it.”—Charles Remington, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews Publisher's Warning: This book is intended for a liberal audience and features satirical content that may not be appropriate for Donald Trump supporters or those who are offended by views that challenge traditional religious beliefs. Common side effects include wide smiles, sudden laughter, and occasional snorts. Reader discretion is advised. This is the second book in the Time Is Irreverent series. Each novel is a stand-alone adventure, and a humorous prologue quickly gets readers up-to-date.