The theology that underwrites this sanitized Jesus avoids the brutal manifestations of oppression and violence he experienced. Even when crucifixion scenes appear in Anglo-American religious art, you may see a little blood and a wound or two, but almost never the dirty and broken body that endured torture for several hours. This film's lingering gaze upon the grotesque will be difficult for viewers accustomed to such art.
That was exactly what occurred 1700 yrs ago in Rome , when this latest updated version of the God-man swept up Rome , not from some pious and humble idea of salvation , but as the latest craze and fashion , for a dying slave state and crumbling empire threatened by barbarians and about to lose all its comfort and security trying to save itself. The Romans were absolutely dillitante in their appreciation of true mysticism or the message of asceticism , but hungered after every new strange and wonderful form of mystery rite that came along. Saul's "Jesus" fit the bill for them, and the promise of salvation and eternal life.
To think that a man would go humbly to his death for defending the poor masses , the sick and the slaves was quite a novle idea , and would have been repugnant to the earlier roman and met with only derision. But later on when all seemed lost , of course they would turn to some messiah/man-god , that held the promise of ever lasting life .
They were so incredibly inept at really getting the "real" point of metaphysics or essential gist of the psyche of religion , being mainly beaurocrats and politicians surrounded by the militarism..so it has never surprised me how the game continued to play out in the following centuries thru the crusades and peddled itself on down to the fundamentalist right wing whackos of today, that show so very little love for anything , but their own contemptuous outrage and indignations.
All one has to do , is consider the "pious source" of the conspiculously middle class crumbling empire that adopted it, and the terror campaigns of persecutions they went on to wage . Still the image of such a man was a pardyne shift and evolution for them of sorts for sure. ( I want my library of Alexandria back !)
(but not Jesus the man..if he did really teach ,wander around with disciples , walk on water &
live and die crucified as described) |
