Posted on Thu, Feb. 26, 2004



BY ABE LEVY

The Wichita Eagle


Four Wichita clergy members -- a rabbi, a Catholic priest and two Protestant ministers -- shared the same balcony view of "The Passion of the Christ" on Wednesday at Northrock 14 in Wichita.

Minutes after the end of the film, which depicts the last 12 hours of Jesus' life, they sat around a table for 30 minutes and talked about their impressions -- from the accuracy of the movie to fears that it could arouse anti-Semitism.

Monsignor William Carr, a retired Roman Catholic priest, began.

"It was obviously a great work of art.... But I always had a problem when they tried to put all four Gospels together for a 'Passion' story or play," he said. "It just doesn't work."

Still, he said, "the whole thing, I think, was to try to capture the message" of faith.

The Rev. Lincoln Montgomery, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, pointed out other incongruities with Scripture. But they didn't diminish the deep connection he had with the story, he said.

"For me personally, (the movie) did focus on the very heart of the faith: sin, suffering and redemption," he said.

Montgomery criticized his own Baptist tradition for downplaying Jesus' sufferings.

"Quite frankly, our faith is not a pretty faith," he said. "We have probably cleaned it up considerably."

Rabbi Michael Davis listened intently.

"I saw an entirely different movie," he said. It was not a movie about his savior, his faith or his God.

"What I see is a character portrayed as a nice guy who was suffering, and the suffering goes on and on and on," Davis said. "And furthermore, I see the suffering at the hands of my ancestors."

The other clergy listened.

Davis focused on the portrayal of Jews, especially the ones not following Jesus: the temple leaders and the crowd.

"The point of the movie was the faith, and what I saw was Roman authorities who were philosophical, regretful... being manipulated by the Jewish authorities who were gleeful about what 'we get to do,'... which historically would be horribly inaccurate.

"The Jewish authorities were appointed by the Roman authorities."

Mel Gibson, who financed and directed the movie, isn't anti-Semitic, Davis said. It's just that the movie can fan flames of anti-Semitism.

"I've already had kids come to me and say that other kids at their school have once again thrown out the 'you killed my Lord' sort of accusations," he said.

Davis' concern is justified, said the Rev. Kate Moorehead, an Episcopal priest and rector of St. James Episcopal Church.

She wanted to see more of Jesus' life in the film. Audiences worldwide would then understand that Jesus was himself a Jew.

"We don't get to see the depth and richness of Jesus' Judaism," she said. "All we see is this sort of radical sect of the Sanhedrin who are so wed to their own tradition that they lose sight of God's work in the world.

"And certainly within every one of the world's traditions, there are such traditionalists that... lose sight of God's work in the world, from David Koresh to the Taliban....There is that danger for all of us."

Montgomery said he knows the feeling of oppression that Davis alluded to. Racists used the cross to show their hatred of African-Americans. It hindered his acceptance of the Christian faith until later in life.

Davis said the danger for Jews is when Christians blame them for Jesus' crucifixion. He appreciates those who stand up against such a charge.

People may not know, he said, that in a recent survey 25 percent of Americans blamed Jews for Jesus' death.

It sparked a response from Carr, the Catholic priest.

"It seems to me that a person can be against Annas and Caiaphas (Jewish priests in the Gospels) and the temple people and not be anti-Semitic."

"Absolutely," Davis responded.

"I hope nobody holds me responsible for the Inquisition," Carr said, or for other persecutions by the Catholic Church.

"Those things happened, and unfortunately they were Catholics who did them. So I have to admit it and hang my head. This happened."

Davis agreed but noted that Christian depictions of Jesus' life, particularly passion plays, have stirred up anti-Jewish acts, "and we also know there is a spike of anti-Semitism the week of Easter."

"Agreed," Carr said.

Davis then asked: "Should we hold you responsible for the Inquisition? Of course not. Should Christians today hold Jews today responsible for the death of Jesus? Obviously, of course not. Will they?"

He paused.

"That's the fear," Davis said. "And it's a very real fear because it has happened, and it does happen."

That's why Gibson used his own hand to pound one of the nails into Jesus' hand, Moorehead said, evoking approving nods from all at the table.

"The meaning of the cross--as far as I understand it--is for self-examination," she said, "for all of us to think about what it is we have done to contribute to that suffering -- and what we've done today."

"That should be the focus of the movie," Davis said. "And I think that was (Gibson's) intent."