Staley on Jesus films

On the Johannine Literature list, Jeffrey Staley suggests that subscribers draw attention to Passion of the Christ articles in which they (scholars) have been interviewed. Herewith two of Staley's, the first from the Seattle Times

'Passion': The Gospel according to Mel Gibson
By Janet I. Tu

. . . . . SU's Staley says while the Gospels provide "historical nuggets of truth and accuracy," it's important to remember they were written by believers.

"This would be like someone in George Bush's Cabinet writing for posterity the significance of George Bush. It doesn't mean everything in there is wrong. It just means if you're a historian, you're going to have to weigh it carefully." . . . .

The second is from Tribnet.com:

A challenging figure for moviemakers to depict Jesus
SOREN ANDERSEN; The News Tribune

"Most are too reverential," says Jeffrey L. Staley, a professor of theology at Seattle University who teaches a course on Jesus in movies. "The Jesuses portrayed on film appear more godlike than human. This makes it difficult for anyone other than a devout Christian to connect with the Jesus characters."

The worst screen Jesus, in Staley's opinion? Max von Sydow, star of "The Greatest Story Ever Told." The picture, Staley said via e-mail, "is so awful because its Jesus is too 'awe-ful.' The Swedish blue-eyed von Sydow's Jesus seems to float through the film without ever really touching the Earth."

I quite agree -- well said Jeffrey. The whole article is worth reading, with comments from Douglas Oakman and others. One more excerpt:

. . . . Staley sees "The Life of Brian," the Monty Python troupe's rowdy 1979 parable about a bumbling Christlike savior, as belonging to a group of films that depart significantly from the more traditional Jesus pictures yet are truer to the spirit and message of Christ. Also on this list are "Jesus Christ Superstar," "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Jesus of Montreal."

"Once the devout Christian gets past the jokes and scandalous scenes, these films are much more thought-provoking and challenging than the reverential ones, and in this way they reflect a key element of the Gospels' Jesus. Anyone who goes into the Jerusalem temple and overturns moneychangers' tables is anything but reverential," Staley said . . . . .