March 1, 2004
The Pious Pastors
of the Holy Metropolis of Denver
Beloved in the Lord,
Much has been spoken and written about the recent movie produced by
Mr. Mel Gibson, titled The Passion of Christ.
Even our Holy
Archdiocese has issued a Press Release, dated February 27, 2004, which,
while neither endorsing nor censuring the movie, expresses joy that
discussions prompted by the film are bringing matters of vital
spiritual significance
to national and international attention.
Some of my brother metropolitans have also written to their clergy and faithful, urging them to use the occasion to properly and correctly address matters of Orthodox theology raised by the movie. Since I have received a number of requests for comment about the film, let me also offer the following reflections on two points.
First, The Passion of Christ
was given an R
rating for its
graphic portrayal of violence. This obviously indicates to the public
at large that caution and judgment should be exercised in the viewing of
the movie; for us it calls us to be even more circumspect
It is worthy of note that in ancient, pre-Christian, Greek drama,
certain matters were not vividly portrayed before the audience, but were
inferred to have occurred off stage; from this device we derive the word
obscene.
It was thought that the profound meaning or consequences of
certain actions were obfuscated or obscured if attention was focused too
much on the activity than on its significance.
For instance, the deep and complex intimacy of death, or the marital
intimacy of spouses, cannot be fully expressed merely in viewing the
physical aspects of these; indeed, such visual attention may distract
from understanding their full meaning. Such things are considered
obscene
specifically because they should not be seen, or regarded as
spectator events.
Thus, in classic drama, rather than dramatically portraying a murder, the antagonist might chase his victim offstage, the audience would hear a scream, and in the next scene the victim might be seen as already dead and perhaps even prepared for burial. The focus of the drama was on the profound meaning of the loss of life, rather than on the activity that caused the death. It may therefore be that for some viewers the graphic violence of our Lord's suffering and torturous last hours depicted by the movie might distract them from contemplating the deep cosmological significance of His death.
Sometimes severe trauma and violence in life can even prevent individuals from coming to grips with the reality they experienced. The mental condition of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reflects an inability to process and go beyond the inhumane horror of a particular event. Similarly, multiple personality disorder (MPD) can result in extreme situations when a person disassociates himself from an ongoing horrible and traumatic personal situation.
Interestingly, one woman commented that she could only watch the
violent scenes in the film by keeping in mind that it was only make
believe
and special effects
that are part of the movie-making
process. Even though this mild form disassociation is common to many
moviegoers watching a wide variety of horror
films, it does seem oddly
incongruous to regard the physical suffering of our Lord as a special
effect.
Could such dissociation that might occur in watching the movie
prevent a person from coming to a fuller theological understanding of
our Lord's suffering and death?
Our Church recognizes that the full understanding of certain actions
is so profound that they are to be regarded mystically.
The use of
curtains, the closing of the Beautiful Gate, and the recitation of
prayers mystikos
or quietly
by the priest, indicate to us that
certain actions (specifically the sacramental Mysteries) are matters of
a great mystery that man can hardly begin to fathom.
Another woman commented that she did not plan on seeing The Passion
of Christ
because, as she put it, she did not want to confuse the
meaning of the Holy Week services with the ugliness and violence
portrayed in the film. Her final point was quite revealing: I see and
understand all that I need to during the services of Holy Week.
Are
our holy and divine services, replete with theological understanding
expressed in the hymns and prayers, not adequate to communicate the
passion of Christ
to us?
The first point I would make, then, is that in view of the graphic violence our faithful should be judicious about seeing the movie. On the one hand, the violent scenes may be too strong for children and young people, and they may trigger adverse psychological reactions in others. At the same time, focus on the violence may overshadow and obscure one's understanding of the deeper theological meaning of our Lord's voluntary passion. On the other hand, since many of our people have become jaded and are desensitized to horror, ugliness, and violence in the media, they may be able to overlook the violent scenes and seeing through them they might even come to a deeper appreciation of the death and resurrection of Christ through watching the movie. The bottom line is that discretion and good judgment must prevail.
A second issue raised by many Orthodox viewers of the The Passion of
Christ
is its near-exclusive focus on the suffering and death of Jesus
Christ as the central event of His coming into the world. Such focus is
common among those who believe in an atonement theology
whereby an
angry God must be appeased and a demanding God must receive recompense
for the sins of the human race.
We know that these notions are alien to the Orthodox understanding of
salvation. Orthodox soteriology is incarnational: what is not assumed
(by the divine Person of Christ) is not saved.
We do not believe that
we must pay for our sins
or that God the Father demanded the death of
His only-begotten and co-divine Son to satisfy a debt
we owe for our
sins; rather we believe that God loves us and came into the world to
unite us to Himself. We do not assign penances
whereby certain
actions compensate God for our sins; we may, though, receive an epitimia
intended to teach us and to help correct our behavior. We do not
believe that God's wrath and anger must be assuaged by His own Son
receiving the Father's vengeance in our place; instead we know that
Christ voluntarily accepted suffering and death so that He might be like
us in all things. Orthodox theology is ultimately transfigurational,
not transactional.
In your pastoral discussions with the faithful, you may find that
this focus on The Passion of Christ
gives you an opportunity to
discuss the Orthodox understanding of salvation, by contrasting it to
other, heterodox notions. In this way the film may even be to your
benefit as you lead the faithful to an even greater knowledge of our God
Who loves mankind, not a god who seeks revenge upon his creatures.
We proclaim: What god is as great as our God; You are God Who alone
works wonders.
Thus, we ought to teach our people what good things God
has done for us in His compassionate mercy, and what great good things
He has prepared for those Who love Him in return.
In conclusion, like the position expressed by the Archdiocese press
release, I neither endorse nor censure the movie, The Passion of
Christ.
Its usefulness depends on what the viewer and you pastors may
choose to make of it. It may be harmful for some to watch; it may be
the occasion for a deepening of faith for others. For all of us it has
thus far been the stimulus for much theological discussion in which the
voice of Orthodoxy must be heard to proclaim: what Christ has taught,
the Apostles have preached, and the Church fathers have maintained.
With Paternal Blessings,
+Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver