Editor: Philip A. Cunningham
Publisher: A Sheed & Ward Book; Rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Inc., 2004
192 pp Cloth edition: US$60 192 pp Paperback: US$19.95
List of Contributors: Pamela Berger, Mary C. Boys, John Clabeaux, Michael
J. Cook, Maddy Cunningham, Philip A. Cunningham, Walter Harrelson, Raymond
Helmick, John J. Michalczyk, John T. Pawlikowski, Louis Roy, A. James Rudin,
Claudia Setzer, George M. Smiga, Clark Williamson
Pondering
the Passion: What's at Stake for Christians and Jews? explores how the story
of the death of Jesus has been imagined and portrayed over the centuries. In the
shadow of the Holocaust and under the eye of contemporary scrutiny, the varied
and often conflicting depictions of the Passion of Christ raise questions lying
at the heart of both the Jewish and the Christian faiths: Who was Jesus? Why was
he executed? What role did the Jews play in his death? How is Jesus' death
redemptive? What does it mean to be saved? What are the psychological effects of
seeing Jesus brutalized? How can artistic and creative license affect belief and
doctrine in the religious imagination of the Judeo-Christian tradition?
Beginning with the world of the first century and the circumstances of Jesus' execution, the prominent Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish contributors consider the diverse perspectives of the canonical gospels; depictions of the Passion in Christian art, music, drama, and film; biblical and theological interpretations of the crucifixion; and contemporary ethical, educational, and psychological issues. This collection is must reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection, especially in light of contemporary depictions of and discussions over depictions of the Passion.
SCENE invites readers to submit suggestions for future book
reviews. The Editor would also be receptive to reviews of such books which may
have especially interested a reader and who consequently would be prepared to
write a review for publication in a future issue of SCENE. Reviews should be
475-500 words in length and would need to be edited if they exceeded this word
count. Ed.
Email address: hdm@idx.com.au