The Passion of the Christ, directed by Mel Gibson, was released in 2004 and depicts the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s life. It covers his arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. The film aimed to provide a realistic portrayal of Jesus’ suffering and death. Given the movie’s goal of biblical accuracy, how well does The Passion align with the biblical accounts?
There are aspects of The Passion that closely follow the Gospel narratives in the Bible. Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, denial by Peter, flogging by Roman soldiers, carrying of the cross, crucifixion between two thieves, and resurrection on the third day are all depicted in the film as described in the Gospels. Much of the dialogue in scenes involving Pilate and the Sanhedrin is taken word-for-word from Scripture. The filmmakers went to great lengths to recreate first-century Jerusalem, using archaeology and cultural practices to make the setting historically authentic. The costumes, languages, and Jewish customs align with what is known about the time.
However, some elements of The Passion include dramatic license that embellish or expand upon the biblical record. One prominent example is Satan appearing multiple times to taunt Jesus and influence the actions of Caiaphas and Judas. The Satan figure does not show up in the Gospel accounts. Mary’s role is also expanded beyond what Scripture includes. She is presented as a major character following Jesus throughout his trials and witnessing the crucifixion up close. The Gospels do not indicate Mary was present. The movie also adds details like the origin of the instruments of crucifixion and legends about the execution site.
The most significant divergence from the biblical text comes in the level of graphic violence portrayed. Jesus’ flogging by the Romans is protracted and exceptionally gory, including chunks of flesh torn from his body. The crucifixion scene draws out his agony, with bones dislocating and graphic shots of the nails being hammered. There is no indication in the Gospels that Jesus’ flogging and crucifixion were as dramatized and bloody as depicted in the film. The extreme violence led to the movie’s R rating.
In evaluating the biblical accuracy, key events align closely with the Gospel accounts, including:
- Jesus praying in Gethsemane as disciples sleep (Matthew 26:36-46)
- Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss (Luke 22:47-48)
- Peter denying Jesus three times (Mark 14:66-72)
- Jesus brought before Annas and Caiaphas (John 18:12-24)
- Pilate questioning Jesus and offering to release him (Luke 23:1-25)
- Jesus beaten and mocked by Roman soldiers (Mark 15:16-20)
- Jesus carries cross to Golgotha (John 19:17)
- Jesus crucified between two criminals (Luke 23:32-43)
- Soldiers gamble for Jesus’ clothing (Luke 23:34)
- Jesus forgives those who crucified him (Luke 23:34)
- Jesus dies on the cross (Luke 23:46)
- Jesus buried in tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 15:43-47)
- Tomb found empty on third day (Matthew 28:1-10)
However, liberties were taken in terms of chronology, condensing or altering the order of certain events and interactions. Some key examples include:
- Pilate’s wife warning of her dream occurs after sentencing, not before (Matthew 27:19)
- Jesus first appears before Herod Antipas, then sent back to Pilate (Luke 23:6-12)
- Simon of Cyrene carries Jesus’ cross only after he collapses (Mark 15:21)
- Jesus meets women of Jerusalem on Via Dolorosa to Golgotha (Luke 23:27-31)
In summary, The Passion of the Christ presents a largely biblical view of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The major events align closely with the Gospels’ chronology and details. However, the film does take creative license in several areas for dramatic effect, most notably the level of violence inflicted on Jesus. The embellishments sometimes distract from the straightforward accounts provided in the biblical text. But the movie succeeds in evoking the agony Christ endured and the sacrifice he made for humanity’s sins according to the Scripture.
For a more scene-by-scene evaluation of biblical accuracy, The Passion can be divided into distinct segments.
The Prayer in the Garden
After the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples go to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30-35). Jesus leaves Peter, James, and John to go pray alone while asking them to stay awake and keep watch. Jesus is greatly distressed and sorrowful, telling Peter he is “deeply grieved, even to death” (Mark 14:34). Jesus prays earnestly for the Father to take the cup of suffering away from him, yet submits to the Father’s will.
The events in the garden scene closely follow the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus is visibly anguished at the thought of the suffering ahead of him. The disciples fall asleep instead of keeping watch, despite Jesus’ requests. They are awakened by the arrival of Judas. Jesus’ words are taken from Scripture, including his rebuke of the disciples for sleeping rather than praying (Matthew 26:40-41).
The Arrest and Betrayal
Judas leads a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards into the garden to arrest Jesus. Judas has told them to identify Jesus by greeting him with a kiss. As the soldiers approach, Peter tries to defend Jesus by drawing his sword and cutting off the ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant. Jesus heals the ear and tells Peter not to prevent his arrest so that the Scriptures can be fulfilled (John 18:1-11).
The film captures key details like the identification by a kiss and the healing of Malchus’ ear. The characters match the Gospel record. The dialogue largely comes right from the biblical accounts. Overall, this critical scene aligns accurately with the events described in the four Gospels.
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin
After his arrest, Jesus is taken before the Jewish Sanhedrin for an informal nighttime trial. The high priest Caiaphas and others accuse Jesus of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God. They find him guilty and beat him, while some spit on him and strike him in the face (Matthew 26:57-68). Meanwhile, Peter has followed at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. As Jesus predicted, Peter denies three times that he knows Jesus.
The film depicts the accusations before Caiaphas accurately according to the Gospels. It also portrays a regretful Judas throwing his payment back at the priests in the temple, then going out and hanging himself (Matthew 27:3-5). Peter’s denial takes place in the courtyard amid the chaos of the trial.
Before Pontius Pilate
The next day, Jesus is brought before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate (Mark 15:1-5). Pilate questions Jesus and does not find him guilty. When he learns Jesus is from Galilee, he sends him to Herod Antipas, the Galilean tetrarch. Herod interrogates Jesus but gets no response. Herod mocks and ridicules Jesus but does not find him guilty either, so Jesus is sent back to Pilate (Luke 23:6-12).
Pilate seeks to release Jesus, in keeping with the custom of pardoning one prisoner for the Passover feast. But the crowd asks for the release of Barabbas instead (John 18:39-40). Pilate asks what crime Jesus has committed and offers to punish rather than execute him, but the crowd persists in demanding crucifixion (Luke 23:13-25). Pilate washes his hands to declare his innocence and reluctantly hands Jesus over to be crucified.
The back-and-forth between Pilate and the crowd aligns with the Gospel record, along with Pilate’s wife warning him not to harm Jesus (Matthew 27:19). Creative license was taken in placing the interaction with Herod Antipas prior to Pilate’s dialogue with the crowd.
The Scourging at the Pillar
Jesus is brutally scourged by two Roman guards. This involves being stripped naked and then flogged with a multi-stranded whip containing bits of bone and metal. The soldiers pull chunks of Jesus’ flesh off as he writhes in agony. They twist together a crown of long thorns and press it down on his head (John 19:1-3).
While the Gospels reference Jesus being flogged and a crown of thorns placed on his head, they contain no details about the scourging process or just how gruesome and bloody it was. The extreme brutality shown in the film was added for dramatic effect.
Jesus Carries His Cross
After the scourging, Jesus carries his crossbar to the place of crucifixion called Golgotha (John 19:17). He meets the women of Jerusalem along the road and tells them not to weep for him but their children (Luke 23:27-31). The pain from his wounds is so intense that Jesus collapses under the weight of the cross. A man named Simon of Cyrene is pulled from the crowd and forced to carry it the rest of the way (Mark 15:21).
The Gospel writers do not describe Jesus collapsing or needing help with the cross before arriving at Golgotha. This was added for dramatic effect and to emphasize the extent of Jesus’ suffering.
The Crucifixion
At the site of crucifixion, Jesus’ wrists and feet are nailed to the cross as he cries out in agony (Matthew 27:31-44). As Jesus hangs on the cross, soldiers gamble below to divide his garments (John 19:23-24). Jesus suffers for hours, forgiving those who crucified him and promising Paradise to one of the criminals hanging next to him. He cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) Then with his last breaths, he declares “It is finished” and “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” before dying (John 19:30, Luke 23:46).
The crucifixion scene hews closely to the details provided in the four Gospels, including those who were present and the statements Jesus utters. The visual depiction does take liberty in terms of the amount of blood and emphasis on Christ’s physical suffering. For example, the way the nails were driven through his hands and feet were not described in such vivid detail in Scripture.
The Resurrection
After Jesus’ death, his body is taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple of Jesus (Luke 23:50-56). On the third day, Mary Magdalene and other women come to anoint Jesus’ body but find the tomb empty. Jesus has risen from the dead, just as he told his disciples he would (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12). Jesus later appears to his disciples and gives them a commission before ascending to heaven (John 20:24 – 21:25).
The Passion of the Christ ends with a depiction of Jesus rising from the dead, leaving the tomb empty on the third day. This aligns with the Gospel accounts without showing Jesus interacting with Mary Magdalene or the disciples after his resurrection. The film closes on the biblical truth that Christ conquered the grave.
Historical Accuracy
Beyond the biblical material, The Passion of the Christ strives for historical accuracy in its costumes, architecture, languages, and cultural details. The film was shot in Italy and features Latin and reconstructed Aramaic dialogue. The crucifixion site and tomb were built to resemble archaeological excavations in Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples wear plain robes like those worn at the time. The filmmakers consulted experts to include Jewish customs like hand washing before meals and removing sandals on holy ground.
However, there are debates among scholars around some of the historical details. For example, the language used by Pilate and the soldiers would likely have been Greek rather than Latin. The thieves crucified next to Jesus may have been tied to their crosses rather than nailed. And crucifixion victims were probably naked rather than wearing loincloths. But The Passion does make an effort at recreating first-century Judea rather than medieval or modern settings.
Use of Biblical Text
Director Mel Gibson drew directly from the Gospel accounts for much of the dialogue and action in The Passion. While Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John sometimes describe the same events in slightly different ways, Gibson combined details from each to craft his scenes. Much of the wording for Jesus, Pilate, Peter, and other figures comes verbatim from Scripture.
However, Gibson did add non-biblical lines to fill in conversations and heighten the emotion of certain interactions. The exaggerated violence goes well beyond anything described in the Gospels. Added characters like Satan and expanded roles for Mary are also not found in the biblical text. So while Gibson relied heavily on the Gospels, he took liberties as well.
Theological Themes
Some of the primary theological themes from the Gospels are conveyed in The Passion, while others are more subtle or absent. The film clearly shows how Jesus willingly sacrificed himself and poured himself out on the cross for the sins of humanity. His suffering reflects the depths of God’s love for His people. The various reactions to Jesus illustrate the paradox that he is rejected by many even as he draws others to believe in him.
However, the film does not strongly convey Jesus’ teachings during his ministry or explicit connections between his crucifixion and Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. The political dynamics and threat Jesus posed to Jewish authorities and Roman rule are downplayed. And despite Jesus offering eternal life, the film lacks an overt presentation of the gospel message for viewers.
Gibson’s Catholic theology comes through at points, like the prominence given to Mary and her anguish. The degree of graphic violence reflects Gibson’s immersive, Catholic perspective on Christ’s sacrifice. But he mainly sought to visualize the Passion story itself rather than exploring deeper theological meaning.
Conclusion
Evaluating the biblical accuracy of The Passion of the Christ reveals how closely it adheres to the Gospel accounts in much of its narrative and dialogue. Key events from the Last Supper to the Crucifixion broadly match the details and chronology provided by Scripture. However, Gibson did take creative liberties with elements like expanded violence, added characters, and some rearranged sequences.
Dramatic license was used to heighten the emotions felt by Jesus and those around him. But the core components of the Passion story remain intact. The movie succeeds in giving viewers a visceral sense of Christ’s suffering and sacrifice. While not a perfect reproduction of the biblical text, The Passion compellingly renders the climactic chapter of Jesus’ earthly ministry centered on redemption for sins.