REL 270 - Topics: Jesus on Screen and Stage (1)

Who is Jesus of Nazareth? And how have cultural influencers, ranging from scholars and film directors, interpreted his life and legacy in order to challenge us to think about our own lives and society? Our course will examine the representation of Jesus in the four canonical Gospels within their social, political, and theological contexts. We will survey the history of attempts to reconstruct the “historical” Jesus of Nazareth from these Gospels (and other ancient texts) in the form of screen plays and film. This course seeks to explore in both a thoughtful and fun way how scholars, playwrights, and directors have tried to bring to life one of most compelling figures of all time in order to think about some of the most meaningful questions about human nature, justice, and religion. Some of the Musicals & Films include: “The Gospel of Mark,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Godspell,” “The Life of Brian,” “The Passion of the Christ,” “Jesus of Montreal,” and more.
(Humanities)