#A.E. Southon

[andthefrog]

The Ten Commandments

Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille

[theoscarsproject]

The Ten Commandments (1956). The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people.

I’m not really into biblical epics, but this one isn’t bad. Sure, it’s bloated and way too long and totally white washed, but it acts as a real capsule for the era in which it was made, and the production values are really, really good. I won’t watch it again, but I’m  glad that I did. 7/10.

[jonfarreporter]

Jesus as deity is challenged, now more so than ever in this technological age

 By Jonathan Farrell & Coleen Mackin

This past Easter Sunday NBC aired an updated version of 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' the rock opera that made its debut on Broadway in the early 1970's, more than 45 years ago. 

Starring R&B singer/song-writer John Legend as Jesus, the Christ, the two-hour concert was telecast live. It received mixed reviews from critics.  

For this reporter, the original impact of the ground-breaking musical from 1971 was not there. Composed by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice; the Tony-Award-nominated sensation with memorable-chart ranking songs, stirred tremendous controversy back then.  

At the time, lyricist Tim Rice was quoted in the press to say. "It happens that we don't see Christ as God but simply the right man at the right time at the right place." Rice responding to the outcry of religious groups who not only disliked the rock opera, they considered it offensive.

To depict Jesus or any sacred religious ideal in such a way was shocking over 45 years ago. But, not so now. Perhaps, one of the reasons is because today anarchy in some form is the norm. 

Yet, as Weber told NPR back in 2012 when a revival was in the works, the musical was written at the request of the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. And as Rice told NPR "what eventually made (us agree) to a yes was the brainstorm idea of telling the story from Judas Iscariot's point of view."  Since Judas was "the betrayer" the very idea seemed like blasphemy and sacrilegious, over 40 years ago.

Ironically, Rice and Weber had to convince a record company to make a double album first of the music. Because, Broadway producers all said “no.” NPR noted that those same theatre producers that rejected the show idea were eager to bring it to the stage. Especially, after the release as a double record album, it hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts.   

Like the critics, I found the constant commercial breaks annoying, so I gave up watching the show after about 25 minutes. Still, it got me thinking. 

It would seem that 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' like 'Godspell' and other religious-themed productions of more than 40 years ago, all reflected the skepticism of the 1960's.

Yet, only a decade or so earlier, the "sword and sandal' epics like 'Ben-Hur' and ‘The Robe' upheld the traditional religious views of the sacred.  Movies like "King of Kings" and "The Ten Commandments" were annual Easter holiday entertainment staples.

As someone who remembers the original 'Jesus Christ Superstar' It was clear that society in the 1960's was undergoing a shift. Ideas and beliefs during the '60's were being challenged as science was advancing humankind into outer space. The threat of nuclear annihilation continued to loom over the world as the Cold War between the US and Soviet Communism in Russia reached fever pitch.  

Even though science moved us forward, society it seemed was falling backwards. 

Assassinations, racial/social inequality and the on-going conflict of the Vietnam War resulted in turmoil and unrest.  The youth counter-culture reacted with riots and protests, ultimately dividing the nation by generational and ideological lines. 

As Lyricist, Rice viewed Jesus as a historical figure, and nothing more. To most people at the time, that radical idea was frightening and disillusioning. Many considered the musical/rock opera profane.

But now, looking back this rock opera was simply another perspective and a way to promote dialogue, rather than controversy. 

Besides the music of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and of 'Godspell' is outstanding. Despite its contemporary rock and roll style, it managed to make its way into churches, often used in liturgy or at a Catholic Mass to bridge the generation gap and attract young people to religion. 

Even with its secular demeanor and 'street-wise' decor, both 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and 'Godspell' managed to covey the traditional "passion play" drama that characterized the life of Jesus.

With the invention of The Internet ushering in the "information superhighway" the validity of the sacred is put even further to the test. 

Scholars today, like Dr. Richard Carrier, PhD have been able to look much deeper into traditional sources such as The Bible. Advancements of archaeology and anthropology thru forensic science have revolutionized biblical scholarship. 

New discoveries and new approaches that technology has made possible, allows Carrier to examine The Bible and other ancient texts more thoroughly. He views The Bible and other texts with science and puts doctrines of faith to one side. 

With his Ph.D. from Columbia University in ancient history, Carrier specializes in the intellectual history of Greece and Rome, particularly ancient philosophy, religion, and science. With an emphasis on the origins of Christianity and the use and progress of science under the Roman empire, Carrier sees this history in the proper context. He is also a published expert in the modern philosophy of naturalism as a worldview. 

He noted that the traditional "passion of Christ" is not original to Christianity alone. Antiquity had its share of "dying and rising gods' long before. 

Often referred to as 'mystery cults' the concept of a 'dying and rising or resurrected god-hero' can be found throughout many cultures in ancient times. The cult of Mythra (most likely from Persia) had followers all throughout the Roman Empire. The funeral ceremonies of the Pharaohs of Egypt made reference to Horus, Osiris and Isis, an early form of a "trinity" as well as a resurrection. Traces of such sacred-religion 'Passion stories’ existed even before Judaism and can be found in ancient Sumer - Mesopotamia with the goddess Inana. Or, Ishtar as she was referred to by the Babylonians. 

Carrier considers this year's Easter falling on April 1, (April Fool's Day) as appropriate.

Carrier states, "the stories of it (the death and resurrection of Jesus) happening — were written a whole generation after the belief began, in a foreign land and language, after all the real witnesses appear to have been dead and far from where they ever lived. (These accounts of Jesus as the risen Lord)—are indeed pranks. Fake stories, that modern Christians totally swallow, hook, line and sinker, the true April fools they are."

Speaking at lectures and symposiums around the world, Professor Carrier wants to get the actual facts out there. 'The idea of a personal savior god dying and rising from the dead to live again was not original to Christianity," he writes in his blog. 

He goes on to say,"It was, in fact, fashionable. Many cultures all around the borders of, and traveling and trading through Judea, had one. It was all the rage. It was thus not surprising in that context that some fringe Jews decided to invent one of their own.” 

And they may have done so deliberately, said Carrier, in a bid to reform what they believed was a corrupt religious system. Or, they may have done so unconsciously, their subconscious minds ‘reading into’ the scriptures ideas they had unthinkingly absorbed from all these foreign cultures and fads, and then 'convincing' their conscious minds it was true by conjuring visions confirming their subtly-influenced intuitions." 

"Either way, he said, Jesus is just a late comer to the party - yet, one more dying-and-rising personal savior god. Only this time, Jewish." 

What many ordinary people don't fully understand is that The Bible (including the Gospels) had not been written all at the same time by one author. The Bible is a collection of books. They were written over a time-frame of many, many centuries by many authors." 

The Bible as we know it today was nothing like the many collections or "canons" of books that were used in ancient times. The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD was commissioned by the Roman Emperor Constantine. It's main purpose was to establish an official "creed" and doctrine of belief, from which Christianity would proceed as the official 'state religion' of the Holy Roman Empire.

The debate over doctrines and how scriptures were to be used, interpreted and of course - conveyed to the people would continue. Many more councils would convene, especially as Christianity spread throughout Europe, leading up to The Reformation and beyond.

In several of his lectures posted on YouTube, Carrier mentions that tangible and reliable evidence for the existence of the Jesus so many Christians believe in today, just isn't there. 

The Jesus story is actually historical fiction. The use of actual places and general events (such as the occupying of Judea by the Romans or the Pyramids of Egypt) to tell a story was common. And, is still in use today.  There are many authors out there that use aspects of history to spin a fictional story or novel. 

In researching those 'sword and sandal' epics I held dear as a kid growing up, I was surprised. Much of dialog of the screenplay came not from The Bible, but from novels, like "Ben-Hur, A Tale of The Christ" by General Lew Wallace. It was originally published in 1880 and was a sensation on stage. 

Even the much-lauded " The Ten Commandments" by legendary movie director Cecil B. DeMille used three novels, "The Prince of Egypt" by Dorothy Clark Wilson, "On Eagle's Wings, by A.E. Southon and "Pillar of Fire" by J.H. Ingraham. In addition to the Biblical reference to the Book of Exodus, he used these novels and other sources to help complete a script for his 1956 motion picture. 

DeMille like other directors used Biblical stories in films because they pulled at people's hearts and because audiences were acquainted with them. While committed to his craft, he was also thinking of cashing in at the Box Office. 

Emperor Constantine may have used Christianity as a way to unite the many peoples of the Roman Empire. Likewise today, the celebration of Easter with Jesus at the center of the annual 'Passion" is one way to get people into church making donations. 

If NBC's Sunday telecast of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' attracted over 9 million viewers, as reported by Variety and others - just think how many church-goers made donations at the various Christian denominations world-wide on Easter Sunday. Some estimates report that donations at churches in the U.S. alone reach at over $50 billion annually. 

To learn more about the facts about the myth of Jesus and how the story of Jesus got deified, visit Dr. Richard Carrier's blogs and postings at his web site. 

Or, see the postings of his many lectures on YouTube.