Engaging the Passion: Perspectives on the Death of Jesus

Description

In Engaging the Passion, Oliver Larry Yarbrough has gathered an impressive array of scholars to survey the wealth of ways in which the death of Jesus has been portrayed and represented in Scripture, liturgy and music, literature, art and film, theology, and ethics. In addition to addressing topics many readers will find familiar—gospel narratives, Holy Week services, Bach Passions, and well-known paintings—the essays also treat rap music, street art, a contemporary Buddhist Passion, Chagall&339;s crucifixions, the poetry of Walt Whitman and Countee Cullen, J. R. R. Tolkien's unlikely hero Frodo Baggins, images from the battlefield, and stories from the soup kitchen. The contributors approach their topics from a variety of perspectives—Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and secular; their voices differ as well, from the challenging to the comforting and from the academic to the confessional. Addressing the faithful, the skeptical, and the curious, Engaging the Passion is unique in its breadth and rare in the diverse voices of its contributors. Amply illustrated and with accompanying discography and filmography, it will be a welcome resource for classes in Scripture, theology, liturgy, and the arts, as well as for personal and congregational study. Acknowledgements ix Contributors xi Illustrations xix Preface xxiii Part I. The Texts 1. The Passion of Christ in the Letters of Paul Jouette Bassler 7 2. Synoptic Passions Oliver Larry Yarbrough 27 3. It Is Accomplished! The Passion in the Gospel of John David Rensberger 59 Part II. Liturgy and Music 4. The Passion in Christian Liturgy Robert Atwell 83 5. Musical Settings of the Passion Texts Andrew Shenton 111 6. The Passion in American Literature John McWilliams 149 7. Dostoevsky’s Fiery “Furnace of Doubt” Michael R. Katz 187 8. Frodo and the Passion in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Matthew Dickerson 211 Part IV. Images 9. The Alexamenos Graffito Street Art in Ancient Rome Oliver Larry Yarbrough 231 10. Engaging the Lothar Cross Eliza Garrison 239 11. Albrecht Dürer’s The Kiss of Judas or “der heyligen schryfft studiren” Christopher Kent Wilson 247 12. Titian’s Noli Me Tangere Katherine Smith Abbott and Elizabeth Oyler 257 13. Manet’s Dead Christ with Angels John Hunisak 267 14. Marc Chagall’s Jewish Jesus Margaret O’Brien Steinfels 277 15. Can You Feel Me? The Passion in the Public Art Ministries of Damon Lamar Reed Kymberly Pinder 16. Banksy’s Christmas Passion Emmie Donadio 297 17. Dying for Our Sins Jesus’ Passion on the Silver Screen Adele Reinhartz 311 Part V. Other Traditions 18. On Pesach and Pascha Jews, Christians, and the Passion Jeremy Cohen 335 19. The Death of Jesus in Islam Reality, Assumptions, and Implications Suleiman A. Mourad 359 Part VI. Ethics and Theology 20. Theological Themes in the Passion Katherine Sonderegger 387 21. Self-Giving, Nonviolence, Peacemaking An Approach to Catholic Moral Life and Christ’s Passion William Werpehowski 405 Index of Scripture References 431