Dramatic portrayals of Jesus
Appearance
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Various authors and filmmakers have created fictional portrayals of Jesus Christ and his life.
A number of storytellers have wanted to portray an accurate depiction of what his life is believed to have been like, while others have used the persona of Jesus Christ as a narrative device to make a literary point and develop a story's theme. Because of the devotion of many people to the idea of Jesus Christ, fictional portrayals of Christ have been, almost without exception, fraught with controversy. Movie portrayals of Jesus have, in particular, attracted protests and criticism. Filmmakers and theater managers have even received death threats in the wake of some of the more controversial movies about Christ.
Novels portraying Jesus Christ
- Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock (1970)
- Ben Hur by Lew Wallace
- The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by José Saramago (1991)
- The Gospel of Corax by Paul Park
- King Jesus by Robert Graves (1947)
- Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Jesus' Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore (2001)
- The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis
- The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (1966)
- Only Begotten Daughter and Godhead Trilogy by James Morrow
- Judas, My Brother
- The Robe by Thomas B. Costain
Motion pictures based on Biblical accounts
- The Gospel of John (2003)
- The Gospel Road (1967)
- The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
- Jesus of Nazareth (1977)) (TV miniseries)
- King of Kings (1961, also a silent film version in 1927)
- The Passion of the Christ (2004), Mel Gibson's portrayal of what he describes as the last 12 hours of Jesus' life
Other Motion pictures depicting Jesus Christ
- Ben-Hur (off-screen)
- The Book of Life (1998)
- Godspell (1973)
- Hail Mary (1985) (modern-day retelling of the Virgin Birth)
- Intolerance (1916)
- Jesus Christ Superstar (1973, new video release in 1999)
- Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001) (direct to video [1])
- Jesus of Montreal (1989)
- Johnny Got His Gun (1971), featuring Donald Sutherland as Jesus in a dream sequence
- The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
- The Life of Brian (1979)
- The Robe (off-screen)