Madam, - Vincent Browne (March 24th) makes the point that "treating the gospels as reliable historically is problematic, as is acknowledged by many Biblical scholars nowadays, including Catholics". One group of such scholars, the Fellows of the Jesus Seminar, when considering the sections of the gospel narratives that speak of the period from Jesus's entry into Jerusalem through to the claims of his resurrection, thinks that there are little historical data to be found. Like some other scholars, they argue that the way to think of these narratives is as theological writing, rather than as primarily historical writing. The Fellows of the Jesus Seminar explain that one of the main theological concerns of the first Christian writers was to claim that the Hebrew scriptures could give meaning to Jesus's death.
It is fascinating to discover how they sifted through their scriptures, for example Zechariah, Isaiah, and the Psalms, and out of these sources constructed accounts, for example, of Jesus's entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey and of his alleged words uttered on the cross. For too long most Christians have been taught to regard these accounts as historically accurate. Incidentally, some of the Jesus Seminar scholars have written critical responses to the Gibson film that may be found on Beliefnet.com.
Of course, the question remains whether at a theological level, 21st century Christians, will concur that a gory death, in a literal sense, had to be a necessary part of the so-called divine plan of a god of love. It does not make sense to me. - Yours etc.,
ANDREW FURLONG, Tubbermore Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin.
Madam, - The argument on morality and truth between the intellectually "enlightened" after French values of liberty, equality and fraternity and those of Christianity, of love your enemy, seems to have come to a head in the definition of fundamentalism. From the "enlightened" point of view it seems that all religion is fundamentalist and irrational without equivocation.
This is indeed represented by Vincent Browne's piece on the film, The Passion of the Christ, which on the whole is still only a movie! However, what has been revealed by those journalists who have reviewed the film in The Irish Times and elsewhere is an incapacity to engage with Christianity in a rational way without descending into histrionics about anti-Semitism, sadomasochism, barbarity and what might be termed outright paranoia. Is this descent into fear revealing something?
Linking bizarre fundamentalism with every human religious urge and way of life is pitiful and reveals not a well tuned cynicism or scepticism but a new breed of fundamentalism all of its own. What a sorry state our "intellectuals" have got themselves into now. - Yours etc.,
Father LEONARD TAYLOR, Avondale, Sligo.
Madam, - It's pretty rich that those of your letter writers who are so enthusiastic about The Passion of the Christ movie (and are presumably Catholics) seem unaware that Mel Gibson himself is one man who thinks the Pope is NOT a Catholic. - Yours, etc.,
FRANK DESMOND, Wellington Gardens, London.