Mel Gibson's stunning film, The Passion of the Christ, has touched thousands of hearts since its release. It has been called "the most powerful film ever produced" about the life and death of Jesus. Yet, despite its visual and emotional impact, the dramatic events portrayed do not explain themselves; they often give rise to perplexing questions. This book helps you delve a little deeper into some of the movie's profound riches-the passion of Christ.

Why do Mary's eyes meet those of the devil during Jesus' journey to Golgotha?

Why does the film show Pilate's wife giving Mary an armful of linens?

Why do demon children torment Judas?

AND, the most commonly-asked question about the film:

What did the anti-Marian, demon-with-child image represent?

This wonderful and much-needed little book answers all of those questions and many, many more. Written in a simple, straight-forward style with an abundance of Scripture references, this book is the perfect guide to the film.

As well it should.

One of the film's collaborators - Tom Allen, who was intimately involved with the film's fundraising and promotion - helped create the book. You'll see his name listed among the credits near the end of the film.

The first press-run, of 160,000, sold out before the book was off the press. As a result of the demand, and the most-commonly asked question, the second printing and all subsequent versions of the book contain the answer to the demon-with-child question.

As of this writing, the book has sold more than 300,000 copies. Based on the number of incoming orders, the publisher expects that it will sell at least 1 million.

Created by Tom Allen, Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Matthew Pinto, Mark Shea, and Dr. Paul Thigpen (who has a reflection book of his own out on The Passion), the book closely follows the film and its major scenes (from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Resurrection) answering many questions raised by the film.

Priced as a give-away, the publisher has made it extremely easy for theater-goers, churches, or individuals to purchase the books in bulk to give away at screenings. In fact, my wife and I purchased 100 copies to give away at a local screening. I could have used three times that number.

The books are written in such a way that they would work well for small-group faith-sharing or Bible study discussions. The second part of the book makes the case for Christ, and offers suggestions for what viewers can do with what they have just seen.

An appendix includes the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, and the Seven Last Words of Christ, upon which the film is based. Finally, a resource bibliography at the end directs readers to further books and resources that would be helpful in a person's journey with Christ.

Christians and non-Christians will benefit greatly from the insights that this book offers into Mel Gibson's film.

25 of 26 found the following review helpful:


More than just a Q&A on the film  Mar 20, 2004
If you're curious about Christianity in general, or Catholicism in particular, this book is a great place to start. It will give you a forthright look at Christianity from the inside.

Written by popular Catholic writers who are very aware of modern sensibilities, it introduces you to the relevance of that defining event--Jesus Christ in human history.

The first section answers 100 questions about the movie, and the answers are straightforward--which incidents in the film come from the Gospel, what's from early Christian tradition, or saints' visions, or just Gibson's "artistic license". But they also explain the meaning that Christianity traditionally sees in the various incidents in the story.

The second and third sections will especially interest skeptics, doubters, and the just plain curious: Who was Jesus? In about 15 pages, various theories are briefly examined--myth, misunderstood rabbi, megalomaniac, etc.

Finally, after listing a few traditional Catholic devotions (the stations of the cross, the seven last words), the book concludes with a large well-organized selection of suggestions for further study--books, websites, etc.

As a next step, Catholic.com has a terrific overview of the faith, Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth. It's available in an inexpensive 32-page booklet or free online. Go to http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp.

23 of 24 found the following review helpful:


A great guide to the movie!  Mar 03, 2004 By reader
This book is excellent! I bought it based on the previous review. As a traditional Catholic, I thought I could handle any symbolism presented in the movie...but I was wrong. The movie if far deeper than I expected. I had a lot of questions, as did my teenage sons who were debating if Jesus was nailed through the palms or wrists. My sons read this book with great interest. It is very readable; in a question and answer "catechism" format. I learned a lot about the movie and the sacrifice of Jesus.

The book is unapologetically Catholic. It is written by people intimate with the movie and the mind of the director. The author does an incredible job of separating what is Biblical, what is historical and what is artistic license in the movie.

The only criticism is the answer discussing the meeting of Mary and Peter after his denial. The book seems to imply that Roman Catholics can approach Mary to have their sins forgiven. Catholics believe that only God/Jesus can forgive sins. But a sinner, afraid to approach the Almighty Judge might approach Mary for help in being led to Jesus, just as she led St. John to the foot of the cross of redemption. I think I know what the authors were trying to say...I think they could have said it better. Catholics view Mary in the context of her only sermon in the Bible, at the marriage feast of Cana, "Do whatever He says".

In future editions, perhaps the authors could also address the symbolism of Mary picking up the soil at the time of the crucifixion.

19 of 20 found the following review helpful:


A good guide  Mar 27, 2004
I found the book a very good guide and I learned somethings I didn't know before. I believe it did a great job explaining the Catholic faith and would be a useful tool for those with questions about the Faith. It was short and concise but also contained many resources for further study. I loved the book and would recommend it to friends.

15 of 16 found the following review helpful:


The Passion is a Catholic Movie! This Book is excellent  Mar 19, 2004
This book is excellent.

It has "imprimatur" from the Catholic Bishop of San Diego.

The Passion is fundamentally a Catholic movie (see Jim Caviziel's interview on Zenit.org). Hence, this book describes the DEEP Catholic symbolism in the movie

I HEARTILY recommend it and also going to the evangelization.com website for the FREE resources that accompany the book.

I STRONGLY recommend that people buy lots of copies for their parishes, as well as to give to Protestants who will be more interested in the Catholic faith after seeing the movie

See all 30 customer reviews on Amazon.com