The Catholic Leader - 7 May

25 / 28

25
The Catholic Leader, May 7, 2017
Arts + entertainment
THE CASE FOR JESUS: THE
BIBLICAL AND HISTORICAL
EVIDENCE FOR CHRIST
Dr Brant Pitre; Image, New
York; 2016
Reviewed by Barbara Flynn
DURING his undergraduate years, Brant Pitre,
now a professor of Sacred Scripture at Notre
Dame University, was
challenged by the writings
of scholars and theologians
who repeatedly questioned
the historical truth of the
Gospels.
Many taught that the
Gospels were originally
anonymous.
Disturbed by the frequency of such false
claims, Dr Pitre, in his desire to verify and
defend his personal beliefs and offer reasons
for what Christians believe, decided to study
in depth all available biblical and historical
sources of the Gospels.
Encouraged and affirmed in his desire by
then Fr Robert Barron, now a bishop, to place
the truth particularly into the student arena and
to offer his defence to a wide audience, he ef-
ficiently recorded his research findings.
He presents his coherent, understandable
and carefully thought out argument in 13 short
developmental chapters.
Many of the false claims and assumptions
made about Jesus in the sensationalistic writ-
ings and teachings of several contemporary
theologians and scholars are exposed.
Significantly, Pitre uses much often neglected
evidence from ancient manuscripts including
the Hebrew Bible; the Greek New Testament;
ancient Jewish writings outside the Christian
Bible; and the works of the early Church
Fathers.
He wisely includes references from a wide
range of resources particularly the Christian,
Hebrew and early Greek scriptures.
These sources provide an enriching opportu-
nity to probe “hidden depths of original mean-
ings” of scriptures from the Old Testament and
the New.
Pitre insists that accurate translation from
the Hebrew and Greek texts are foundational to
acquiring the truth about Jesus.
The Case For Jesus gives “a meticulous pres-
entation of the evidence about the reliability
of the Gospels” and offers insights into Jesus’
self-understanding that is the secret of Jesus’
divinity.
The crucifixion of Jesus and His subsequent
resurrection are interpreted through material
available from sections of the Hebrew Scrip-
tures.
God’s actions towards humanity through
these two significant events in Jesus’ life impact
on all people on earth.
Pitre’s research addresses the following ques-
tions: “Were the Gospels by anonymous writers
and are they folklore or biographies?
“Did Jesus claim to be God?
“Is Jesus divine in all four Gospels or only in
the Gospel of John?
“Did Jesus fulfil the Jewish prophecies of the
long awaited Messiah?
“Why was Jesus crucified
and what is the evidence for
the Resurrection?”
In chapters two, three and
four, Pitre discusses available
evidence on the authorship
and titles of the four Gospels
showing the decision-making
involvement of the early
Church fathers.
Using surviving Greek
manuscripts he provides charts
showing the titles.
He indicates that for the
first 1800 years the Gospels
were read as biographies, St
Augustine describing them
“as trustworthy testimonies
based on remembrance of the
disciples”.
A pertinent reference to the authorship of the
four Gospels made no claim to literary accuracy
in the manner of a recorded manuscript but they
do claim to correctly render the substance of the
discourses of Jesus.
The sixth and seventh chapters deal with the
chronology of the Gospels, the stages of their
formation and their historical reliability while
including reference to the Acts of the Apostles
and the writings of St Paul.
The heart of Pire’s research unfolds in the
ninth and 10th chapters.
He explores the questions:
“Who was Jesus of Nazareth?”
and “Did Jesus of Nazareth
claim to be God?”
Pitre’s answers are informed
by up-to-date scholarship and
have enormous historical and
theological implications for
Christiantity and for under-
standing the crucifixion and the
resurrection, which are then
discussed in the 11th and 12th
chapters.
Pitre has developed a well-
reasoned case for Jesus, and his
painstaking research illustrates
the necessity of being familiar
with the Jewish roots of the
Gospels in order to be truth-
fully informed.
This book is available at St Pauls Book
Centre, Brisbane, and
Book
Film
Sources found to support Gospel truth
Tackling big questions
THE SHACK: Starring Sam
Worthington, Octavia Spencer,
Tim McGraw, Radha Mitchell,
Graham Greene. Directed by
Stuart Hazeldine. 132 minutes
By John Mulderig
THE Shack, director Stuart Hazel-
dine’s screen version of William
Paul Young’s best-selling novel,
represents a serious effort to tackle
the problem of evil from a Christian
perspective. As such, it will be wel-
comed by believers.
Objectionable elements
are virtually absent from
the film, however, patches
of dialogue discounting
the value of religion – here
implicitly set in opposition
to faith broadly speak-
ing – and hinting that God
is indifferent to how we
worship him mean that impressionable viewers
should keep their distance.
So, too, does the morally problematic treat-
ment of a dark and long-kept secret.
After his young daughter Missy (Amelie Eve)
is abducted and murdered, previously devout
church-goer Mackenzie “Mack” Phillips (Sam
Worthington) has a crisis of faith.
But a note from “Papa”, his wife Nan’s
(Radha Mitchell) nickname for God, leads to
an encounter with the Trinity near the titular
hideout where evidence of Missy’s death was
uncovered that alters his perspective.
Octavia Spencer plays an unflappable, warm-
hearted God the Father; Avraham Aviv Alush,
a fun-loving Jesus; and Sumire, a serene Holy
Spirit.
As one bakes, the second gardens and the third
tinkers in his carpentry shed, Mack learns to see
his own tragedy as a spiritual death that offers
the prospect of resurrection.
While some may be uncomfortable with
the fact that both the Father and the Holy
Spirit manifest themselves to the protagonist as
women, given that they would be free to do so in
whatever guise they chose, this is no real objec-
tion – all the more so since Spencer’s character
eventually morphs, when it seems advisable, into
a paternal Graham Greene.
The narrative’s brief descent from non-de-
nominationalism into outright indifferentism and
its suggestion that religion is “too much work”
are more substantial defects.
While Mack has much to forgive, moreover,
he has a shocking crime in his own background
that the movie seems to excuse too easily.
Beautiful settings and a sense of humour help
to keep the somewhat over-long proceedings
from bogging down in sentimentality.
But the script, penned by John Fusco, Andrew
Lanham and Destin Cretton, takes on too many
weighty subjects – from the suffering of in-
nocents to the need for forgiveness – to treat any
one of them in a fully satisfying way.
Still, on the whole, this is an intriguing
endeavour to accomplish the same goal British
poet John Milton set himself in writing his mas-
terpiece Paradise Lost, namely, “to justify the
ways of God to men”.
The film contains scenes of domestic violence
and mature themes requiring careful discern-
ment.
John Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic
News Service.
Place of beauty: “Papa” (Octavia Spencer) and “Mack” (Sam Worthington) in one of the beautiful settings featured in The Shack. Photo: CNS