Please post your thesis about LTC and three main points you will make to support your thesis.
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23 Responses to “Your Thesis About “Last Temptation of Christ””
1. The Last Temptation of Christ paints a very human picture of Christ and this in turn makes him more “accessible” to people who may not have a firm belief in Him as a person.
A. He shows a struggle with the fact that he is the chosen one. He constantly questions God and why He should be the one.
B. Obviously he has the dream before his death about the fantasy of having children, leading a normal life, etc…
C. He has self doubt which is very prominent throughout the film.
All of these characteristics make him much more humanistic and helps us feel that he was almost the same as us. This makes what he preaches that much more, I hate to say it this way, believable.
Pete, What exactly does it mean to “believe in” an accessible, human Jesus? Doesn’t a flawed Jesus make him less appealing as a savior? If you prefer this Jesus, you might include a response to the reviews that consider this image of Jesus sacrilegious. It seems to me that points A and C in your outline are fairly similar. Can you say something more specific about his struggles or self-doubts?
Thesis: The Last Temptation of Christ represents family in a negative way, which conflicts with Religious views
Your thesis would be stronger if you explained the reason the film portrays family a particular way, rather than saying it conflicts with some people religious views. What exactly is negative about the imaginary family Jesus has?
A The conflict between Mary as a prostitute and the Focus of Jesus’ lust, and as the mother of his child, which never comes to bear.
These points should be expressed as statements, not topics. What exactly is the conflict? If Jesus accepts sinners regardless of their past, what’s wrong with his relationship with Mary. Why do you refer to Jesus’ lust rather than a normal physical attraction as part of his love for her?
B The idea that one woman is all women, and the concept of polygamy.
Again, what is your point about this? It should be included in your statement. Is Jesus showing a new model of the family? Does the film suggest something is wrong with Jesus’ family?
C The disciples leave there lives and families to pursue kinship among other men.
So? Perhaps they constitute a new kind of family.
D John the Baptist, and the representation of sexual freedom
not sure what your point is or what is has to do with family. This should be spelled out in your outline
E The only time the Virgin Mary is in the movie Jesus denies her as his mother.
What is the point of this? What is Jesus’ attitude toward the family? Why?
F The last temptation is choose between divinity and family. What is the significance of presenting this as a choice? Is the message that there is something wrong or inferior with family life.
1. The Last Temptation of Christ has taken many of the stories of Jesus and has put its own twist on them, contradicting the Bible stories.
Your thesis should be more specific than just saying LTC has it’s own twist on stories about Jesus, or that they’re different from the Biblical account. What do you think is the purpose of these twists, and of telling the story of Jesus in this way? Just saying that this film tells different stories about Jesus than the Bible is a dull thesis.
a. The crucifixion scene when Jesus hallucinates about having a family.
This is not a topic sentence. What’s the point of this dream sequence?
b. Jesus has a love interest in Mary Magdalene and has females at the last supper.
So what?
c. Jesus and Judas relationship and the way Jesus makes Judas betray him.
d. Jesus disowning his mother and has trouble excepting that he is “the one.”
I think you need to analyze the purpose and/or effect of these kinds of examples. Do they make the film more or less successfull? Why/why not?
As Christianity tends to focus on Judas betraying Jesus, The Last Temptation of Christ, in fact, portrays Jesus whose unconscious mind betrays Himself by questioning if He is the true Messiah. In this film, Jesus eventually unfolds His true destiny after the many trials and tribulations in doubt, desire and fear have been reckoned/battled with.
a. Doubt- Jesus questioning His role as savior through His words, dreams, and actions. Satan tempts Jesus in countless ways in order to impact His spirituality, religion,philosophy, and the self. The Jesus, in this film, seems to contradict and challenge how the prophecy has been told ine the Bible.
b. Desire- Jesus craves a physical appetite with Mary Magdelene over ruler/Messiah, while denying His own mother and “father”. His emotional needs are lacking and shown in his private thoughts and dreams, which pose a threat to His duty as mankind’s savior.
c. Fear-Jesus builds anxiety,guilt,sadness, and pain through His fear of failing to become who He was chosen to be. He also unleashes anger by becoming millitant and falls to Judas and Satan’s wishes. The fear of sacrifice makes him become disallusioned in ways that if it were not for His last temptation He fought…He knowingly dies for our sins because He too recognizes these weaknesses…He shows us how to overcome them.
Turtle, I look forward to seeing your rework your thesis in relation to what we discussed after class about Buddhism and desire.
Thesis: (still kind of figuring this one out)
All humans wish to feel purposeful and wish to be loved. So did Jesus. The Last Temptation of Christ shows just how human Jesus was and all he really wanted to do was serve some purpose and be loved.
Beth, doesn’t Jesus struggle between answering the call of a higher purpose and his own desire for a human life, including loving and being loved?
1. He was insecure in his love for Mary Magdalene and was nervous around her. He only stood up to others in her defense to save the woman that he loved and to gain her affection. What can we conjecture about their relationship? Do you really think he only intervened to help Mary because he she would like him better? In Bible accounts of this story, it is assumed that the woman Jesus helps is a stranger.
2. In a very human way Jesus is being somewhat of a people pleaser with Judas and his followers. unclear
3. At his crucifiction, Jesus hallucinates that his journey was not in vain and his resisting temptation actually served a purpose and he was able to die in peace.
These three factors presented in TLTOC present Jesus as not just part human, but as specifically human in his need to feel purposeful and be loved.
In TLTOC, Scorcese explores the motivational factors behind decisions that are made during the Scriptural account of Jesus’ life. Catering to his audience,who is he catering to?, he filters these motivations through a very familiar and very human meshwork of emotion and confusion. While this produces an accessible portrayal of characters in the movie, does it simultaneously sacrifice the scriptural claims to Christ’s divinity? I will examine the implications this has on three distinct conclusions about the identity of Christ. State your thesis in a single clear sentence:
e.g., The depiction of Jesus’ human emotions and confusion makes him more accessible as a character but does so at the cost of diminishing his divinity.
1. Jesus the Lord
2. Jesus the Liar
3. Jesus the Lunatic
The three points tell me nothing. There should be three sentences that provide cumulative support for your thesis.
Thesis Statement: Jesus’ internal struggle between divinity and humanity is illustrated through his relationship to others in the film The Last Temptation of Christ.
A. Jesus is unsure of whether or not he is divine.
1. First conversation with his mother
2. Meeting with John the Baptist
3. Conversation with Jeromeah
B. Jesus’ humanity is shown by his desire to have a family.
1. Mary Magdalene is first on his mind
2. Father’s children by Mary and Martha
C. Jesus rejects the fact that he is the Messiah.
1. Confrontation with Paul
2. Tricked by Satan
3. Says Judas does not understand
I hope to see some revisions in light of our conversation after class.
In films like the Last Temptation of Christ, it is impossible to take creative
liberties to portray Jesus without discrediting His divinity. Depicting Jesus
questioning his purpose on Earth, dishonoring his mother and lusting over Mary
Magdalene portrays him as having all the desires of man and none of the sanctity of God.
a. In the Bible, Jesus says that everyone is his brother - why then would he
tell his mother in the film that he has no family and turn his back on her? He
lacked the compassion and love that define who Christ is. Scorcese did not make up the idea of Jesus distancing himself from his family. When someone praises Mary by saying “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” Jesus ignores this and says “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Lk 11:27-28) Later Jesus says, “”If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26)
b. In the beginning of the film he says he wants God to be displeased with him
so he’ll leave him alone. Then he seeks forgiveness from Mary Magdalene rather
than acknowledging that he is there to justify her sins. The Bible depicts Jesus
as understanding of his purpose, aware that he is the Son of God and able to
heal people of their illnesses and sin. The Bible only depicts Jesus during the three years of his ministry. What kind of human desires, feelings, etc he may have had before that is not mentioned? Why was Jesus seeking forgiveness from a prostitute?
c. One of the main separations between Jesus and man is his perfect morality and his ability to avoid temptation. Filming him as a regular man and eventually as an adulterer directly opposes the fact that he is 100% God Consider the fact that Jesus is not only 100% divine, but also 100% human. What does the idea of temptation mean if it is impossible for Jesus to ever feel tempted?
thesis: the portrayal of Judas in “The Last Temptation of Christ” in done in a better light, so to speak, because of the emphasis on his loyalty to Jesus and his willingness to guide Jesus.
Allie, try to start with a stronger thesis about Judas. He certainly is more sympathetic in LTC than the Bible. Is that a good idea? How does that change the story? What kind of relationship do Jesus and Judas have? Does the character of Judas change during the film?
1.Judas encouraging Christ to stop making crosses for the Romans
2. ” betrayal” of Christ
3. Judas convincing Christ to leave his death bed and beg to return to the cross.
The three points in your outline need to be statements about what each of these episodes means in relationship to your thesis. For example, if your thesis was that “Contrary to being a traitor who betrays Jesus, Judas is presented as a guide who helps, supports, and challenges Jesus to fullfil his divine mission”, then you can use these three episodes to illustrate how it happens in each of them.
Because Jesus was portrayed as having human characteristics this made him more appealing because we as human beings have something to relate to.
If human qualities make Jesus more appealing, why are the examples you use all negative emotions. Is it really true that Jesus who experiences anger, fear, and lust is more appealing?
A. Anger
1. Jesus wanted God to leave him alone.
2. Jesus couldn’t understand why God chose him out of everyone else.
3. Tore up the place that had the money exchange thing going on because his father’s house was suppose to be used as a place of worship. Are these just examples of anger or is something else involved?
Jesus’ anger at the temple money changers is also in the Bible. Isn’t this anger very different from the first two. Is anger a particularly human quality? Doesn’t God also get angry?
B. Fear
1. Jesus did not want to die on the cross. He wanted to live the life of a human with Mary Magdalene. Why is this an example of fear? Isn’t the temptation merely having a happy human life?
Jesus does say he is afraid earlier in the film, but the “last temptation” doesn’t seem like an good example of it.
C. Lust
1. He wanted to sleep with Mary Magdalene. Rather than just listing these three elements, it would be better if you tried to analyze them and what they mean. It seems that Jesus feels an emotional and perhaps physical attraction to Mary. What’s wrong with this? Why call it lust? That makes it sound more negative. Why not say that Jesus would like to experience his love of Mary in all respects.
Thesis: Mary Magdalene is the most instrumental character in Jesus’s struggle to determine his role as both a man and the Messiah.
1. She introduces him to the world of sex and lust.
2. She helps him to discover his message of love and compassion for fellow man.
3. In his last temptation, Jesus’s life with Mary shows him that life as a middle-class married man is not his correct path.
Is it Mary Mag herself who influences Jesus, or just his fantasies and feelings about her? Do we get to know her character in any depth in this film? Are Jesus’ feelings of physical desire a response to something specific about her? How does she teach him about love and compassion?
The “last temptation” is really about Jesus’ dream, isn’t it, and not Mary herself. And when she dies, doesn’t Jesus just transfer his married fantasy to the other Mary and Martha.
Jesus’ behavior towards his mother illustrates an aspect of his human characteristics by not acknowledging her own divinity and treating her like an average person.
Mary is not considered divine in Christianity. The Catholic Church later makes Mary more important, but her role in the Bible isn’t very big. So the question is why does Jesus respond to her the way he does. Check what I wrote to Lauren about part of the Bible where Jesus minimizes the importance of family.
1. Debating with her if he in fact is hearing God or the devil.
2.Not recognizing her, and denying that she is his mother when he meets her in a crowd.
3. Realizing on the cross that he should of been a better son.
Your 3 points need to be 3 statements that are supporting your thesis. What exactly is the meaning of the 3 situations you sight.
Thesis: Even if Jesus was not the Son of God, what he did as a person was immensely important and became a huge part of what is the moral conduct of humanity.
Angela, remember that you are writing a film review, so tie your thesis to the film.
e.g., “The Last Temptation of Christ” depicts a Jesus who is a model of moral conduct, even if it simultaneously raises doubts about the nature of his divinity.”
1. His teaches as illustrated in the film
2. How His teaches influneced his followers (Saul/Paul most importantly)
3. The “what if” scenes towards the end, how they don’t necessarily negate the Jesus that Christians believe in
The 3 points should be presented as statements that support the thesis. i.e., what is special about the film version of Jesus’ teachings? What is important about the influence of Jesus on Paul? What is the relevance of the 3rd point to your thesis?
“The Last Temptation of Christ” is not a Christ movie at all. (im still working on the points and thesis might be changed a little but this is the idea i want to write about in my review)
1. The so called “christ” in this movie has no resemblance of real Jesus therefore the whole movie is not about Christ. Be careful about talking about the “real Jesus”. Even within the Bible there are different dimensions to Jesus that are emphasized. And much of this film does follow the Bible. What is necessary for a film to be “about Christ.” Is there any value to a film that deviates from the traditional picture of Jesus?
2. Jesus knew that he was the son of God and the Bible backs this up. And in the movie he was lost in who he was. But does the Bible tell us what Jesus’ inner thoughts were? Did he ever have any doubts?
3. this movie takes the stories out of the bible and uses them in the movie in a totally different way. try to be more specific. What is different about the way the stories are presented? Is there any value to presenting them this way, even if it isn’t what the Bible says?
…And to be a bit more specific with what I wrote above, I feel that this film makes it easier for people to believe by taking some of the divinity of Jesus and giving him these human characteristics I listed above. The words that Paul spoke at the end really sum up the idea that people need something to believe in whether it is divine or not. The words and ideas where what was important.
Actually, what Paul says is that people want a redeemer who is divine, and who dies and comes back to life, because it gives them hope. Paul isn’t very interested in the human qualities of Jesus is he. What Paul says to the purely human Jesus is “I’m glad I met you because now I can forget about you completely.”
My new thesis:
Jesus is supposed to be 100 percent human and 100 percent divine however after viewing LTOC it seems the only times when Jesus experiences and is convinced of his divinity is when his physical body fails through dehydration, starvation, and pain.
It seems like there is an implicit and unstated conclusion to what you wrote above. If Jesus’ understanding of his divine mission is associated with various physical stresses, what does this mean? Do you think it affects how the director wants us to understand his divinity?
Revised Thesis: By portraying Satan differently than the scriptural account in Matthew 4:1-11, the film LTC was able to illustrate Jesus’ struggle between humanity and divinity.I think you should specify what exactly is different in this portrayal and why it makes a difference in your thesis
A. Jesus is offered a family (by Mary M) vs. being asked to perform a miracle by Satan
B. Jesus is offered power (by Judas) vs. being asked to show his favor among God By Satan
C. Jesus is offered to be made a god (the Flame) vs. having to worship Satan to achieve power.
These are three examples but it’s not clear what each one illustrates. Is the understanding of temptation different in LTC than in the Bible? If so, how? What’s the point of the Biblical temptation stories? What is similar and/or different in the film?
My thesis was posted under Jesus in Film, sorry for the confusion. Please give me your feedback. Thanks.
Thesis: The film adapts the traditional story of Jesus Christ in a way as to make the New Testament more resonant for both modern audiences and modern Christians. The film does this primarily by inverting the traditional portrayal of Jesus and Judas. In fact, it is Judas who possesses some of the core “virtues” of Christianity and who compels Jesus to carry out “God’s will.” Thus, I will argue that the film carries a “Christian” message, although the real hero of the film is Judas. He is the voice of Jesus’ conscience and is his spiritual and political (to some extent) guide. By remaining at Jesus’ side throughout his trials and tribulations, he embodies Christian “love” and faith. In the same light, we can see the famous kiss of Judas not as a mark of betrayal, but an emblem of anguished Christian love. In doing so,the director gives us a picture of Jesus that is more fitting of the modern age and one that embodies the doubts that ordinary Christians may experience in their everyday lives.
A thesis should be able to be stated in one sentence. e.g. “In LTC, the character of Judas is transformed from the traditional villain of Christian tradiition to a heroic embodiment of Christian virtures.” If you want to focus on Judas, I think it would be useful to discuss the ways that his character changes during the course of the film and how that affects his relationship to Jesus. It also might be useful to discuss the nature of the friendship between Jesus and Judas.
I. Judas acts as Jesus’ conscience or spiritual guide
II. Judas shows Christian virtue
a. friendship and loyalty to Jesus
III. The famous kiss is not a kiss of betrayal, but of anguished Christian love.
IV. Conclusion: The relevance of the gnostic Gospel of Judas and how this discovery electrified Christians in a similar way.
These points should stated as complete sentences tied directly to your thesis.
Thesis: By portraying Jesus in a more human way then a divine one, Martin Scorsesse’s The Last Temptation of Christ gives us a human religious leader that can fight temptation and show regular humans how to fight it as well.
point 1: Jesus fights the temptation to have sex with the prostitute Mary after all the other men have their turn.
Point 2: Jesus fights the many scare tactics and temptations of satan in the desert as he awaits for a response from god.
Point 3: After being given a glimpse into the life of a real man by satan, Jesus fights the temptation to resist his death on the cross.
The rest of my thesis:
The words are stronger than the reality. Whether or not Jesus was the son of god, whether he turned water into wine, or whether he summoned people from the dead…all of these things are non factors according the Scorcese’s LTOC. In a fantastic twist Scorcese attempts to discredit Christs divinity by associating each divine inspiration with a physical stress. The implied meaning behind this false divinity is that it is of no real consequence. Regardless of anything real actually happening, the words are more powerful than the reality. The people needed a messenger and regardless of his divine existence, they created a savior.
A. Hallucination in the dessert: This details the insecurities of Jesus and only after three days with no water was he validated in his divine power.
B. Pain on the cross: This excruciating pain led to a fantasy sequence where Christ was finally convinced of his purpose, and convinced that he fufilled this purpose.
C. The words are stronger than the reality. In fact the reality will take away from the power behind the words.
Paul preaching to others about the saving powers of Christ and Jesus telling him that these things never happened. ‘
WOW, this film is tough. I may take a freebie. Still thinking it over. I may be on to something here. It has to get clearer. More thinking needed.
GO PHILS
Jesus’ struggle with desire is a central element in His quest to understand His true destiny.
a. Last Temptation portrays Jesus’ wandering mind through questioning if He is the true Messiah.
b. Martin Scorsese unfolds Jesus’ mind in a unique light by showing the vulnerable side/humanistic side of Jesus.
c. Jesus is very similiar to the Buddha through their journey of temptations caused by evil…through their need to conquer the mind and body,and all of their moods,desires, and fears.
It is my hope to use examples of the Buddha that explains some of the similiar temptations He fought against Mara as Jesus fought against Satan…expressing their struggle and eventual victory (focusing more on Jesus’ desires).
1. Directed by acclaimed director Martin Scorsese, the film The Last Temptation of Christ provides viewers with a different side of Jesus Christ, focusing more with traits characteristically of human nature. In the depiction of many Gospel stories, the film portrays Jesus as being less divine and more of a human whose attempts to spread his message along with his inner struggle many people can relate to; and in this portrayal of Jesus, the audience can better understand not only the message Jesus wants to spread but also the struggle Jesus endures in the process carrying out his mission.
a. After rescuing Mary Magdalene from the angry mob, Jesus addresses the crowd that follows him in what is the film’s version of the “Sermon on the Mount” where he preaches about love. However, contradictory to the Bible’s portrayal, it does not end as Jesus would have wished. While preaching the importance of love, many listeners in the crowd take it the wrong way and depart to commit violence. At the same time, there are those who do hear the true message and in turn become a disciple of Jesus. By depicting this version of the “Sermon on the Mount,” the film conveys the idea that Jesus was not as eloquent in speech, as Jesus seemed to be improvising the best he could in trying to deliver his message of love. Even though he was unsuccessful at communicating his message to all of the listeners, he was still able to inspire a few in the crowd.
b. The scenes with John the Baptist show a side of Jesus that many Christians would disagree with. The film depicts John’s baptism celebrations bizarrely with naked people dancing in an almost trance state, along with equally bizarre music playing during this scene. By having this kind of John providing advice to Jesus, it depicts a Jesus that does not shy away from controversial practices and the new belief at the time that was baptism.
c. Upon his encounter with the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus decides to take back the temple by force, contrary to his message of love. This scene shows how outraged Jesus was with the temple, enough so to organize a hostile takeover. However, before carrying out the battle, he realizes that he is wrong in his belief that they must fight to take over the temple. By having the film depict an error of judgment on Jesus’ part, the viewer can empathize with Jesus, but at the same time the viewer still associates the divinity of Jesus by the way he realizes how wrong it would be if her were to violently take over the temple. He realizes this when he begins to bleed from his hands.
The Last Temptation of Chirst was a great movie but I do not feel like i have much to say about this topic with my head full of World Series Excitement! Can’t wait for the next film.
October 22nd, 2008 at 10:39 am
1. The Last Temptation of Christ paints a very human picture of Christ and this in turn makes him more “accessible” to people who may not have a firm belief in Him as a person.
A. He shows a struggle with the fact that he is the chosen one. He constantly questions God and why He should be the one.
B. Obviously he has the dream before his death about the fantasy of having children, leading a normal life, etc…
C. He has self doubt which is very prominent throughout the film.
All of these characteristics make him much more humanistic and helps us feel that he was almost the same as us. This makes what he preaches that much more, I hate to say it this way, believable.
Pete, What exactly does it mean to “believe in” an accessible, human Jesus? Doesn’t a flawed Jesus make him less appealing as a savior? If you prefer this Jesus, you might include a response to the reviews that consider this image of Jesus sacrilegious. It seems to me that points A and C in your outline are fairly similar. Can you say something more specific about his struggles or self-doubts?
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Thesis: The Last Temptation of Christ represents family in a negative way, which conflicts with Religious views
Your thesis would be stronger if you explained the reason the film portrays family a particular way, rather than saying it conflicts with some people religious views. What exactly is negative about the imaginary family Jesus has?
A The conflict between Mary as a prostitute and the Focus of Jesus’ lust, and as the mother of his child, which never comes to bear.
These points should be expressed as statements, not topics. What exactly is the conflict? If Jesus accepts sinners regardless of their past, what’s wrong with his relationship with Mary. Why do you refer to Jesus’ lust rather than a normal physical attraction as part of his love for her?
B The idea that one woman is all women, and the concept of polygamy.
Again, what is your point about this? It should be included in your statement. Is Jesus showing a new model of the family? Does the film suggest something is wrong with Jesus’ family?
C The disciples leave there lives and families to pursue kinship among other men.
So? Perhaps they constitute a new kind of family.
D John the Baptist, and the representation of sexual freedom
not sure what your point is or what is has to do with family. This should be spelled out in your outline
E The only time the Virgin Mary is in the movie Jesus denies her as his mother.
What is the point of this? What is Jesus’ attitude toward the family? Why?
F The last temptation is choose between divinity and family.
What is the significance of presenting this as a choice? Is the message that there is something wrong or inferior with family life.
October 22nd, 2008 at 6:13 pm
1. The Last Temptation of Christ has taken many of the stories of Jesus and has put its own twist on them, contradicting the Bible stories.
Your thesis should be more specific than just saying LTC has it’s own twist on stories about Jesus, or that they’re different from the Biblical account. What do you think is the purpose of these twists, and of telling the story of Jesus in this way? Just saying that this film tells different stories about Jesus than the Bible is a dull thesis.
a. The crucifixion scene when Jesus hallucinates about having a family.
This is not a topic sentence. What’s the point of this dream sequence?
b. Jesus has a love interest in Mary Magdalene and has females at the last supper.
So what?
c. Jesus and Judas relationship and the way Jesus makes Judas betray him.
d. Jesus disowning his mother and has trouble excepting that he is “the one.”
I think you need to analyze the purpose and/or effect of these kinds of examples. Do they make the film more or less successfull? Why/why not?
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
As Christianity tends to focus on Judas betraying Jesus, The Last Temptation of Christ, in fact, portrays Jesus whose unconscious mind betrays Himself by questioning if He is the true Messiah. In this film, Jesus eventually unfolds His true destiny after the many trials and tribulations in doubt, desire and fear have been reckoned/battled with.
a. Doubt- Jesus questioning His role as savior through His words, dreams, and actions. Satan tempts Jesus in countless ways in order to impact His spirituality, religion,philosophy, and the self. The Jesus, in this film, seems to contradict and challenge how the prophecy has been told ine the Bible.
b. Desire- Jesus craves a physical appetite with Mary Magdelene over ruler/Messiah, while denying His own mother and “father”. His emotional needs are lacking and shown in his private thoughts and dreams, which pose a threat to His duty as mankind’s savior.
c. Fear-Jesus builds anxiety,guilt,sadness, and pain through His fear of failing to become who He was chosen to be. He also unleashes anger by becoming millitant and falls to Judas and Satan’s wishes. The fear of sacrifice makes him become disallusioned in ways that if it were not for His last temptation He fought…He knowingly dies for our sins because He too recognizes these weaknesses…He shows us how to overcome them.
Turtle, I look forward to seeing your rework your thesis in relation to what we discussed after class about Buddhism and desire.
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Thesis: (still kind of figuring this one out)
All humans wish to feel purposeful and wish to be loved. So did Jesus. The Last Temptation of Christ shows just how human Jesus was and all he really wanted to do was serve some purpose and be loved.
Beth, doesn’t Jesus struggle between answering the call of a higher purpose and his own desire for a human life, including loving and being loved?
1. He was insecure in his love for Mary Magdalene and was nervous around her. He only stood up to others in her defense to save the woman that he loved and to gain her affection.
What can we conjecture about their relationship? Do you really think he only intervened to help Mary because he she would like him better? In Bible accounts of this story, it is assumed that the woman Jesus helps is a stranger.
2. In a very human way Jesus is being somewhat of a people pleaser with Judas and his followers. unclear
3. At his crucifiction, Jesus hallucinates that his journey was not in vain and his resisting temptation actually served a purpose and he was able to die in peace.
These three factors presented in TLTOC present Jesus as not just part human, but as specifically human in his need to feel purposeful and be loved.
still needs some work
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:55 am
In TLTOC, Scorcese explores the motivational factors behind decisions that are made during the Scriptural account of Jesus’ life. Catering to his audience,who is he catering to?, he filters these motivations through a very familiar and very human meshwork of emotion and confusion. While this produces an accessible portrayal of characters in the movie, does it simultaneously sacrifice the scriptural claims to Christ’s divinity? I will examine the implications this has on three distinct conclusions about the identity of Christ. State your thesis in a single clear sentence:
e.g., The depiction of Jesus’ human emotions and confusion makes him more accessible as a character but does so at the cost of diminishing his divinity.
1. Jesus the Lord
2. Jesus the Liar
3. Jesus the Lunatic
The three points tell me nothing. There should be three sentences that provide cumulative support for your thesis.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 am
Thesis Statement: Jesus’ internal struggle between divinity and humanity is illustrated through his relationship to others in the film The Last Temptation of Christ.
A. Jesus is unsure of whether or not he is divine.
1. First conversation with his mother
2. Meeting with John the Baptist
3. Conversation with Jeromeah
B. Jesus’ humanity is shown by his desire to have a family.
1. Mary Magdalene is first on his mind
2. Father’s children by Mary and Martha
C. Jesus rejects the fact that he is the Messiah.
1. Confrontation with Paul
2. Tricked by Satan
3. Says Judas does not understand
I hope to see some revisions in light of our conversation after class.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:52 am
In films like the Last Temptation of Christ, it is impossible to take creative
liberties to portray Jesus without discrediting His divinity. Depicting Jesus
questioning his purpose on Earth, dishonoring his mother and lusting over Mary
Magdalene portrays him as having all the desires of man and none of the sanctity of God.
a. In the Bible, Jesus says that everyone is his brother - why then would he
tell his mother in the film that he has no family and turn his back on her? He
lacked the compassion and love that define who Christ is. Scorcese did not make up the idea of Jesus distancing himself from his family. When someone praises Mary by saying “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” Jesus ignores this and says “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Lk 11:27-28) Later Jesus says, “”If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26)
b. In the beginning of the film he says he wants God to be displeased with him
so he’ll leave him alone. Then he seeks forgiveness from Mary Magdalene rather
than acknowledging that he is there to justify her sins. The Bible depicts Jesus
as understanding of his purpose, aware that he is the Son of God and able to
heal people of their illnesses and sin. The Bible only depicts Jesus during the three years of his ministry. What kind of human desires, feelings, etc he may have had before that is not mentioned? Why was Jesus seeking forgiveness from a prostitute?
c. One of the main separations between Jesus and man is his perfect morality and his ability to avoid temptation. Filming him as a regular man and eventually as an adulterer directly opposes the fact that he is 100% God Consider the fact that Jesus is not only 100% divine, but also 100% human. What does the idea of temptation mean if it is impossible for Jesus to ever feel tempted?
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:28 am
thesis: the portrayal of Judas in “The Last Temptation of Christ” in done in a better light, so to speak, because of the emphasis on his loyalty to Jesus and his willingness to guide Jesus.
Allie, try to start with a stronger thesis about Judas. He certainly is more sympathetic in LTC than the Bible. Is that a good idea? How does that change the story? What kind of relationship do Jesus and Judas have? Does the character of Judas change during the film?
1.Judas encouraging Christ to stop making crosses for the Romans
2. ” betrayal” of Christ
3. Judas convincing Christ to leave his death bed and beg to return to the cross.
The three points in your outline need to be statements about what each of these episodes means in relationship to your thesis. For example, if your thesis was that “Contrary to being a traitor who betrays Jesus, Judas is presented as a guide who helps, supports, and challenges Jesus to fullfil his divine mission”, then you can use these three episodes to illustrate how it happens in each of them.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:33 am
Because Jesus was portrayed as having human characteristics this made him more appealing because we as human beings have something to relate to.
If human qualities make Jesus more appealing, why are the examples you use all negative emotions. Is it really true that Jesus who experiences anger, fear, and lust is more appealing?
A. Anger
1. Jesus wanted God to leave him alone.
2. Jesus couldn’t understand why God chose him out of everyone else.
3. Tore up the place that had the money exchange thing going on because his father’s house was suppose to be used as a place of worship.
Are these just examples of anger or is something else involved?
Jesus’ anger at the temple money changers is also in the Bible. Isn’t this anger very different from the first two. Is anger a particularly human quality? Doesn’t God also get angry?
B. Fear
1. Jesus did not want to die on the cross. He wanted to live the life of a human with Mary Magdalene.
Why is this an example of fear? Isn’t the temptation merely having a happy human life?
Jesus does say he is afraid earlier in the film, but the “last temptation” doesn’t seem like an good example of it.
C. Lust
1. He wanted to sleep with Mary Magdalene.
Rather than just listing these three elements, it would be better if you tried to analyze them and what they mean. It seems that Jesus feels an emotional and perhaps physical attraction to Mary. What’s wrong with this? Why call it lust? That makes it sound more negative. Why not say that Jesus would like to experience his love of Mary in all respects.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Thesis: Mary Magdalene is the most instrumental character in Jesus’s struggle to determine his role as both a man and the Messiah.
1. She introduces him to the world of sex and lust.
2. She helps him to discover his message of love and compassion for fellow man.
3. In his last temptation, Jesus’s life with Mary shows him that life as a middle-class married man is not his correct path.
Is it Mary Mag herself who influences Jesus, or just his fantasies and feelings about her? Do we get to know her character in any depth in this film? Are Jesus’ feelings of physical desire a response to something specific about her? How does she teach him about love and compassion?
The “last temptation” is really about Jesus’ dream, isn’t it, and not Mary herself. And when she dies, doesn’t Jesus just transfer his married fantasy to the other Mary and Martha.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Jesus’ behavior towards his mother illustrates an aspect of his human characteristics by not acknowledging her own divinity and treating her like an average person.
Mary is not considered divine in Christianity. The Catholic Church later makes Mary more important, but her role in the Bible isn’t very big. So the question is why does Jesus respond to her the way he does. Check what I wrote to Lauren about part of the Bible where Jesus minimizes the importance of family.
1. Debating with her if he in fact is hearing God or the devil.
2.Not recognizing her, and denying that she is his mother when he meets her in a crowd.
3. Realizing on the cross that he should of been a better son.
Your 3 points need to be 3 statements that are supporting your thesis. What exactly is the meaning of the 3 situations you sight.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Thesis: Even if Jesus was not the Son of God, what he did as a person was immensely important and became a huge part of what is the moral conduct of humanity.
Angela, remember that you are writing a film review, so tie your thesis to the film.
e.g., “The Last Temptation of Christ” depicts a Jesus who is a model of moral conduct, even if it simultaneously raises doubts about the nature of his divinity.”
1. His teaches as illustrated in the film
2. How His teaches influneced his followers (Saul/Paul most importantly)
3. The “what if” scenes towards the end, how they don’t necessarily negate the Jesus that Christians believe in
The 3 points should be presented as statements that support the thesis. i.e., what is special about the film version of Jesus’ teachings? What is important about the influence of Jesus on Paul? What is the relevance of the 3rd point to your thesis?
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
“The Last Temptation of Christ” is not a Christ movie at all. (im still working on the points and thesis might be changed a little but this is the idea i want to write about in my review)
1. The so called “christ” in this movie has no resemblance of real Jesus therefore the whole movie is not about Christ. Be careful about talking about the “real Jesus”. Even within the Bible there are different dimensions to Jesus that are emphasized. And much of this film does follow the Bible. What is necessary for a film to be “about Christ.” Is there any value to a film that deviates from the traditional picture of Jesus?
2. Jesus knew that he was the son of God and the Bible backs this up. And in the movie he was lost in who he was. But does the Bible tell us what Jesus’ inner thoughts were? Did he ever have any doubts?
3. this movie takes the stories out of the bible and uses them in the movie in a totally different way.
try to be more specific. What is different about the way the stories are presented? Is there any value to presenting them this way, even if it isn’t what the Bible says?
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:19 pm
…And to be a bit more specific with what I wrote above, I feel that this film makes it easier for people to believe by taking some of the divinity of Jesus and giving him these human characteristics I listed above. The words that Paul spoke at the end really sum up the idea that people need something to believe in whether it is divine or not. The words and ideas where what was important.
Actually, what Paul says is that people want a redeemer who is divine, and who dies and comes back to life, because it gives them hope. Paul isn’t very interested in the human qualities of Jesus is he. What Paul says to the purely human Jesus is “I’m glad I met you because now I can forget about you completely.”
October 24th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
My new thesis:
Jesus is supposed to be 100 percent human and 100 percent divine however after viewing LTOC it seems the only times when Jesus experiences and is convinced of his divinity is when his physical body fails through dehydration, starvation, and pain.
It seems like there is an implicit and unstated conclusion to what you wrote above. If Jesus’ understanding of his divine mission is associated with various physical stresses, what does this mean? Do you think it affects how the director wants us to understand his divinity?
October 25th, 2008 at 1:07 am
Revised Thesis: By portraying Satan differently than the scriptural account in Matthew 4:1-11, the film LTC was able to illustrate Jesus’ struggle between humanity and divinity.I think you should specify what exactly is different in this portrayal and why it makes a difference in your thesis
A. Jesus is offered a family (by Mary M) vs. being asked to perform a miracle by Satan
B. Jesus is offered power (by Judas) vs. being asked to show his favor among God By Satan
C. Jesus is offered to be made a god (the Flame) vs. having to worship Satan to achieve power.
These are three examples but it’s not clear what each one illustrates. Is the understanding of temptation different in LTC than in the Bible? If so, how? What’s the point of the Biblical temptation stories? What is similar and/or different in the film?
October 25th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
My thesis was posted under Jesus in Film, sorry for the confusion. Please give me your feedback. Thanks.
Thesis: The film adapts the traditional story of Jesus Christ in a way as to make the New Testament more resonant for both modern audiences and modern Christians. The film does this primarily by inverting the traditional portrayal of Jesus and Judas. In fact, it is Judas who possesses some of the core “virtues” of Christianity and who compels Jesus to carry out “God’s will.” Thus, I will argue that the film carries a “Christian” message, although the real hero of the film is Judas. He is the voice of Jesus’ conscience and is his spiritual and political (to some extent) guide. By remaining at Jesus’ side throughout his trials and tribulations, he embodies Christian “love” and faith. In the same light, we can see the famous kiss of Judas not as a mark of betrayal, but an emblem of anguished Christian love. In doing so,the director gives us a picture of Jesus that is more fitting of the modern age and one that embodies the doubts that ordinary Christians may experience in their everyday lives.
A thesis should be able to be stated in one sentence. e.g. “In LTC, the character of Judas is transformed from the traditional villain of Christian tradiition to a heroic embodiment of Christian virtures.” If you want to focus on Judas, I think it would be useful to discuss the ways that his character changes during the course of the film and how that affects his relationship to Jesus. It also might be useful to discuss the nature of the friendship between Jesus and Judas.
I. Judas acts as Jesus’ conscience or spiritual guide
II. Judas shows Christian virtue
a. friendship and loyalty to Jesus
III. The famous kiss is not a kiss of betrayal, but of anguished Christian love.
IV. Conclusion: The relevance of the gnostic Gospel of Judas and how this discovery electrified Christians in a similar way.
These points should stated as complete sentences tied directly to your thesis.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Thesis: By portraying Jesus in a more human way then a divine one, Martin Scorsesse’s The Last Temptation of Christ gives us a human religious leader that can fight temptation and show regular humans how to fight it as well.
point 1: Jesus fights the temptation to have sex with the prostitute Mary after all the other men have their turn.
Point 2: Jesus fights the many scare tactics and temptations of satan in the desert as he awaits for a response from god.
Point 3: After being given a glimpse into the life of a real man by satan, Jesus fights the temptation to resist his death on the cross.
October 26th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
The rest of my thesis:
The words are stronger than the reality. Whether or not Jesus was the son of god, whether he turned water into wine, or whether he summoned people from the dead…all of these things are non factors according the Scorcese’s LTOC. In a fantastic twist Scorcese attempts to discredit Christs divinity by associating each divine inspiration with a physical stress. The implied meaning behind this false divinity is that it is of no real consequence. Regardless of anything real actually happening, the words are more powerful than the reality. The people needed a messenger and regardless of his divine existence, they created a savior.
A. Hallucination in the dessert: This details the insecurities of Jesus and only after three days with no water was he validated in his divine power.
B. Pain on the cross: This excruciating pain led to a fantasy sequence where Christ was finally convinced of his purpose, and convinced that he fufilled this purpose.
C. The words are stronger than the reality. In fact the reality will take away from the power behind the words.
Paul preaching to others about the saving powers of Christ and Jesus telling him that these things never happened. ‘
WOW, this film is tough. I may take a freebie. Still thinking it over. I may be on to something here. It has to get clearer. More thinking needed.
GO PHILS
October 27th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Jesus’ struggle with desire is a central element in His quest to understand His true destiny.
a. Last Temptation portrays Jesus’ wandering mind through questioning if He is the true Messiah.
b. Martin Scorsese unfolds Jesus’ mind in a unique light by showing the vulnerable side/humanistic side of Jesus.
c. Jesus is very similiar to the Buddha through their journey of temptations caused by evil…through their need to conquer the mind and body,and all of their moods,desires, and fears.
It is my hope to use examples of the Buddha that explains some of the similiar temptations He fought against Mara as Jesus fought against Satan…expressing their struggle and eventual victory (focusing more on Jesus’ desires).
October 28th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
1. Directed by acclaimed director Martin Scorsese, the film The Last Temptation of Christ provides viewers with a different side of Jesus Christ, focusing more with traits characteristically of human nature. In the depiction of many Gospel stories, the film portrays Jesus as being less divine and more of a human whose attempts to spread his message along with his inner struggle many people can relate to; and in this portrayal of Jesus, the audience can better understand not only the message Jesus wants to spread but also the struggle Jesus endures in the process carrying out his mission.
a. After rescuing Mary Magdalene from the angry mob, Jesus addresses the crowd that follows him in what is the film’s version of the “Sermon on the Mount” where he preaches about love. However, contradictory to the Bible’s portrayal, it does not end as Jesus would have wished. While preaching the importance of love, many listeners in the crowd take it the wrong way and depart to commit violence. At the same time, there are those who do hear the true message and in turn become a disciple of Jesus. By depicting this version of the “Sermon on the Mount,” the film conveys the idea that Jesus was not as eloquent in speech, as Jesus seemed to be improvising the best he could in trying to deliver his message of love. Even though he was unsuccessful at communicating his message to all of the listeners, he was still able to inspire a few in the crowd.
b. The scenes with John the Baptist show a side of Jesus that many Christians would disagree with. The film depicts John’s baptism celebrations bizarrely with naked people dancing in an almost trance state, along with equally bizarre music playing during this scene. By having this kind of John providing advice to Jesus, it depicts a Jesus that does not shy away from controversial practices and the new belief at the time that was baptism.
c. Upon his encounter with the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus decides to take back the temple by force, contrary to his message of love. This scene shows how outraged Jesus was with the temple, enough so to organize a hostile takeover. However, before carrying out the battle, he realizes that he is wrong in his belief that they must fight to take over the temple. By having the film depict an error of judgment on Jesus’ part, the viewer can empathize with Jesus, but at the same time the viewer still associates the divinity of Jesus by the way he realizes how wrong it would be if her were to violently take over the temple. He realizes this when he begins to bleed from his hands.
October 29th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
The Last Temptation of Chirst was a great movie but I do not feel like i have much to say about this topic with my head full of World Series Excitement! Can’t wait for the next film.