The film, The Passion of the Christ, a contemporary version of the passion play produced by Mel Gibson, has been a huge box-office success, but not without generating quite an amount of controversy since its opening early in 2004.

Critical opinion with respect to the artistic merits of the film has been sharply divided. Even more sharply divided has been the opinion of believers with respect to the question of its fidelity to the actual passion of Jesus. This book attempts to respond, in fidelity to the scriptures and to the tradition, and with an eye to developments in the contemporary world, to the film’s portrayal of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It raises all kinds of questions about the nature of contemporary (postmodern) culture and points to the distorting influence of many of the characteristics of this culture on the presentation by Mel Gibson of the story of the passion of Christ. Overall it finds the film severely lacking as a presentation of Christian faith.