Krauthammer: "Gibson's Blood Libel"

Washington Post ^ | Mar. 5, 04 | Charles Krauthammer

[churchillbuff]

Gibson's Blood Libel

By Charles Krauthammer Friday, March 5, 2004; Page A23

Every people has its story. Every people has the right to its story. And every people has a responsibility for its story. ...[snip]

Christians have their story too: the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Why is this story different from other stories? Because it is not a family affair of coreligionists. If it were, few people outside the circle of believers would be concerned about it. This particular story involves other people. With the notable exception of a few Romans, these people are Jews. And in the story, they come off rather badly.

Because of that peculiarity, the crucifixion is not just a story; it is a story with its own story -- a history of centuries of relentless, and at times savage, persecution of Jews in Christian lands. This history is what moved Vatican II, in a noble act of theological reflection, to decree in 1965 that the Passion of Christ should henceforth be understood with great care so as to unteach the lesson that had been taught for almost two millennia: that the Jews were Christ killers.

[churchillbuff]

More anti-christian garbage from somebody who's revealing his true colors. He's all for christians when they're dying on the battlefields of Iraq -- in a war he supported loudly - - - but they have their faith depicted on film (unless Jewish authorities are allowed to approve and censor the depiction) without being denounced with slimy smears. What a lowlife creep.

[Ganymede]

Et tu, Krauthammer?

[churchillbuff]

And when we're talking "blood libels," what else can one call Krauthammer's obscene, if implicit, indictment of christianity for the holocaust. This despicable ignoramus doesn't know it was christian soldiers who defeated the nazis? If antisemitism grows in the wake of this film, it will be because jerks like krauthammer have shown how much they despise christianity and can't stand having the christian gospels proclaimed in the public square. He's one with the ACLU jerks who have sued christmas into the closet.

[thoughtomator]

Krauthammer has spent too much time at the WP if he really believes what he has written.

[Betaille]

I am Jewish, and yet I am still alive after "The Passion" has been out for a week. Seems like my "leaders" have lied to me.

[Chummy]

After witnessing and experiencing with my family this evening "The Passion", I know Krauthammer couldn't be more wrong in his assertions, and will pray that his eyes open to the truth.

[churchillbuff]

He's all for christians when they're dying on the battlefields of Iraq -- in a war he supported loudly - - - but they CAN'T have their faith depicted on film (unless Jewish authorities are allowed to approve and censor the depiction) without being denounced with slimy smears. What a lowlife creep.

[wardaddy]

He's returning to his Marty Peretz/New Republic roots.

Folks here forget he's pro-gun control too.

[churchillbuff]

The Israel-first evangelicals perhaps will have their eyes opened by the anti-christian viciousness displayed by some of the neoconservatives, now that the Passion has hit a nerve. The neoconservatives demand loyalty from the evangelicals, for Israel, but a lot of them in their heart repay that loyalty with contempt and hatred for the evangelicals' religion.

[ambrose]

There's no "blood libel" in The Passion.

What part of "father, forgive them" do these idiots not understand? Any "Christian" who condemns Jews for the death of Jesus are repudiating their own religion which teaches that ALL OF MANKIND is responsible. I watched The Passion today, and I really don't understand why Krauthammer is protesting so loudly.

[drlevy88]

Krauty has nothing to say about the Roman goons?

[ClancyJ]

Looks like Jews are so self-centered they think the movie was about them - not Christ. They cannot get beyond them, them, them, them.

Which, goes to prove, they do not believe that Christ is the Savior - they believe he was only a man and horribly resent the fact they are shown killing him. Why would they care if Christ was only a man?

I suggest the author quit worrying about how Jews are depicted and worry about what Jews believe about Christ. I would think this would be far more important than whether or not the world thinks they were Christ-killers.

The "world" does not offer eternal life.

[ambrose]

I am Jewish, and yet I am still alive after "The Passion" has been out for a week.

I saw it today, and managed to survive as well. I guess I missed the message from Abe Foxman on how I am supposed to think.

[Texas_Jarhead]

well said

[Congressman Billybob]

Given my own life, I give everyone else more than one serious failure before I condemn them. I now apply that method to Krauthammer.

This is the first time I've ever read anything of his that I did not largely or totally agree with. It is also, not coincidentally, the first piece of his where it seems that his emotions were driving his logic, rather than being his usual, clear and able thinker.

So I'll just say, strike one, and you get more than one.

Congressman Billybob

Click here, then click the blue CFR button, to join the anti-CFR effort (or visit the "Hugh & Series, Critical & Pulled by JimRob" thread). Please do it now.

[Texas_Jarhead]

well said re: post #10

[squidly]

It seems that Gibson is a very devout man, so he must be struggling with his pride when he surveys what he has wrought, and the people he has put into a frenzy. Be hard not to gloat.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Perhaps this should not be surprising, coming from a filmmaker whose public pronouncements on the Holocaust are as chillingly ambiguous and carefully calibrated as that of any sophisticated Holocaust denier.

Gibson has very publicly acknowledged the horror of the Holocaust. This is a breathtakingly irresponsible thing for him to have written. Many things to disagree with here, though I have always respected this man and I believe he is brilliant.

What a disappointment.

[Betaille]

"I guess I missed the message from Abe Foxman on how I am supposed to think."

You didn't get that memo? Lol
I find it amazing that he and his goons are called jewish community "leaders". Who appointed them that? Silly me, i thought our Rabbi's were community leaders, not left-wing demagogues.

[Hon]

I am truly shocked and disappointed that Krauthammer doesn't even know the proper use of the term "blood libel."

(Hint: it has NOTHING to do with the death of Jesus.)

[Jeff Chandler]

So I'll just say, strike one, and you get more than one.

Dittos. Krauthammer can't always be right. All I can say is "Oy vey!"

[drlevy88]

er... krauty is also alleged to be a gun-banner.

[giotto]

What a lowlife creep.

On the contrary, Krauthammer is one of the clearest thinking, most articulate conservative voices in the media. I can almost always count on his insight on difficult issues. For him to deliver this stinging indictment of the movie is enough to make me stop and think. Since I haven't seen it yet, I will suspend my judgement until after I do. But to call someone like Krauthammer a lowlife creep merely tells me you've never read him before this article.

[Porterville]

Who cares, the talking heads are so out of touch- in it only for the money and the shoulder rubbing. It is on par with the churches that never speak out about the evils of liberalism and the homosexual status in fear of losing their tax-exempt status.... all a damn disgrace. I have a new found respect for the street pastors who tell people their going to hell, at least they aren't driven by cash.

[Paleo Conservative]

Krauthammer has spent too much time at the WP if he really believes what he has written.

I've noticed several Jews conservatives considered the movie antisemitic. They are Mona Charen, William Saffire, and Charles Krauthammer. They seem to see blame for Jesus' death attached to all Jews while Christian reviewers have tended to seem blame either the high priests and Romans or all mankind.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but most of the reviews I've heard don't consider it antisemitic. I've heard that the violence is rather grusome and that perhaps Jesus as depicted in this move shed more blood than a human body has. I've also heard that if you didn't know much about Christianity and the New Testament it would be difficult to understand why anyone was mad enough at Jesus to subject him to the punishment he received. There just wasn't much information about what had occured prior to the last 12 hours of Jesus life. Perhaps Mel Gibson is saving that for other movies.

[hellinahandcart]

This is the first time I've ever read anything of his that I did not largely or totally agree with.

Me too, wow. This hurts to read.

[reg45]

How does the so called anti-semetism of "The Passion of The Christ" square with the fact that JESUS WAS JEWISH?

[wardaddy]

Good for you.

Does anyone have a list of the non-detractors?

Medved, Lapin.

I heard Jerry Bruckheimer supported it. I know he's no pundit but he is a film sage and gutsy to stand up for Gibson.

I would like to hear more good news on this dust up.

[drlevy88]

It must indeed be a temptation. I pray that Gibson doesn't let his faith in Christ cool off due to this, and I mean it seriously.

[GretchenEE]

Gibson's personal interpretation is spectacularly vicious. Three of the Gospels have but a one-line reference to Jesus's scourging [In God's economy, in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. Three are enough for God the Father]. The fourth has no reference at all. In Gibson's movie this becomes 10 minutes of the most unremitting sadism in the history of film.

The bloodthirst of Christ's tormentors and murderers is very accurately prophesied through the Old Testament: two examples are Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, but there are others; and the agony Christ suffered is likewise covered in these ancient texts. Gibson didn't just the Gospels as his only historical reference; he used the Old Testament prophecies and historical facts about scourging and crucifixion. Since when is it anti-Semitic to use accepted historical facts to re-tell history?

Further, Scripture states clearly that the devil left Jesus after tempting Him (unsuccessfully) in the desert to return "at a more opportune time." One could scarcely characterize the Garden of Gethsemane as anything other than a more opportune time.

filmmaker whose public pronouncements on the Holocaust are as chillingly ambiguous and carefully calibrated as that of any sophisticated Holocaust denier.

HOGWASH. Mel emphatically stated in a recent prime time interview with Diane Sawyer that the holocaust happened and that millions of Jews died in it.

Kraut lost it here, IMO.

[Porterville]

It is a good movie, a really good movie- his high faluten living has caused him to turn soft.

[wardaddy]

CBB,

Has Chuck not gone on record being in favor of gun control in the past?

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[MissAmericanPie]

Typical blaming of Christians for the actions of Hitler who was deeply into the occult.

[stands2reason]

You are more tolerant than I am. I am beyond disappointed. And I'm not even a Christian. Up 'til now he was one of my three favorite pundits.

[drlevy88]

For him to deliver this stinging indictment of the movie is enough to make me stop and think.

It's a spiritual clash. The movie is divisive. As the gospel is supposed to be.

[wardaddy]

Kinda of odd isn't it?

[RiverDrifter]

Looks like Jews are so self-centered they think the movie was about them - not Christ. They cannot get beyond them, them, them, them. Which, goes to prove, they do not believe that Christ is the Savior - they believe he was only a man and horribly resent the fact they are shown killing him. Why would they care if Christ was only a man? I suggest the author quit worrying about how Jews are depicted and worry about what Jews believe about Christ. I would think this would be far more important than whether or not the world thinks they were Christ-killers. The "world" does not offer eternal life.

We have a winner!

[MEG33]

I am sorely troubled by Kraut's attack.I have saved some of his writing as I consider him so right most of the time.I am sad.Christ was a Jew,his followers were Jews,his Disciples were Jews.

[stands2reason]

Joel Siegel gave it a good review and saw no antiSemitism in the film. And he's Jewish.

[lizma]

From the Medieval history I've read, it seems to me most of anti-semitism stems from the fact that

1) The powers to be deemed that in an agrarian society Jews could not own land (Why? I'm not sure. Medieval antisemitism?)

2)Loaning money for profit was not allowed in Christianity but allowed in Judaism and made some of them rich, i.e. target (as the "rich" are today)

3) The quickest way to get out of debt if you were a king, lord, or baron was to whip everyone into a Jew hating furor and expel them from your country.

Seems to me historically anti-semitism was been based on "follow the money" rather than who killed Christ.

[Rocky]

Gee, Satan walked among Jewish people in the film? Who else would be there except Jews (in Jerusalem, that is)?

"He bends, he stretches, he makes stuff up." You have to do this when you make a movie out of a book - any book. The type of portrayal has to be tailored to the medium.

The question is, did he faithfully represent the gospel accounts? I haven't seen the movie yet, but the vast majority of the accounts that I have read say, "Yes."

"Because it is not a family affair of coreligionists. If it were, few people outside the circle of believers would be concerned about it. This particular story involves other people. With the notable exception of a few Romans, these people are Jews. And in the story, they come off rather badly."

It was a family affair. There were Jews on both sides of the issue. Jesus and his disciples were all Jews. The early church was Jewish. There have been Jewish Christians all through church history. The cross is not a separation between Jews and Gentiles. It is a separation between those who believe in Christ and those who do not.

I think Christians in the U.S. will oppose very strongly any tendency toward anti-Semitism, wherever it arises. The Apostle Paul describes Gentile believers as grafted in, while Jewish believers are part of the original tree. Through Christ, we were made one family. There is no more Jew or Gentile in Christ.

[SevenDaysInMay]

Japanese did not kill Jesus. The Cherokee did not kill Jesus. The Slavs did not kill Jesus.

The Jews enabled the Romans to kill Jesus! But the guilty Jews and Romans are all dead.

Hate baiting now is as stupid as collective guilt over 100 generations.

This shrink should know better, but Angst pays for Dr. K.

[John Lenin]

Kraut should stick to what he does best, exposing militant Islam for what it is. Anybody who thinks Gibson got as far as he did in Hollywood by being an anti-semite is crazy.

[Lawdoc]

To quote a phrase from the movie Krauthammer is an "idiota".

[wardaddy]

Charles Krauthammer on guns (4-5-1996, Page A19):

Ultimately, a civilized society must disarm its citizenry if it is to have a modicum of domestic tranquility of the kind enjoyed by sister democracies such as Canada and Britain. Given the frontier history and individualist ideology of the United States, however, this will not come easily. It certainly cannot be done radically. It will probably take one, maybe two generations. It might be 50 years before the United States gets to where Britain is today. Passing a law like the assault weapons ban is a symbolic - purely symbolic - move in that direction. Its only real justification is not to reduce crime but to desensitize the public to the regulation of weapons in preparation for their ultimate confiscation.

That's two strikes Chuckie!

[Mr. Mojo]

Has Chuck not gone on record being in favor of gun control in the past?

Yes.

"Ultimately, a civilized society must disarm its citizenry if it is to have a modicum of domestic tranquility of the kind enjoyed by sister democracies such as Canada and Britain.  Given the frontier history and individualist ideology of the United States, however, this will not come easily.  It certainly cannot be done radically.  It will probably take one, maybe two generations.  It might be 50 years before the United States gets to where Britain is today. Passing a law like the assault weapons ban is a symbolic - purely symbolic - move in that direction.  Its only real justification is not to reduce crime but to desensitize the public to the regulation of weapons in preparation for their ultimate confiscation."

- Ch. Krauthammer, "Disarm the Citizenry," The Washington Post, Friday, April 5, 1996, page A19

And I have no idea if his views on this subject have changed. Let's hope so.

[thoughtomator]

I'm Jewish. I saw the movie with another Jew. Neither of us thought the movie had the slightest hint of antisemitism. Anyone who says otherwise is, in my opinion, fabricating it.

[drlevy88]

Japanese did not kill Jesus. The Cherokee did not kill Jesus. The Slavs did not kill Jesus.

Ahem, through their sins they (as you and I, and Mel) did

[Mr. Mojo]

lol.....you beat me to it.