Will Mel Gibson Baptize Chanukhah?

Crisis Magazine ^ | 12/1/11 | Peter Freeman

[marshmallow]

In a recent blog post for Andrew Breitbart’s Big Hollywood, Jeff Dunetz laments that “Mel Gibson’s Catholic Faith Completely Contradicts Story of Judah Maccabee.” The blogger feels that this highly-troubled entertainer is the wrong choice to direct a film about an ancient Jewish hero. True, Mel Gibson’s Catholic faith contradicts many things, including Catholicism. Dunetz acknowledges that “Gibson is a passionate member of the Catholic Traditionalist movement, a minority Catholic sect that rejects the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in 1964-65,” so his concern isn’t about Catholicism per se, just Gibson’s particular approach to it:

The real question is: based on his religious beliefs could Mel Gibson do the story of the Maccabees justice? Personally, I do not see how a man who prays that Jews convert can do a movie about a civil war waged to prevent Jews from losing their faith.

I have no desire to defend Mel Gibson, his anti-semitic rants, or his fringe religious group. While I certainly pray for the conversion of all souls to Christ, I can also see how singling out particular religious and ethnic groups might be tacky or worse.

I was rather ambivalent when I heard Mel Gibson wanted to direct this film. Part of me thought it sounded like a blatantly obvious attempt to repair his damaged public image, but part of me was excited about the prospect of an awesome Maccabees movie. As a Catholic—or rather because I’m a Catholic—I’m something of a Maccabees fanboy.

Dunetz’s references to Catholicism, even just a group calling itself Catholic, might underestimate our Church’s relationship with Judah Maccabee.

Dunetz rightly notes that the story of the Maccabees is one of counter-cultural resistance. Judah leads a ragtag band of Jewish rebels to thwart an emerging Hellenization of Jewish populations in the wake of.......

[Vendome]

This article is just as dumb as saying Jews can’t or shouldn’t write music for Christmas or make movies based on Christian themes.

[faucetman]

“Gibson is a passionate member of the Catholic Traditionalist movement”

Is that the sect that allows you to be a drunkard and wife abuser?

[jjotto]

Important point from the cited article:

“...For starters, the Catholic Church designates two whole books on Judah Maccabee as part of its canon (1 and 2 Maccabees, to be precise, although some Orthodox canons have us beat by including 3 and 4 Maccabees). These books are regarded as apocryphal in Protestant canons and – here’s the shocker – aren’t even considered ‘canonical’ in the Jewish Bible...”

[LurkingSince'98]

hey faucet..

pray tell what do you call a Protestant who wanders off of your reservation?

it’s a good thing whatever sect or schismatic group you belong to doesn’t have any sinners - probably because your sect are all saved and therefore can’t sin.

eye meet beam...

Lurking’

[murron]

No, that’s the sect that says these are mortal sins and if you die without the sacrament of Confession, then you will be forever doomed to hell. I don’t know if Mel has made his peace with his Church or not, but if he doesn’t repent, he’ll face his punishment as designated by the rules of the pre-Vatican II Church as well as the Church after Vatican II.

[Cronos]

yes, it goes on to say Catholics uphold the authenticity of these texts because they were included in what is known as the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible that was a source for St. Jerome’s Vulgate. The Septuagint had preserved texts that had been lost among the Hebrew scrolls, and the Catholic Church had fewer hang-ups about the Greek language than medieval rabbis

these were removed at the Council of Jamnia in AD 90 which aimed to remove justification for Christian from jewish texts

[jjotto]

The ‘Council of Jamnia’ did not determine the Jewish canon, and the Jewish (as opposed to Christian) Septuagint contained only the Five Books of Moses. I am aware that Christians have an alternative history.

[Ernie Kaputnik]

Agreed.

Jews have been in charge of Hollywood from the very beginning of the movie business. They have either been writing, directing, producing and starring in movies about Christianity, Christmas and Easter since Hollywood began making such movies. And yet, simply because liberals and hypersensitive Jews have a problem with Mel Gibson, we are supposed to hold him to a different standard?

Screw all of them, because Mel Gibson has made some an excellent movies. He is no less qualified to direct a movie about a Jew than a Jew is qualified to direct about a Christian.

I say that if the Jews refuse to allow Mel to direct a movie about a Jew, then no Jews should write, direct, produce or star in a movie about Christians, Christmas or any other subject matter that is not explicitly related to Judaism.

[DouglasKC]

these were removed at the Council of Jamnia in AD 90 which aimed to remove justification for Christian from jewish texts

It's pure speculation that there ever was such a council. It was invented in the late 19th century as a theory.

[mas cerveza por favor]

This article is just as dumb as saying Jews can’t or shouldn’t write music for Christmas or make movies based on Christian themes.

Walkin' in the winter wonderland...

[mas cerveza por favor]

I do not see how a man who prays that Jews convert can do a movie about a civil war waged to prevent Jews from losing their faith.

Ironically modern Jews and Protestants reject the theology of the book of Maccabees, while it forms part of the Deuterocanonical OT patrimony claimed by the historical Church.