Passion of the Christ Resources

The following materials were compiled by The Catholic-Jewish Conference of Milwaukee as a response to the film The Passion of the Christ so that individuals who view this film or any depiction of the passion during Lent and Holy Week will be aware of the teaching that exists regarding dramatizations of the passion and teaching and preaching about Jews and Judaism. Information on the gospels and the passion narratives has been included to assist in understanding the importance of historical context in the interpretation of the Scriptures.

We encourage Christians viewing any depiction of the passion to be sensitive to the concerns of the Jewish community. Similarly we encourage Jews to be aware of the central place of the passion narrative within Christianity. We hope that both sides can empathize with the feelings of the other and that the film or other passion portrayals might ultimately serve as a vehicle for dialogue and growth rather than being divisive.

Criteria for the Evaluation of Dramatizations of the Passion

Guidelines on the Presentation of Jews and Judaism in Catholic Preaching

The Death of Jesus: Four Gospel Accounts, is an online, self-paced mini-course written and narrated by Philip A. Cunningham, Executive Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College.

Resources for Further Dialogue:

• The Bible, the Jews, and the Death of Jesus: A Collection of Catholic Documents 
• Walking God’s Paths: Christians and Jews in Candid Conversation

On Reading the Gospels: A Brief Summary

This brief summary of the Gospels provides information on the authors, themes, audiences and historical context of the gospels. 

Further resources on Christian-Jewish relations and The Passion of the Christ can be found at the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning web-site.

The Catholic-Jewish Conference is a program of the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations, and the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis.