‘Can film be a Christological medium?’
Creative artforms have been used throughout the history of Christianity to convey truths about the nature
of Christ, with the emergence of film in the late 19th century signifying a new method in which to do so. As
they can examine all kinds of topics, films can certainly be Christological mediums, and there some
underlying factors which determine whether a film is Christological, such as their use of sources, setting,
and the filmmaker’s intent. Overall, however, if a film engages in the life of Christ, His contexts and His
nature, a film is technically Christological, raising questions about the way in which Christological films can
be used to convey meaning (a dilemma seen most notably in ‘scandal films’ such Monty Python/Terry
Jones’ ‘The Life of Brian.’) In analysing the history of creative methods of Christology, the different forms of
revelation, cinematic techniques, and three films (‘The Life of Brian,’ Cecile B. Demile’s ‘King of Kings,’ and
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s ‘The Gospel According to St Matthew,’) it will become clear that film is just another,
more modern method of conveying the significance of Christ’s life.
As mentioned, from the very beginning of Christianity, believers have used creative mediums to represent
the nature of Christ and convey key teachings about Him. This is most obvious in the medieval art found in
the Catholic churches which survived the Reformation, such as the commonly found ‘Doom Paintings,’
which used illustration to convey teachings around sin, justice and salvation to the common people, most
of whom were illiterate. Additionally, these paintings sometimes had the underlying intent of controlling
the masses, or more reasonably, ensuring that order and peace could be maintained in a parish, with
parishioners looking to church art to understand social hierarchies. Indeed, this is an early example of the
ways in which art forms almost always have an underlying message and intent, which is influenced and
controlled by the creator of the piece, such as the painter or filmmaker. Another example of early
Christological artforms is seen in the works of Byzantium mosaic artists, who presented Christ as a severe,
transcendent figure, an image which was then taken up by Eastern iconographers.1 Later on, Renaissance
art forms emphasised the humanity of Christ,2 whilst the Romantic period took a more sentimental and
almost nostalgic view.3 Although this will be further explored, this demonstrates that whilst art forms have
always been usedto present Christological message, this does not mean that they lack an agenda, and the
intent of the creator in making the piece, and their stylistic choices, dictates the image of Christ which is
presented. This must be taken into consideration when examining film.
The historical use of art clearly shows how the revelation of God and Christ can occur through different
mediums. Whilst in the early church this was through paintings and mosaics, which developed into other
forms such as song, theatrical productions and eventually film, artistic methods of expression are clearly
forms of revealed theology. Revealed theology pertains to knowledge which has been uncovered about
God or Christ through scripture, its analysis, the churches, and even the direct immediate revelation of God
to a person or group.4 Film, therefore, can be used as a method of revelation about the nature of Christ.
This is best seen in Pasolini’s 1964 film ‘The Gospel According to St Matthew.’ Pasolini is notable in this work
to almost solely rely on the Gospel of Matthew, which Pasolini uses for dialogue, the order of events, and
even his presentation of Jesus as an angry Messiah, an image which is unique to Matthew’s Gospel. Pasolini
1
Baugh, Lloyd. Imaging the Divine: Jesus and Christ-Figures in Film. Sheed & Ward: Kansas City. 1997.
Pg vii.
2
Ibid., pg viii.
3
Ibid., pg viii.
4
Armstrong, A. Hilary. ‘Karl Barth, the Fathers of the Church and Natural Theology’ in The Journal of
Theological Studies 46, no. 1. 1995. Pg193.
, has clearly examined the Gospel of Matthew to extract a Christological message, and therefore film can be
an example of revelation, as it can uncover information about Christ’s nature through use of and reflection
on scripture. Similarly, the 1927 film ‘King of Kings’ accurately follows the events of the Gospels, although it
differs from Pasolini in using a wide range of Gospels to create the desired image of Jesus. Demille’s
narrative is greatly influenced by Gospel accounts, which are used as on-screen text to direct the film’s
events, since it is a silent film. Overall, this indicates how filmmakers can use scripture as their basis or
primary source, in which to derive an understanding of the nature of Christ, which can be conveyed
through cinematography. This indicates that for a film to be Christological, it must interact in some way
with scriptural accounts of Jesus’ life. Thus, in its revelatory characteristics, film can express a message
about Christ.
It has been made clear in the preceding paragraphs that in just the same way that artistic mediums can be
used Christologically, film is a modern method of doing so. As hinted to above, the key question is therefore
not whether film can be Christological, but rather, what makes a film Christological. Technically, any film
which interacts, even in the smallest way, with Christological themes, such as the teachings of Christ, His
divinity and humanity, and His context, can be called a ‘Christological film.’ Although some viewers may
draw spiritual significance even from these small references, the lack of clarity around what determines if a
film as being Christological would currently class ‘scandal films,’ such as ‘The Life of Brian’ as one of these
‘Jesus films.’ This is certainly problematic. ‘The Life of Brian’s’ references to Jesus are few and far between:
Jesus is briefly seen in the birth scene, and features during the Sermon on the Mount, however critically,
the focus is on the crowd here, rather than Jesus himself. Indeed, the film relies on popular culture
representations of Jesus to satirically criticise the Hollywood treatment of the Bible story. 5 The life of the
fictional Brian as an unreluctant Messiah parallels the image of Jesus that has been constructed by popular
culture, in its public nature, and through Brian’s death6 (with his crucifixion representing an image which is
often fallen back on in film, to maintain a perceived Christological background.) Therefore, films such as
‘The Life of Brian’ represent the issues that come with proclaiming a film as Christological. Whilst the film
does engage with the traditional Jesus narrative, it is in its intent to express a cultural message that creates
conflict and brings into question which films can be of Christological significance.
It seems therefore, that the intended message of the filmmaker determines whether a film is Christological,
highlighting that the filmmaker almost entirely controls the experience a viewer will have when watching a
film. For example, as mentioned before, in the Sermon on the Mount scene in ‘The Life of Brian,’ the
camera, and therefore the attention of the viewer, is focused onto the crowd rather than Jesus. The
audience therefore experiences the event through the remarks (‘Blessed are the cheesemakers’) and
actions of on-screen crowd, indicating to the message of the film as a parody or criticism of popular culture.
This crowd, their remarks, and even scuffles, is put into contrast with the far away figure of Jesus, ensuring
the attention is on the actual protagonist of Brian, and allowing him to act as a parallel reflection of Christ.
Additionally, this allows the filmmaker to draw from the conventions surrounding Christ, and establish their
message.
5
Baugh, Lloyd. Imaging the Divine: Jesus and Christ-Figures in Film. Sheed & Ward: Kansas City. 1997.
Pg49
6
Reinhartz, Adele. Jesus of Hollywood. Oxford University Press: Oxford. 2007. Pg18.
Creative artforms have been used throughout the history of Christianity to convey truths about the nature
of Christ, with the emergence of film in the late 19th century signifying a new method in which to do so. As
they can examine all kinds of topics, films can certainly be Christological mediums, and there some
underlying factors which determine whether a film is Christological, such as their use of sources, setting,
and the filmmaker’s intent. Overall, however, if a film engages in the life of Christ, His contexts and His
nature, a film is technically Christological, raising questions about the way in which Christological films can
be used to convey meaning (a dilemma seen most notably in ‘scandal films’ such Monty Python/Terry
Jones’ ‘The Life of Brian.’) In analysing the history of creative methods of Christology, the different forms of
revelation, cinematic techniques, and three films (‘The Life of Brian,’ Cecile B. Demile’s ‘King of Kings,’ and
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s ‘The Gospel According to St Matthew,’) it will become clear that film is just another,
more modern method of conveying the significance of Christ’s life.
As mentioned, from the very beginning of Christianity, believers have used creative mediums to represent
the nature of Christ and convey key teachings about Him. This is most obvious in the medieval art found in
the Catholic churches which survived the Reformation, such as the commonly found ‘Doom Paintings,’
which used illustration to convey teachings around sin, justice and salvation to the common people, most
of whom were illiterate. Additionally, these paintings sometimes had the underlying intent of controlling
the masses, or more reasonably, ensuring that order and peace could be maintained in a parish, with
parishioners looking to church art to understand social hierarchies. Indeed, this is an early example of the
ways in which art forms almost always have an underlying message and intent, which is influenced and
controlled by the creator of the piece, such as the painter or filmmaker. Another example of early
Christological artforms is seen in the works of Byzantium mosaic artists, who presented Christ as a severe,
transcendent figure, an image which was then taken up by Eastern iconographers.1 Later on, Renaissance
art forms emphasised the humanity of Christ,2 whilst the Romantic period took a more sentimental and
almost nostalgic view.3 Although this will be further explored, this demonstrates that whilst art forms have
always been usedto present Christological message, this does not mean that they lack an agenda, and the
intent of the creator in making the piece, and their stylistic choices, dictates the image of Christ which is
presented. This must be taken into consideration when examining film.
The historical use of art clearly shows how the revelation of God and Christ can occur through different
mediums. Whilst in the early church this was through paintings and mosaics, which developed into other
forms such as song, theatrical productions and eventually film, artistic methods of expression are clearly
forms of revealed theology. Revealed theology pertains to knowledge which has been uncovered about
God or Christ through scripture, its analysis, the churches, and even the direct immediate revelation of God
to a person or group.4 Film, therefore, can be used as a method of revelation about the nature of Christ.
This is best seen in Pasolini’s 1964 film ‘The Gospel According to St Matthew.’ Pasolini is notable in this work
to almost solely rely on the Gospel of Matthew, which Pasolini uses for dialogue, the order of events, and
even his presentation of Jesus as an angry Messiah, an image which is unique to Matthew’s Gospel. Pasolini
1
Baugh, Lloyd. Imaging the Divine: Jesus and Christ-Figures in Film. Sheed & Ward: Kansas City. 1997.
Pg vii.
2
Ibid., pg viii.
3
Ibid., pg viii.
4
Armstrong, A. Hilary. ‘Karl Barth, the Fathers of the Church and Natural Theology’ in The Journal of
Theological Studies 46, no. 1. 1995. Pg193.
, has clearly examined the Gospel of Matthew to extract a Christological message, and therefore film can be
an example of revelation, as it can uncover information about Christ’s nature through use of and reflection
on scripture. Similarly, the 1927 film ‘King of Kings’ accurately follows the events of the Gospels, although it
differs from Pasolini in using a wide range of Gospels to create the desired image of Jesus. Demille’s
narrative is greatly influenced by Gospel accounts, which are used as on-screen text to direct the film’s
events, since it is a silent film. Overall, this indicates how filmmakers can use scripture as their basis or
primary source, in which to derive an understanding of the nature of Christ, which can be conveyed
through cinematography. This indicates that for a film to be Christological, it must interact in some way
with scriptural accounts of Jesus’ life. Thus, in its revelatory characteristics, film can express a message
about Christ.
It has been made clear in the preceding paragraphs that in just the same way that artistic mediums can be
used Christologically, film is a modern method of doing so. As hinted to above, the key question is therefore
not whether film can be Christological, but rather, what makes a film Christological. Technically, any film
which interacts, even in the smallest way, with Christological themes, such as the teachings of Christ, His
divinity and humanity, and His context, can be called a ‘Christological film.’ Although some viewers may
draw spiritual significance even from these small references, the lack of clarity around what determines if a
film as being Christological would currently class ‘scandal films,’ such as ‘The Life of Brian’ as one of these
‘Jesus films.’ This is certainly problematic. ‘The Life of Brian’s’ references to Jesus are few and far between:
Jesus is briefly seen in the birth scene, and features during the Sermon on the Mount, however critically,
the focus is on the crowd here, rather than Jesus himself. Indeed, the film relies on popular culture
representations of Jesus to satirically criticise the Hollywood treatment of the Bible story. 5 The life of the
fictional Brian as an unreluctant Messiah parallels the image of Jesus that has been constructed by popular
culture, in its public nature, and through Brian’s death6 (with his crucifixion representing an image which is
often fallen back on in film, to maintain a perceived Christological background.) Therefore, films such as
‘The Life of Brian’ represent the issues that come with proclaiming a film as Christological. Whilst the film
does engage with the traditional Jesus narrative, it is in its intent to express a cultural message that creates
conflict and brings into question which films can be of Christological significance.
It seems therefore, that the intended message of the filmmaker determines whether a film is Christological,
highlighting that the filmmaker almost entirely controls the experience a viewer will have when watching a
film. For example, as mentioned before, in the Sermon on the Mount scene in ‘The Life of Brian,’ the
camera, and therefore the attention of the viewer, is focused onto the crowd rather than Jesus. The
audience therefore experiences the event through the remarks (‘Blessed are the cheesemakers’) and
actions of on-screen crowd, indicating to the message of the film as a parody or criticism of popular culture.
This crowd, their remarks, and even scuffles, is put into contrast with the far away figure of Jesus, ensuring
the attention is on the actual protagonist of Brian, and allowing him to act as a parallel reflection of Christ.
Additionally, this allows the filmmaker to draw from the conventions surrounding Christ, and establish their
message.
5
Baugh, Lloyd. Imaging the Divine: Jesus and Christ-Figures in Film. Sheed & Ward: Kansas City. 1997.
Pg49
6
Reinhartz, Adele. Jesus of Hollywood. Oxford University Press: Oxford. 2007. Pg18.
