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Jesus has inspired artistic and cultural works for nearly two millenniums. The following lists cover various media to include items of historic interest, enduring works of high art, and recent representations in popular culture. The entries represent portrayals that a reader has a reasonable chance of encountering rather than a complete catalog. Lesser known works are not included.
For purposes of classification, popular culture music is a separate section from operas and oratorios. Television covers live action series, TV movies, miniseries, and North American animation but not Japanese anime, which appears with manga and graphic novels.
There has been a long tradition of featuring Jesus in paintings and sculpture, ranging from the Roman catacombs and the conservative icon tradition of the Orthodox world through medieval altarpieces to modern acrylics. Many images depict the Life and Passion of Christ, especially the Crucifixion of Christ, whilst others show the infant Christ with his mother (Madonna and Child) or Christ in Majesty. Many of the most famous paintings in Western art feature Christ. The tradition continues in professional and folk art in many countries, as well as popular commercial imagery. Most images, whatever their origins, (as left) keep fairly close to the conventional appearance (and clothing) of Christ established in Byzantine art by about 400AD, which is now instantly recognisable.
Gospel music has remained a strong pop element in the music of religious America, of which Jesus is a frequent topic.
There have been significant (and successful) attempts to incorporate Jesus in current popular music trends, from rock to hip-hop. This incorporation happens on three different levels:
Bands or artists who focus almost entirely on Jesus/Christianity. Most of these bands are in support of it, and their music will almost always deal with spiritual themes. A few detractors (possibly Satanic and/or "shock rockers") may constantly critique, attack, or ridicule Christianity and Jesus.
Songs that deal with Jesus/Christianity. Bands or artists may not be religious at all, but they will still produce a song (or songs) in reference to Jesus. The songs may deal with Jesus/Christianity in a positive light (e.g., "Have A Talk With God" by Stevie Wonder), a negative light (e.g., "Heresy" by nine inch nails or "My God" by Jethro Tull), or just as a tool to help provide commentary on modern society (e.g., "Jesusland" by Ben Folds).
A simple reference to Jesus in a song. Many artists/bands will use a line in a song to show that they are Christian, but the song will have nothing to do with religion. Hip-hop artists will often give a "shout-out" to "the Lord", "Jesus", and other aspects of Christianity as well.
During the 1970s, the "Jesus Movement" produced many songs on the theme, and there have been many bands since then, both Christian and secular, which have done likewise.
Examples of Songs that reference Jesus:
Cry Out To Jesus is a song by Third Day on their album of the same title. Other songs concerning Jesus by the same group include King of Glory'.
I Believe / Jesus Is The Answer by the group Building 429 is a song on their album "Rise" (released in 2006 on the Word Records label). The song Searching for a Savior on the same album deals with the same subject.
Something About The Name Jesus is a song by the group Kirk Franklin and the Family on their album The Nu Nation Project (released in 1998 on the Gospo Centric label). The song If You've Been Delivered on the same album deals with a similar theme.
Thank You Jesus is a song by the group Virtue! on their album Testimony (released in 2006 on the labels: Darkchild Gospel/Integrity Gospel/Columbia). Jesus is also the subject of the song Follow Me on the same album.
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Terry MacAlmon is a song on the album You're My Glory.
In the end of the chorus of their song Possum Kingdom from the album Rubberneck, American rock band Toadies sing the line "So help me Jesus".
The lead single of The Killers sophomore album Sam's Town, When You Were Young features a line stating "He doesn't look a thing like Jesus", in the chorus.
"Jesus Walks" is a song by Kanye West off the Collage Dropout album
Film
The evolution of Jesus films is rooted in the religious or biblical "epic;" a popular genre in the 1950's usually accompanied by towering budgets and names such as Charlton Heston, Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, or Yul Brynner.
The ensuing decade brought the first attempt by a major studio to produce a religious epic in which the Christ Event was its singular focus. MGM released King of Kings in 1961, inspired by a Cecil B. DeMille film of the same title from 1927. Critics suggested the film should have been titled I Was a Teenage Jesus. The screenplay seemed less concerned with Jesus as Messiah than with rendering him as a non-violent revolutionary or Peace Corps volunteer.
Four years later, The Greatest Story Ever Told, directed by George Stevens, was completed for $25 million. Swedish actor Max Von Sydow’s portrayal of Christ was lambasted for being emotionally removed and humorless. The same could be said for Jesus of Nazareth, a 1977 made-for-television mini-series. The film received mostly favorable reviews on the part of the evangelical community.
It wasn’t until 1989 that another major studio took a gamble on a movie involving the life of Jesus, but this one involved a new wrinkle. Universal released The Last Temptation of Christ amidst what was probably the most inflamed protest against a film in history. The pre-release publicity centered around demonstrations taking place outside of Universal after celebrated figures in the evangelical media began speaking about heretical content in the film. Theater managers across the country were terrified to screen the movie and no major video chain would carry it.
Screenwriter Paul Schrader adapted The Last Temptation from the Nikos Kazantzakis novel which engages in a fictional exploration between the two natures of Christ - divine and human. The film was not intended to be a Gospel portrait. The fictional aspect, which apparently provoked opponents of its release, centered around a vision presented by the devil to the Jesus of the film while on the cross. In this vision, Jesus is shown what it would have been like to marry, have a family, live until an old age, and die a natural death. The struggle for the Jesus of the film is the torment between his human wishes for a normal Jewish life and his longing to accomplish the divine mission set before him. In the film is that Jesus conquers these temptations and carries out his sacrificial death by crucifixion.
In 2004, Academy Award winning director Mel Gibson made the blockbuster film The Passion of the Christ which became one of the highest grossing movies of 2004 and of all time.
Date
Title
Country
Notes
IMDB
1898
The Passion Play of Oberammergau
USA
early black and white silent film, directed by Henry C. Vincent, starring Frank Russell as Jesus
Simcha Jacobovici stars in this documentary about the supposed findings of the Jesus family tomb. The film dramatizes certain scenes in the Bible to depict Jesus both as a husband and a father.
Jesus, the Lamb of Hosts and Our Lord and Saviour, is a minor character in the popular web comic Penny Arcade.[44]
The English metal bandCradle of Filth attained a large measure of notoriety after a fan was arrested wearing a notorious t-shirt produced by the band, depicting a masturbating nun on the front and the slogan "Jesus is a cunt" on the back. A handful of fans have faced court appearances and fines for wearing the shirt in public, with one serving eight hours of community service.[45]
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