Cultural depictions of Jesus

Christ Carrying the Cross,
by El Greco, 1580.

Jesus has inspired artistic and cultural works for nearly two millennia. The following lists cover various media to include items of historic interest, enduring works of high art, and recent representations in popular culture. These 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.

Art

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Main article: Depiction of Jesus

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.

The Reformed churches, which grew out of the teaching of Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, and others, traditionally reject depictions of Jesus as a form of idolatry (cf the Ten Commandments).

Books

• According to Mary Magdalene by Marianne Fredriksson (1999)
• All Who Came Before by Simon Perry (2011)
• Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock (1966)
• Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace (1880)
• The Big Fisherman by Lloyd C. Douglas (1959)
• The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas (1942)
• The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (1961)
• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1880)
• Casca: The Eternal Mercenary by Barry Sadler (1979)
• Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice (2005)
• Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana by Anne Rice (2008)
• Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice (1995)
• The Day Christ Was Born by Jim Bishop (1960)
• The Day Christ Died by Jim Bishop (1957)
• The Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White (1898)
• The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman (2010)
• Godbody by Theodore Sturgeon (1986)
• The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by José Saramago (1991)
• The Gospel According to the Son by Norman Mailer (1999)
• The Gospel of Aphranius by Kiril Yeskov (1996)
• The Gospel of Corax by Paul Park (1996)
• The Bible by various writers
• I, Judas by Taylor Caldwell with Jess Stearn (1977)
• Jesus Video by Andreas Eschbach (1997)
• Judas Iscariot by Leonid Andreev
• Judas, My Brother by Frank Yerby (1964)
• King Jesus by Robert Graves (1947)
• Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore (2001)
• The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis (1951)
• Live from Golgotha: The Gospel according to Gore Vidal by Gore Vidal (1992)
• The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (1967)
• My Name Was Judas by C. K. Stead (2006)
• The Nazarene by Sholem Asch (1939)
• Only Begotten Daughter (1990) and The Godhead Trilogy (1994–1999) by James Morrow
• Quarantine by Jim Crace (1997)
• Riverworld by Philip José Farmer
• The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas (1942)
• The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow (2005)
• Testament by Nino Ricci (2002)
• The Urantia Book Authorship assisted by William S. Sadler (1955)
• The Wild Girl aka The Secret Gospel of Mary Magdalene by Michèle Roberts (1984)
• Yahushuwa`: A Midrash by Edmund Camacho (2007)
• A Time for Judas by Morley Callaghan (1983)
• The Greatest Story Ever Told by Fulton Oursler (1949)

Music

See also: Contemporary Christian music

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 may 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 the slogan used by the Anarcho-punk band Crass who used the slogan "Jesus died for his own sins, not mine"), or just as a tool to help provide commentary on modern society (e.g., "Jesusland" by Ben Folds).

Film

The biblical epic was a popular genre in the early-to-mid-20th century, usually accompanied by towering budgets and big-name actors. The ensuing decade brought an 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 Cecil B. DeMille`s 1927 film The King of Kings.

Four years later, The Greatest Story Ever Told, directed by George Stevens, was completed for $25 million. Though Max von Sydow's performance as Christ was praised, the film fared poorly at the box office. Franco Zeffirelli's 1977 film Jesus of Nazareth was a highly praised television miniseries, but stood as the last major Hollywood production of Christ's life for nearly a decade.

It wasn’t until 1988 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 protests.

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 the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time. Jim Caviezel was portrayed as Jesus.

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	[1]
1911	Jésus de Nazareth	France	Early black-and-white silent film, directed by André Calmettes and Henri Desfontaines	[2]
1912	From the Manger to the Cross	USA	Black-and-white silent film, filmed in Palestine; directed by Sidney Olcott, and starring Robert Henderson-Bland as Jesus	[3]
1914	The Last Supper	USA	Black-and-white silent film, directed by Lorimer Johnston, and starring Sydney Ayres as Jesus	[4]
1915	The Birth of a Nation	USA	Directed by D.W. Griffith; Jesus appears toward the end of the film	[5]
1916	Intolerance	USA	Directed by D.W. Griffith; Jesus is portrayed by Howard Gaye	[6]
1927	The King of Kings	USA	Silent film starring H. B. Warner as Jesus	[7]
1928	Jesus of Nazareth	USA	Black-and-white silent film; Jesus is portrayed by Philip Van Loan	[8]
1942	Jesús de Nazareth	Mexico	Black-and-white film, directed by José Díaz Morales, and starring José Cibrián as Jesus	[9]
1946	María Magdalena	Mexico	Black-and-white film, directed by Miguel Contreras Torres, Jesus is portrayed by Luis Alcoriza	[10]
1953	The Robe	USA	Jesus appears off-screen	[11]
1959	Ben-Hur	USA	Jesus does not speak in the movie; he is seen only from behind or in partial view	[12]
1959	El Redentor (The Redeemer)	Spain	Jesus, played by Luis Álvarez, is always shown from behind. Macdonald Carey provides the voice in the English version.	[13]
1961	King of Kings	USA	Directed by Nicholas Ray; starring Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus	[14]
1964	Il vangelo secondo Matteo	Italy / France	Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini; starring Enrique Irazoqui as Jesus	[15]
1964	Scorpio Rising	USA	A short, low-budget film directed by Kenneth Anger, with archival footage from The Last Journey to Jerusalem	[16]
1965	The Greatest Story Ever Told	USA	Directed by George Stevens, David Lean, and Jean Negulesco, starring Max von Sydow as Jesus	[17]
1971	Johnny Got His Gun	USA	Donald Sutherland portrays Jesus in a dream sequence	[18]
1973	Godspell	USA	Directed by David Greene, Jesus is portrayed by Victor Garber	[19]
1973	The Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus	USA	Robert Elfstrom was both the director and the actor portraying Jesus; Johnny Cash provided the music for the film	[20]
1973	Jesus Christ Superstar	USA	Film based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's opera, with Ted Neeley as Jesus	[21]
1973	The Holy Mountain	Mexico/USA	Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Numerous depictions of Christ and Christian iconography.	[22]
1979	Monty Python's Life of Brian	UK	The story of Jesus is parodied by parallel in this movie. Jesus only appears briefly.	[23]
1979	Mary and Joseph: A Story of Faith	Canada	Directed by Eric Till, starring Jeff East as Joseph	[24]
1979	Jesus	UK/Australia/USA	Directed by John Krish and Peter Sykes; starring Brian Deacon as Jesus	[25]
1980	White 'Pop' Jesus	Italy	Directed by Luigi Petrini; Jesus is portrayed by Awana Gana	[26]
1981	History of the World, Part I	USA	Comedy directed by Mel Brooks; Jesus is portrayed by John Hurt	[27]
1985	Hail Mary	France / Switzerland / UK	A modern-day retelling of the Virgin Birth	[28]
1986	Jesus - The Film	Germany	Epic film in 35 episodes, shot on Super8. The individual episodes were made by a total of 22 filmmakers from East and West Germany, directed by Michael Brynntrup	[29]
1988	The Last Temptation of Christ	USA	Directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Willem Dafoe as Jesus	[30]
1988	The Seventh Sign	USA	Directed by Carl Schultz; Jürgen Prochnow as Jesus	[31]
1989	Jesus of Montreal	Canada / France	Directed by Denys Arcand	[32]
1996	Kristo	Philippines	Directed by Ben Yalung starring Mat Ranillo III as Jesus. The costumes, music, design and overall feel are all adapted to a local setting in Malay-influenced, pre-Hispanic Philippines.	[33]
1997	Matthew	USA/South Africa	Directed by Reghardt van den Bergh starring Bruce Marchiano as Jesus. All narration and dialogue is taken word-for-word from the New International Version of the New Testament Gospel of Matthew.	[34]
1997	Orgazmo	USA	Jesus is seen cheering the lead character on at the end of the film	[35]
1998	The Book of Life	France / USA	directed by Hal Hartley, starring Martin Donovan as Jesus	[36]
1999	Superstar	USA	Directed by Bruce McCulloch; Jesus is portrayed by Will Ferrell	[37]
1999	South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut	USA	Jesus can be seen as part of the American army marching in front of Kyle's house	[38]
1999	Jesus' Son	USA	Main character FH sees a vision of Christ in the chest of a man he encounters. Several other allusions to Christ-like miracles are depicted.	[39]
1999	Dogma	USA	Buddy Christ is created as an icon to help revitalize the Catholic Church.	[40]
1999	Mary, Mother of Jesus	USA	A made-for-television Biblical film that retells the story of Jesus through the eyes of Mary, his mother. It stars Pernilla August as Mary and Christian Bale as Jesus. This is produced by Eunice Kennedy Shriver.	[41]
2000	The Miracle Maker	UK/Russia/USA	Stop-motion animated film with Ralph Fiennes as the voice of Jesus	[42]
2001	Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter	Canada	Directed by Lee Demarbre, Jesus is called upon to aid humanity against a vampire scourge	[43]
2003	The Gospel of John	Canada / UK / USA	Directed by Philip Saville; starring Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus	[44]
2003	The Book of Mormon Movie, Vol. 1: The Journey	USA	Directed by Gary Rogers; shows the Book of Mormon view of Jesus	[45]
2004	The Passion of the Christ	USA	Directed by Mel Gibson, starring Jim Caviezel; portrays the final 17 hours in the life of Jesus.	[46]
2006	World Trade Center	USA	Jesus is seen in the vision of a New York City firefighter in the film	[47]
2006	The Nativity Story	USA	Retells the Biblical account of the nativity of Jesus, following the story of Mary and Joseph until the birth of Jesus occurs.	[48]
2006	Color of the Cross	USA	Jean-Claude La Marre both directs the film and stars as Jesus	[49]
2006	Son of Man	South Africa	Directed by Mark Dornford-May	[50]
2006	The Nativity Story	USA	Directed by Catherine Hardwicke	[51]
2008	Hamlet 2	USA	Steve Coogan plays a high school theatre teacher who portrays Jesus in a school play.	[52]
2008	The Messiah	Iran	Retells the Islamic view of Jesus. A film directed by Nader Talebzadeh, and starring Rennie Schembri as Ahmad Soleimani Nia	[53]
2008	Anno Domini XXXIII	Malta	Retells the Biblical account of the passion of Jesus Christ. A film directed by Melvin Schembri and starring Rennie Schembri as Jesus	[citation needed]

Television movies

Date	Title	Country	Notes	IMDB
1980	The Day Christ Died	USA	Directed by James Cellan Jones, starring Chris Sarandon as Jesus	[54]
1999	Mary, Mother of Jesus	USA	TV movie	[55]
2003	Ben Hur	USA	Animated TV movie	[56]
2004	Judas	USA	TV Movie	[57]
2007	The Lost Tomb of Jesus	USA	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.

Miniseries

Date	Title	Country	Notes	IMDB
1977	Jesus of Nazareth	Italy / UK	TV miniseries, starring Robert Powell as Jesus	[58]
1999	Jesus	Czech Republic / Italy / Germany / USA	TV miniseries, starring Jeremy Sisto as Jesus	[59]

Theatre

• Godspell
• Jesus Christ Superstar
• Cotton Patch Gospel
• !Hero the Rock Opera

Audio dramas

• The Man Born to be King (1941)
• Adventures in Odyssey, in episodes #66, #67, #137, #141, #176, #177, #183, #226, #227, #232, #302, #304, #305, #345, #346, #383, #389, #404, #413, #425, #439, #461, & #499

See also

• List of movies based on the Bible
• Jesus in the Christian Bible
• Liturgical drama