Orthodixie

Can Anything Good Come Out of Hollywood?

Since the movie’s out today, I’m re-posting this script review. Scroll down to the bottom for a link to Frederica Mathewes-Green’s movie review.

It’s Hollywood not Tradition; and, after all, it’s just a movie. But having had the opportunity to read the script for New Line Cinema’s The Nativity Story, I can honestly say: It’s pretty good. Really! I enjoyed it.

Earlier reports of the movie could lead one to believe that Hollywood was tinkering with the glorious story of the birth of Christ. For example, the Hollywood Reporter stated that The Nativity Story was “to be told with a strong female perspective” (March 17, 2006). One reviewer, who mentions a Catholic upbringing, praises the script as “a reverent recounting of the biblical story that also added an insightful socio-political dimension to the world Mary would have been brought up in.”

Given these reports, I expected something entirely different from the Gospel accounts of the birth of the Saviour. Yet, Christianity Today claimed it was faithful to the Gospels, and then I received the public relations blurb:

The Nativity Story is based on the greatest story ever told. But as familiar as audiences may be with the story, they have never seen it on the big screen. This is the first time in over 50 years that a biblical story has been released by a major motion picture studio. The filmmakers … are Christian and New Line Cinema sincerely wants to make a film that is historically and biblically accurate. To that end, numerous Catholic and Protestant experts and scholars have read the script and are acting as consultants on this film.

Having read the script, I’m apt to say: If you are looking for holiday entertainment that’s family friendly with a virtuous message, you won’t be disappointed. If you are hoping to see unadulterated Eastern Orthodox Tradition on the silver screen, something essentially catechetical, you’ll have to wait a little longer.

Other than a few timeline discrepancies, the main thing that jumps out at an Orthodox Christian is the age of St Joseph the Betrothed. In New Line Cinema’s The Nativity Story, he’s portrayed as a handsome young 20-something. But, think about it: How else would Hollywood portray the intended beaux of the beautiful young maiden from Galilee?

We all know St Joseph was old, right? He was a widower with children, a man of means, by the time he became the guardian of our Lord. This is the tradition of the Church.

Yet, the fact that the movie includes characters portraying the parents of the Theotokos, Joachim and Anna, shows that the writers were not ignorant to Church Tradition. However, look at any icon and you’ll see: Joachim and Anna are old. They are portrayed differently on the big screen; the script lists Joachim as 45, Anna as 34. The Bible doesn’t specify their age, nor name Mary’s parents. So, what’s the big deal?

Well, the same source within Tradition that provides the names of the Virgin Mary’s parents also mentions the advanced age and station of Joseph, the story of Mary’s birth, mention of Joseph being a widower with children, Jesus’ being born in a cave, the entry of Mary into the Temple, the murder of the Righteous Zacharias in the Temple gates — and more. This is all found within the same ancient document that attests to the perpetual virginity of Mary: The Protoevangelium of James.

This is important with regard to this movie because the filmmakers have selected information from this ancient source that was helpful in making a Hollywood film. They have also disregarded that which would betray bias toward any particular “Christmas tradition” — even more so what we Orthodox call Tradition.

Yet, it is obvious by movie’s end that there’s hope that this movie will have mass appeal. Making a movie that only made sense to Orthodox Christians would not serve Hollywood’s purpose nor, most likely, would it get produced.

Again, it’s Hollywood not Tradition; and, after all, it’s just a movie. But, even if in small ways (such as naming the Virgin’s parents) the masses are being introduced to portions of the ancient Church Tradition, that’s a good thing.

What’s good and paramount for Christians, Orthodox or not, at least as far as this movie is concerned, is that Jesus is proclaimed as the Saviour. It’s not every day that the masses hear such good news — especially coming out of Hollywood.

The Nativity Story opens in theatres December 1st.

Frederica’s take on the flick … HERE.

Common Declaration by Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew I

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Ps 117:24)

This fraternal encounter which brings us together, Pope Benedict XVI of Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, is God’s work, and in a certain sense his gift. We give thanks to the Author of all that is good, who allows us once again, in prayer and in dialogue, to express the joy we feel as brothers and to renew our commitment to move towards full communion. This commitment comes from the Lord’s will and from our responsibility as Pastors in the Church of Christ. May our meeting be a sign and an encouragement for all of us to share the same sentiments and the same attitudes of fraternity, cooperation and communion in charity and truth. The Holy Spirit will help us to prepare the great day of the re-establishment of full unity, whenever and however God wills it. Then we shall truly be able to rejoice and be glad.

1. We have recalled with thankfulness the meetings of our venerable predecessors, blessed by the Lord, who showed the world the urgent need for unity and traced sure paths for attaining it, through dialogue, prayer and the daily life of the Church. Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I went as pilgrims to Jerusalem, to the very place where Jesus Christ died and rose again for the salvation of the world, and they also met again, here in the Phanar and in Rome. They left us a common declaration which retains all its value; it emphasizes that true dialogue in charity must sustain and inspire all relations between individuals and between Churches, that it “must be rooted in a total fidelity to the one Lord Jesus Christ and in mutual respect for their own traditions” (Tomos Agapis, 195). Nor have we forgotten the reciprocal visits of His Holiness Pope John Paul II and His Holiness Dimitrios I. It was during the visit of Pope John Paul II, his first ecumenical visit, that the creation of the Mixed Commission between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was announced. This Commission met with the aim of declaring and re-establishing full communion. As far as relations between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople are concerned, we cannot fail to recall the solemn ecclesial act effacing the memory of the ancient anathemas which for centuries has had and still has a negative effect on relations between our Churches. We have not yet drawn from this act all the positive consequences which can flow from it in our progress towards full unity, to which the mixed Commission is called to make an important contribution. We exhort our faithful to take an active part in this process, through prayer and through significant gestures.

2. At the time of the plenary session of the mixed Commission for theological dialogue, which was recently held in Belgrade through the generous hospitality of the Serbian Orthodox Church, we expressed our profound joy at the resumption of the theological dialogue. This had been interrupted for several years because of various difficulties, but now the Commission has been able to work afresh in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. In treating the topic “Conciliarity and Authority in the Church” at local, regional and universal levels, the Commission undertook a phase of study on the ecclesiological and canonical consequence of the sacramental nature of the Church. This will permit us to address some of the principal questions that are still unresolved. We are committed to offer unceasing support, as in the past, to the work entrusted to this Commission and we accompany its members with our prayers.

3. As Pastors, we have first of all reflected on the mission to proclaim the Gospel in today’s world. This mission, “Go, make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), is today more timely and necessary than ever, even in traditionally Christian countries. Moreover, we cannot ignore the increase of secularization, relativism, even nihilism, especially in the Western world. All this calls for a renewed and powerful proclamation of the Gospel, adapted to the cultures of our time. Our traditions represent for us a patrimony which must be continually shared, proposed, and interpreted anew. This is why we must strengthen our cooperation and our common witness before the world.

4. We have viewed positively the process that has led to the formation of the European Union. Those engaged in this great project should not fail to take into consideration all aspects affecting the inalienable rights of the human person, especially religious freedom, a witness and guarantor of respect for all other freedoms. In every step towards unification, minorities must be protected, with their cultural traditions and the distinguishing features of their religion. In Europe, while remaining open to other religions and to their cultural contributions, we must unite our efforts to preserve Christian roots, traditions and values, to ensure respect for history, and thus to contribute to the European culture of the future and to the quality of human relations at every level. In this context, how could we not evoke the very ancient witnesses and the illustrious Christian heritage of the land in which our meeting is taking place, beginning with what the Acts of the Apostles tells us in evoking the figure of Saint Paul, Apostle of the Gentiles? In this land, the Gospel message and the cultural tradition of the ancient world met. This link, which has contributed so much to the Christian heritage that we share, remains timely and will bear more fruit in the future for evangelization and for our unity.

5. Our concern extends to those parts of today’s world where Christians live and to the difficulties they have to face, particularly poverty, wars and terrorism, but equally to various forms of exploitation of the poor, of migrants, women and children. We are called to work together to promote respect for the rights of every human being, created in the image and likeness of God, and to foster economic, social and cultural development. Our theological and ethical traditions can offer a solid basis for a united approach in preaching and action. Above all, we wish to affirm that killing innocent people in God’s name is an offence against him and against human dignity. We must all commit ourselves to the renewed service of humanity and the defence of human life, every human life. We take profoundly to heart the cause of peace in the Middle East, where our Lord lived, suffered, died and rose again, and where a great multitude of our Christian brethren have lived for centuries. We fervently hope that peace will be re-established in that region, that respectful coexistence will be strengthened between the different peoples that live there, between the Churches and between the different religions found there. To this end, we encourage the establishment of closer relationships between Christians, and of an authentic and honest interreligious dialogue, with a view to combating every form of violence and discrimination.

6. At present, in the face of the great threats to the natural environment, we want to express our concern at the negative consequences for humanity and for the whole of creation which can result from economic and echnological progress that does not know its limits. As religious leaders, we consider it one of our duties to encourage and to support all efforts made to protect God’s creation, and to bequeath to future generations a world in which they will be able to live.

7. Finally, our thoughts turn towards all of you, the faithful of our Churches throughout the world, Bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious, lay men and women engaged in ecclesial service, and all the baptized. In Christ we greet other Christians, assuring them of our rayers and our openness to dialogue and cooperation. In the words of the postle of the Gentiles, we greet all of you: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 1:2).

From the Phanar, 30 November 2006

First, as you know, Indonesia is the most Muslim of nations. That’s why your help is most needed.

Did you know about Orthodox Christianity in Indonesia?

Thanks to FWD from Fr Gordon Walker.

Secondly, my cyber pal, Jean-Michel, sent along this link which contains just about every single Christ-mas song you can think of and gobs of ’em flown in straight from obscurity. (See, I told you St Joseph was an old man!)

Jean-Michel, by the way, was the first person to buy One Flew Over the Onion Dome directly from the author. It’s kind of exotic when you realize he lives in Belgium!

What? Got that special someone who has everything — but suddenly you realize he doesn’t have my book? PayPal, side margin, to the rescue!

And … now THIS is E-vangelism all Orthodox-like. Cool!

Finally, someone (I believe it was Fr Victor Potapov from St John Baptist Cathedral, Washington, DC) sent along this link & review about an exciting Bible Exhibit.

A current museum exhibit that you might want to visit – “In the Beginning:
Bibles Before the Year 1000″ at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of Art in
Washington, DC.

One of our parishioners wrote this review:

I visited the museum this past Saturday and enjoyed the exhibit a lot.

In the exhibit you can see over 70 of the earliest biblical artifacts in existence, including pages and fragments written in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Armenian, Ethiopian, Coptic, and even Glagolitic!

All exhibits have some kind of bias, and this one if no exception. From the earlier review in I had read in The Washington Post,I was expecting to find the objects accompanied by all the worst sorts of atheist propaganda about how much evolution the Bible had to undergo before it ultimately reaching its settled state; how the authorities worked at suppressing writings from the Christian communities that might have a potential to subvert the dogmatic teachings of the canonical texts; and how the modern techniques of textual criticism have allowed us to scientifically re-construct the “original” sayings of the authors, as separate from later “distortions” inserted by the church authorities, etc.

I was pleased to see that these modernistic elements were hardly in play at all. In fact, the whole presentation was quite reverent towards the texts as deserving of sacred status, and utterly respectful towards the labors of those who made the choice to dedicate all their efforts to copying, illuminating, and preserving them. One literally walks away from this exhibit with the feeling of amazement — not at how MUCH the Bible had to evolve over the course of its development, but how LITTLE! How eloquently this testifies to the stability of faith of the church that was entrusted with making the message of the Gospel available for the enlightenment of the world!

A lot of mention is made of the various archeologists and benefactors who are credited with the “discovery” (though, one sometimes wonders if it might be more accurate to say “stealing”) of early fragments, especially the American early 20th-Century industrialists Charles Lang Freer and Alfred Chester Beatty. Interestingly to me, no mention is made of the Russians, notably Tsar Alexander II, whose patronage made possible the discovery of one of the most significant manuscripts, the Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th century Greek manuscript of the entire Bible in its complete canonical unity as we know it today in the Orthodox Church, with both the Old and New Testaments, including the 15 deutero-canonical books of the Old Testament that were thrown out by the Protestant Reformers.

Two pages from Codex Sinaiticus from the book of the Prophet Ezekiel are the highlight in the exhibit; these were among latter-discovered fragments that were unearthed during restoration works at St. Catherine’s monastery in 1975.

Probably the one impression that will stick with me the longest after the exhibit has closed, is what I was able to observe of how the museum visitors were responding to the exhibit. There were many families. The parents’ comments about the items on display were vivid and remarkably informed. It was evident that many of them were faithful Believers and that they were viewing the experience as a chance to identify with the faith of centuries’-past forebears.

Somehow the exhibit manages to convey the idea that the workmanship of the scribes was not just a boring and tedious endeavor that was groaning for the soonest invention of the printing press and copy machines, but was itself a holy podvig that was worth all expense and effort to undertake. I felt myself drawn in with the spirit of those unnamed scribes whose handling of the words of life was like that expressed by the Prophet David: “The law of Thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold or silver.” (Ps. 118)

Yep! Looks like we all might just be havin’ a Mary Christmas this year!

As far as I’m concerned, that’s a good thing.

Here’s Christianity Today on Mary the Revolutionary.

HT THUNDERSTRUCK

Amy’s perplexed ’bout Prots and Mary.

And, of course, it all stems from this.

Well, actually this.

There’s hope for our motley crew yet …

“All generations shall call me blessed!”

O Sun of righteousness by which the righteous beheld their own selves and became a mirror for their generations, open up within me the gate to awareness of Thee; grant me a joyful mind, one which sails above the rocks of error, so that I may reach that serene haven, as did our fathers of old who pleased Thee with their discerning lives. Sanctify me by Thy Mysteries, illumine my mind with knowledge of Thee, make Thine hope to shine out in my heart, hold me worthy to supplicate for it, O God my Father and Lord of my life; illumine Thy lamp within me, place in me what belongs to Thee so that I may forget what belongs to myself. Cast upon me the constraint of wonder of Thee, so that the constraint of nature may be overpowered by it. Stir up within me the vision of Thy Mysteries so that I may become aware of what was placed in me at holy baptism. Thou hast placed within me a Guide: may He show me Thy glory at all times.

— Saint Isaac of Nineveh

Taken from a Mysticism e-list.