Something I wrote for REL 156

“Jesus the Jew”

The film, “Jesus the Jew” explained Jesus’ life from the Jewish perspective, suggesting that Jesus was solely a human. Throughout the documentary, it was explained that Jesus was a man who was perceived as a messiah due to certain optimal conditions, resulting in the Christian faith. During Rabbi David Rosen’s interview, it was expressed that Jesus was merely “articulating fundamental Jewish ideas.” Towards the end of the movie, Jesus was depicted as having human emotions such as “a panic attack.”

According to the film, Jesus was viewed as a messiah, starting with his birth in Bethlehem, and continuing to his being an assistant to John the Baptist. It was noticed that Jesus was able to work miracles, which led to the gathering of followers. Despite the fact that Jesus was a Jew, others of his faith regarded him as a threat. Since then, Christian churches have been built on the sites of Jesus’ miracles, culminating in a tourist attraction; in other words, Jesus remains the messiah to Christians today. The movie also addresses the friction between the two religions: Christianity and Judaism. At the same time, the film discusses the loss felt by the Jewish religion in having shunned the history of Jesus from their teachings. Because the documentary is viewed from a Jewish perspective, Jesus is seen as a human. Rabbi Rosen mentions that Passover is a time for uprisings; since Jesus was seen as a reformer, the whole situation seemed to be blown out of proportion. In conclusion, the film focused on Jesus as a human Jew who was idealized by the people of the times.