THIS IS CANADIAN CULTURE?

A fellow named Donald Harman Akenson who is a recipient of the Molson laureateship for contribution to Canadian culture (whatever that is) tells us there's no real defense for making a film faithful to the Gospels. Akenson writes, "Of the Four Gospels, the Gospel of John is the closest to being hate literature." You like to see the Gospel of Love being called "hate literature." You see this whole Jewish-Christian thing is just a funny little squabble that got out of hand:

The Fourth Gospel is part of a nasty exchange of polemics between two sects of Judaism (something the prologue of Mr. Drabinsky's production recognizes fleetingly). This obscure argument would have mere curiosity value except for two huge magnifiers.

First, these two sects were the only viable survivors from among the two or three dozen Jewish sects that had flourished in Jerusalem in the late Second Temple era. Then, in 70 AD, Rome destroyed the Temple and nearly levelled Jerusalem. Of all the forms of Judaism, only the descendants of the Pharisees adapted sufficiently to survive: The main group became the founders of modern Judaism, and a second bunch, a slightly off-brand set, the followers of Yeshua of Nazareth, became the forebears of Christianity.

Even so, the rivalry of these two groups would have been merely a cat fight in a Middle Eastern sandbox had not the Roman Empire turned Christian in the fourth century, a win for the Yeshua crowd. Suddenly, arcane polemics of the first century AD were broadcast empire-wide and eventually worked their influence on governmental policies in dozens of Western countries for several centuries.

Sadly, for the good Mr. Akenson--stalwart of "Canadian culture--Christianity actually had influence on Western countries "for several centuries." I think one could safely say that.

Akenson concludes:

Why would anyone want to be faithful to such a text? It can be redeemed by informed, discriminating and gentle scholarship. But, to film a literal version of the Gospel of John is like filming a faithful version of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Garth, Mel, you're missing the point. To claim faithfulness to the text of the fourth Gospel is not a defence of your films.

The reason for the decline of Western civilization can be seen clearly when one honored for contributing to Canadian culture can, in effect, place himself in the position of having a more positive influence on culture than Jesus Christ did.

Suggested reading for Mr. Akenson:
Christianity and Culture, by T.S. Eliot
Christianity and European Culture, by Christopher Dawson (edited by Gerald J. Russello)
The Roots of American Order, by Russell Kirk