(Note: This was written during my visit to the US in 2004. The
hot movie during that visit was Mel Gibson's The Passion..., rated R for showing excessive violence and torture. It
became the seventh biggest US box-office hit in movie history, and broke
many other records worldwide.)
The Passion of Christ
(Some of my thoughts & a remarkable
Chinese poem)
By Michael Krigline,
March 2004
Note: The word “passion” came to English (12th century) via
French from the Latin stem passion, meaning “suffering,
affection,” which came from pati “to suffer.” When capitalized,
“the Passion” refers to...
Mel Gibson’s movie... has stirred up a lot of controversy here in the States. Some say
that it is the most controversial movie of the new century, even though it
has also been one of the biggest box office successes in movie history. So
far, it has earned over $300 million, and we are still a few weeks from the
Easter season it so graphically presents on the screen. This is especially
amazing since no Hollywood studios were willing to undertake the project,
leaving Mel Gibson to provide funding and produce it himself.
A lot of the debate comes from those who
wonder if it is wise to so accurately portray the events written of in the...
Let me close by sharing the translation of
a remarkable poem, written some 300 years ago by a Qing Dynasty Emperor. In
reading these words, one can’t help but wonder if this gifted leader had
figured out the answer to the question Governor Pilate asked Jesus centuries
before: “What is the Truth?”
“The Cross” by Chinese Emperor Kangxi
康熙“赞十架”诗 （原载《普天颂赞》）
功成十架血成溪，百丈恩流分自西。
身列四衙半夜路，徒方三背两番鸡。
五千鞭挞寸肤裂，六尺悬垂二盗齐。
惨动八垓惊九品，七言一毕万灵啼。
--my translation (with the help of Kei Li):
A mission was fulfilled when the blood
from the Cross became a stream,
And grace a hundred-fold flowed from the West.
Captured and escorted by guards, he walked the midnight road;
A disciple turned away three times before roosters crowed.
Countless lashes broke his skin;
Six feet above he hung, with two thieves.
Tragic and savage, it moved the whole world and startled officials of every
rank;
Seven last words, it is finished; a multitude of souls weep aloud.
Notes: Chinese Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722)
was the second emperor of the Qing
Dynasty. He ascended to the throne at age 6 and took full power at age 13;
his reign of 61 years makes him China's longest-reigning emperor since 221
B.C. I've also heard that he is regarded as one of China's best emperors. Chinese poetry is very difficult to translate,
and this type in particular must abide by strict rules that limit the number
of characters, thus it uses
abbreviated terms and densely packed ideas. Notice how much longer the
English is than the Chinese! Page 255 of Faith of Our Fathers by Chan
Kei Thong does a great job of showing how ingenious this poem really is in
its original language.
See a picture of the "empty
tomb" below (and on our Israel photo page).
Read some thoughts for children on Easter by
clicking here: A Bird's Eye View of Easter
or here
Easter for Kids 中文.
A holiday summary
for students/teachers is also available.
