Jesus: Who Do Men Say That I Am?

"He was a fun-loving guy who liked to party with the wrong people," says one interviewee, touching on the enigmatic nature of Jesus of Nazareth, arguably the central character in all of human history. In this fascinating documentary, scholars from Jewish, Christian, and other backgrounds explore the question of who Jesus was and why there is so much controversy over both his life and death. Factual evidence beyond the Bible is skimpy, and what's been translated from the contemporary Dead Sea Scrolls, thus far, sheds no light to support or negate the claims of the four Gospel writers. Part of Christ's mystery lies in the semi-contradictory nature of his behavior: he is mover to both acts of extraordinary kindness and acts of rage or sheer petulance (the blasting of the fig tree, for example). Christian scholars bemoan the fact that Christ is often lumped with Buddha or Mohammed, pointing out that this ignores the boldness of Jesus' claim: namely, that he and God were one. Jewish commentators disagree on Christ's divinity, citing the sheer amount of misery around us today ("this is a world which is not redeemed") as evidence that the Messiah has yet to appear. Neither an inspirational puff piece, nor a skeptical attack, Jesus: "Who Do Men Say That I Am? is an even-handed, thought-provoking examination of its subject. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)