You can’t erase hope.|Sep. 03, 2021|United States|n/A
Genre: Adventure;Drama;Reality;Romance;Thriller
Description: When Rita Brock and Rebecca Parker embarked on their journey across the Mediterranean to explore art depicting the crucified Jesus, they uncovered a surprising historical detail often overlooked or minimized in traditional accounts of Christianity and its art: it took a thousand years for Jesus Christ to be portrayed as dead. In the first millennium of Christianity, artists predominantly depicted Christ as a vibrant, living presence in a world full of life. He was shown as a shepherd, teacher, healer, and enthroned deity, appearing as an infant, youth, and elder, but never as a lifeless figure. Even when the cross was present, it served as a backdrop to his serene, resurrected form, surrounded by a world radiating beauty—a portrayal of paradise on Earth, infused with divine presence.
However, once Jesus began to be depicted as dead, the focus shifted overwhelmingly to his suffering. “Saving Paradise” provides a unique perspective on the evolution of Christianity, tracing how its early vision of paradise transformed into one centered on pain and death. The book examines the societal and theological shifts of the medieval period that gave rise to images of the crucified Christ, revealing the imperial strategies embedded in doctrines of redemptive violence. It also sheds light on Christianity’s association with holy war and how the colonization of the New World perpetuated the loss of a spiritual understanding of paradise in the present life.
Brock and Parker revive the ancient belief that salvation is rooted in the paradise of this world and this life, proposing a bold new theology that champions justice, peace, and love for the earth. By embracing a theology of redemptive beauty, they offer a fresh path for Christianity’s future, one that seeks to reclaim paradise in the here and now.
Cast director: Jay Silverman
Cast actor: William Moseley, Johanna Braddy, Mimi Kennedy, Shashawnee Hall, Mary Pat Gleason, Paul Dooley, Bill Cobbs, Lawrence Pressman, James Eckhouse, Andrew Patrick Ralston
Original name: Saving Paradise