The 2006 film The Nativity Story, is a retelling of the birth of Jesus and the events surrounding it. The film takes pieces both from the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke in order to create its narrative. The film takes some of its key scenes as well as aspects of both Mary and Joseph from the Bible. The advantage of using both gospels as a basis for the film is that it allows for the dual perspective of Mary and Joseph instead of being limited to one or the other, and allows for a more complete feeling narrative. It then builds upon how the characters of Mary and Joseph are described in both gospels by giving the audience the chance to connect with them at a human level.
One of the key scenes that is taken from Luke is Mary’s visit from Gabriel (Holy Bible: King James Version, Luke 1: 26 -37) Mary is sitting under a tree when Gabriel appears to her as a man dressed in white. Gabriel begins to speak telling her that she has “found favour with God” and that she “will give birth to a son and will call his name Jesus.” As in Luke Mary asks how this is possible as she has been with no man. Gabriel then explains to her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and that the child will be the son of God. He also tells her of her cousin Elizabeth’s pregnancy, and then states “For nothing said by God is impossible.” Mary then proceeds to kneel before Gabriel and says “Let it be done to me according to your word.”
The film of course does not use the dialogue spoken between Gabriel and Mary word for word. It instead chooses to keep a few key parts of what is spoken as its basis. The dialogue is kept shorter likely for the sake of the audience as the film; even by focusing on key pieces of dialogue from the gospels has a run time...
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...ty Story. Dir.Catherine Hardwicke. Perf. Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Hiam Abbass, Shaun Toub, and Alexander Siddig. MMVI New Line Productions, 2006. Film.
Secondary Sources:
Derrett, J. Duncan M.“Oracles, Myth and Luke’s Nativity Story.” Novum testamentumVol.54 No.3 (2012): 258-268. Atla Religion Database. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Nefe, David. “Stepping Out of the Wings.” Christianity Today Vol.50 No. 12 (2006): 32-33. Atla Religion Database. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Moring, Mark. “A Human Retelling: What screen writer Mark Rich was trying to accomplish in The Nativity Story.” Christianity Today Vol. 50 No. 12 (2006): 34. . Atla Religion Database. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Weaver, Dorothy Jean. “‘Wherever This Good News Is Proclaimed’: Women and God in the Gospel of Matthew.” Interpretation Vol.64 No.3 (2010): 390-401. Atla Religion Database. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Kodell, Jerome. "Luke." In The Collegeville Bible Commentary. Edited by Dianne Bergant and Robert J. Karris. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1988.
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible. Eds. Dom Bernand Orchard, Rev. R. V. Fuller. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1966. Print.
The life of Joseph could be considered a foreshadowing of Jesus’ life since there are many similarities. Joseph was the prized son of Rachel to Jacob, which optimized the resentment felt towards him from his other ten brothers, whom later sold him to a caravan traveling to Egypt for slavery. Jesus, likewise the promised Messiah, was rejected by his family and community. Neither of their relatives could perceive the significance of these two men nor notice what God was doing with their lives.
Roberts expresses that the authors relied upon first-hand encounters, oral traditions, and earlier happenings. He profiles how the Gospels bear a resemblance to Hellenistic biographies. “Hellenistic biography and history share in common an ordered narrative of the past” (pg. 87).
One can also say that the story shows the kingship of Christ. The theme of Matthew is the kingship of Christ. It would make total sense f...
events leading to the birth of Jesus including the concept of virginal conception of Mary. Sura Maryam of the Quran specifically talks about this virginal conception
The birth narrative of Luke begins with the announcement of the birth of John, whose mother was Elizabeth. An angel came to Zechariah, Elizabeth?s husband and the angel said that his son John would be in great sight of the Lord that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even in his mother womb and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel...
Senior, Donald. 1998. "The Gospel of Matthew and the Passion of Jesus : Theological and Pastoral Perspectives." Word & World 18, no. 4: 372-379. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed March 13, 2014).
The slight differences in The Passion of the Christ and the gospels' accounts are made to create a more dramatic feeling for the viewer. The addition of devils and Satan to the story adds more emotion, and stresses the dedication Jesus had to his people. Overall, the differences between the stories are to show a more creative depiction of the sacrifice and determination that Jesus gave for his people.
LaHaye, Tim F., and Edward E. Hindson. The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2004.
There was a Roman and Jewish trial. The Roman trial was because Jesus did not pay taxes to Caesar. and for being a “troublemaker” in Luke’s gospel. The Jewish trial was because Jesus called himself the Messiah. Yet with everything Mary stuck by his side. That puts a theory in everyone’s mind that she loved him very much. Mary was an important figure at the cross. Mary was among a few women who wept seeing Jesus suffer and die. In John’s gospel particularly in 19:25 “standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene”(Bible Verses: Mary Magdalene in Scripture). Mark’s gospel says that Mary was in the distance with the other women.
Luke was a doctor and a co-worker with Paul (Colossians 4:14; Philemon v24). Because some spurious stories about Jesus were circulating, Luke decided to interview local eye-witnesses and people who had followed Jesus closely. Luke collated all the interviews into a single account, recording details not mentioned elsewhere, for example regarding the conception and birth of Jesus and Mary's extended family, as you might expect of a doctor.
The four gospels are detailed accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Each portrays a unique story and angle of Jesus, who is the savior of the Jews and the world. Apostle Matthew’s writings are to prove to the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah. Mark stressed the humanity of Jesus and also his deity. Luke wanted to show that the gentile Christian in God’s kingdom is based on the teachings of Jesus. John speaks of Jesus as one sent from God to reveal His love and grace to man. The four gospels work together to elaborate on the several key themes; salvation, spreading His word, and the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise.
Noah. Dir. Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, Niko Henrichon, and Nicolas Sénégas. Paramount Pictures, Regency Enterprises, 2014. Film.
The person Mary Magdalene takes a very interesting role in the movie The Da Vinci Code. The whole point of the movie is to find the Holy Grail. However, the standpoint that this movie takes is that the Holy Grail is not a chalice of some sort, but rather is the womb of a woman, more specifically, the womb of Mary Magdalene. The reasons for the movie presenting this view are many. The movie sites several gospel stories that are in the Gospel of Peter and the Gospel of Mary, but are not actually in the Bible itself. In these two gospels, it says that Mary was the “companion” of Jesus and the literal meaning of the word “companion” at this time meant a spouse. The movie also puts out the idea that Mary Magdalene was actually in the painting of