Jesuit Scholar at Holy Cross to Examine Cinematic Interpretations of Jesus, Gospel

Rev. Lloyd Baugh, S.J., a visiting international Jesuit scholar at the College of the Holy Cross this semester, will give a lecture on the interpretations of the Gospel in Jesus films, Thursday, Feb. 10 at 4:30 p.m. in Rehm Library at Holy Cross. The lecture, presented by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

In his talk, titled “Jesus De-constructed and Re-constructed: Political, Cultural and Personal Subtexts in the Gospel Films,” Fr. Baugh examines Jesus films from the earliest silent movies to Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ to show how filmmakers’ own interests influence their interpretations of Jesus and the Gospel. Baugh will talk about controversial Jesus films — Son of Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Gospel According to St. Matthew, and Passion — and the subtexts at work in them. He will screen a number of film clips to illustrate his points.

A native of Quebec, Fr. Baugh is a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He has taught numerous courses including theological reflection on cinema, theology and communication, and history of cinema. The author of Imaging the Divine: Jesus and Christ Figures in Film (1997) and Imaging Jesus in Film: Sources and Influences, Limits and Possibilities (2007), he has also written many articles in English and Italian. 

To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit www.holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture: Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College's commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.