News Release

The film "The Passion of the Christ" has sparked controversy and discussion while taking in more than $355 million at the box office, but it's only the latest in a long history of images and other representations of Christ's death on the cross.

Have these vivid images of Christ's suffering overwhelmed the story itself? Do the painfully detailed representations interfere with accurate interpretations of the event? And do they themselves incite religious contention?

A panel of scholars will take up these questions in a public symposium on Thursday, April 22 at The Johns Hopkins University's Washington Center. The series of discussions is entitled "The Passion Story: From Visual Representations to Social Drama." The daylong event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. To reserve a space, please call 202-452-1280 or e-mail thoward@jhu.edu.

The symposium is divided into three sessions throughout the day and will include presentations and discussions on such topics as, "How Did Ancient Christianity Become Anti-Jewish?," "Let His Blood Be on Us: The Portrayal of Jesus' Passion in Film," and "Jewish Responses to the Christ-Killer Charge." For a complete list of the day's events, log on to www.jhu.edu/advanced/passion.

Scholars from Princeton University, Johns Hopkins, George Washington University, Boston University, Mount Holyoke College, the University of London and the Wilfred Laurier University will participate.