As pre-released publicity draws crowds to Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, controversy surrounds the film's reconstruction of the last twelve hours of Jesus' life: How does Gibson's literal interpretation of the Gospels challenge modern Christian theologians' understanding of the text? Will the film's dramatic account of Jewish involvement in Jesus' arrest and crucifixion lead to an increase in antisemitic acts? How will the film affect Jewish-Christian relations?

To examine the impact that popular interpretations of religious texts, such as Gibson's film, can have on public discourse and the formulation of public policy, the Interreligious Center on Public Life (ICPL), a joint venture of Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School, will sponsor a conference, Sacred Texts: The Uses and Abuses of Scripture in Public Discourse and Popular Culture, May 10–11, at both campuses. Bringing together Jewish, Christian and Islamic scholars with clergy, educators and religious leaders of all three religions, the conference will include sessions on the interpretation of authority and dissent within the Abrahamic faith traditions; text study of key passages in the Torah, Qur'an and New Testament; and comparative analysis of each faith's view of Moses, Jesus and Mohammed.

A highlight of the conference will be a public forum, May 10 at 7:30 p.m., on The Uses and Abuses of Scripture in Public Discourse and Popular Culture, focusing on Gibson's film and Salman Rushdie's novel, Satanic Verses. Discussants will include Hebrew College President David Gordis, Rabbi Moshe Waldoks of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Dr. Greg Mobley of ANTS and Dr. Ahmed al Rahim of Harvard University.

"It's a critical time in Muslim/Christian/Jewish relations, and we wanted to do something to help decrease the level of bitterness and divisiveness," says Rabbi Sandy Seltzer, director of the ICPL. "Working with rabbis, priests, ministers and religious leaders to develop a deeper understanding of the critical texts of each faith will hopefully be one very important avenue for achieving this."

For more information, please contact Leslie Schweitzer at 617-559-8798 or lschweitzer@hebrewcollege.edu.

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