As Gibson Flick Hits Theatres, Novelist Argues for Jesus' Love

Dr. James Joseph Cook, PhD from Yale in religion, takes on Gibson's themes in his blockbuster novel, "The Judgment of Christ"--with completely different results.

ANN ARBOR, MI (PRWEB) February 1, 2004 -- Dr. James Joseph Cook didn't know about Mel Gibson's new movie, "The Passion of the Christ" when he wrote his new 450-page epic novel, The Judgment of Christ--but he's grateful that Jesus is in the public eye once again.

In Cooks elegantly written book, a woman calls out from Auschwitz to hold God accountable for the Holocaust. Assassinated by the camp commander, she is met by Lucifer as she enters the spirit-realm, and the two put Jesus on trial for His crimes.

The book also features Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes as judge; philosopher William James as defense attorney; Lucifer as prosecutor; and saints, angels, and historical and fictional characters weaving in and out of the narrative.

Cook, a 15-year college professor with a doctorate in religion from Yale, has written two previous books and a play. Like Gibson (whose movie has been attacked both for its graphic violence and for its ability to be interpreted as anti-Semitic), he is not afraid to be controversial.

In his book, Jesus and the Auschwitz survivor become part of a love triangle. "Jesus embraced human sexuality. People have to give themselves passionately to life, and then they'll find what they're seeking. This is really what Jesus is about--how to make that connection of love. It wasnt about starting a new religion."

In the Gibson movie, the shadowy figure of Satan hovers near several of the Jewish characters-but not the Romans who ultimately ordered and carried out his death. Cook would like to put that image to rest once and for all. Jesus wasnt killed by the Jews. The crucifixion wasnt melodrama; it was a dirty little execution. And if you read the Gospels, Jesus was very scared-he did not feel in control."

What does Cook hope to find in Gibson's movie? "What I will be looking for is the portrayal of a Jesus of total vulnerability and absolute courage-a Jesus who is so terrified of dying on the cross that he sweats blood; a Jesus who goes to the cross not because he knows or feels or believes something the rest of us dont, but because his heart demands that he stand up to the hypocrisy, greed, indifference and fear that holds everyone else in thrall. This is Jesus humanity, and this is how he brings into the world the power of his divinity."

Cooks The Judgment of Christ is available for $24.95 through Publish America publishers, online through Amazon and BN.com, and through the JudgementofChrist.com website.

Judgment of Christ * James Joseph Cook * ISBN 1413706630 * Publish America * 446 pages * Retail price $24.95 * Release date: February 2004 * www.JudgementofChrist.com

Contact Information:
Yuko Takatori, publicist
(734) 913-5898/ (734) 223-6068
info@JudgementofChrist.com

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