Films about religion have a habit of stirring up controversy - witness Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and The Life of Brian! Mel Gibson's film is therefore following in a long tradition.

This book, written by a star-studded team of international biblical experts, looks not only at The Passion of the Christ itself, but also the religious and cultural contexts behind it, such as the classical art that influenced it, or the way biblical characters are portrayed. Aimed at students of both religion and film studies, the clergy and interested lay people, this book will help the reader to understand both the film and the gospels in a new light.