When I heard a long time ago that Hitler blamed Jews for the death of Jesus Christ, I thought, if true, it was a whack job theory of a monster. Ironically, Jesus and his disciples and followers were Jewish. I came to realize and learn later that the idea of blaming Jews has proliferated among some Christians.
In 1964, the Catholic Church officially declared Jews were not responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the Second Vatican Council's "Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate)" seems to have done little to curtail anti-Semitism in the following decades.
I'm not an expert in Middle East history, but watching what's been happening in the region and the repercussions of the events in recent weeks around the world had left me with a heavy heart.
There was a time centuries ago when Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived in harmony.
Kingdom of Heaven is about Jerusalem during the Christian Crusades when King Baldwin IV reigned over the kingdom. It is a very underappreciated and forgotten film by Ridley Scott, and of all the epic period films directed by the legendary filmmaker--and I've seen them all (except for Napoleon, which comes out later this month)--Kingdom of Heaven is his best, even better than Gladiator, in my humble opinion. Released in 2005, the movie has some of the best cinematography, reminiscent of epic classics of the 1960s, like Lawrence of Arabia and Spartacus, and features a superstar cast.
Incidentally, Scott had to substantially edit down his film to appease 20th Century Fox, but there is a director's cut that adds 45 minutes and is considered better than the theatrical version.
Kingdom of Heaven is about one historical chapter of Jerusalem, yet its story is so incredible, and the screenplay is superbly written. One of the most fascinating characters and historical figures of all time is King Baldwin IV, who suffered from leprosy. Even with his debilitating disease, he wanted unity and championed harmony between the peoples of different religions.
As often said, there are two kinds of people, and for me, I see troublemakers and evildoers, like terrorists and far-right-wing extremists, and advocates for harmony and peace. I wish more people were the latter, like King Baldwin IV. When people say "history repeats itself," it usually has a negative connotation, but Kingdom of Heaven tells the history of a few who truly wanted to fight for the greater good.
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