2004.02.24 – Neither Mr. Gibson nor any interviewee I've heard has made the crucial distinction between Sadducees and Pharisees relative to which sect were "the Jews" who convicted and handed over "Christ" to be crucified by the Hellenist Roman occupiers. This is pivotal because while the Pᵊrush•imꞋ (Pharisees) represented the majority of Jews in the first century – i.e., "the Jews" – and were the forebears of today's Orthodox Jews, the Tzᵊdoq•imꞋ (Sadducees) were despised by "the Jews" as apostate Hellenist Ko•han•eiꞋhâ-RëshꞋa ("Wicked Priests") who had apostatized the Beitha-Mi•qᵊdâshꞋ into a Hellenized "Temple"; collaborators with the hated Hellenist Roman occupiers.
The Tzᵊdoq•imꞋ were Hellenist Jewish aristocrats in bed, collaborating, with the despised Hellenist Roman occupiers and persecutors. The "priests" of the "Temple", including the "High Priest" Caiaphus, were Tzᵊdoq•imꞋ.
Hellenist Tzᵊdoq•imꞋ were abhorred by the Pᵊrush•imꞋ – including the Pᵊrush•iꞋRibꞋi, Yᵊho•shuꞋaBën-Yo•seiphꞋBën-Dâ•widꞋ from BeitLëkhꞋëm – because they were Hellenist Roman-collaborators who weren't even genealogically legitimate Ko•han•imꞋ, but (beginning a couple of centuries before) purchased their illegitimate priesthood from the Hellenist Romans, and officiated as Hellenist Roman sycophants – including Caiaphus.
While Pᵊrush•imꞋ retained great reverence for the priestly offices, the Pᵊrush•imꞋ (and legitimate Tzᵊdoq•imꞋ predominantly at Qum•rânꞋ) were repulsed by the Hellenist Tzᵊdoq•imꞋ who had usurped those priestly offices in their Hellenized "Temple". I provide historical documentation and details in the History Museum pages of our website (www.netzarim.co.il).
It was the HellenistTzᵊdoq•iꞋ – illegitimate, Hellenist, Roman-collaborating – "Wicked Priests", repugnant to "the Jews," who convicted and handed over Pᵊrush•iꞋRibꞋiYᵊho•shuꞋa to be crucified by the Hellenist Roman occupiers.
Politics behind the scenes that drove this chain of events included the Hellenist Tzᵊdoq•iꞋ "priests'" fear that their delicate dance collaborating with their Hellenist Roman occupier-patrons would be shattered by the nationally famous, and increasingly popular, firebrand Pᵊrush•iꞋRibꞋi – Yᵊho•shuꞋa. This is ironic since RibꞋiYᵊho•shuꞋa eschewed revolution in this-world for an eternal next-world spiritual view. But the main engine driving the events seems to have been the Tetrarch, Herod Antipas, who viewed himself as the heir to the claimed throne of his grandfather (Herod the Great) as "King of the Jews." Recall the seriousness with which this perceived threat was feared: his grandfather had killed all of the infants in the small village of BeitLëkhꞋëm in his effort to pinch off at the bud a reported newborn "King of the Jews". In the case of the crucifixion, we find that the Hellenist "Wicked Priest", Caiaphas, was subordinate to, and would have greatly feared, Tetrarch Herod Antipas, who regarded himself as the current "King of the Jews" And, now the reason for the sarcastic and deterrent Hellenist Roman (Greek) plaque above the head of RibꞋiYᵊho•shuꞋa on the cross becomes clear:
This is not the charge that corroborates Christian tradition and that Christians (and modern rabbinic Jews – gullibly accepting Christian tradition instead of documented history) should expect; according to which the Roman plaque should have read either ΟΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ("the Christ") or ΟΥΙΟΣΤΟΥΘΕΟΥ ("the Son of ΘΕΟΥ").
The consequence of this insight is that those who abused, falsely convicted and handed the Pᵊrush•iꞋRibꞋiYᵊho•shuꞋa over to the Hellenist Roman occupiers were as repugnant to "the Jews" as to the movie audience! Anyone who truly isn't miso-Judaic will acknowledge and publish this thoroughly documented historical fact.
Mr. Gibson's movie fails to bring out this historical aspect that would have audiences sympathize with "the Jews" in their repugnance for the Hellenist Tzᵊdoq•iꞋ and Hellenist Roman occupiers' abuse of the Pᵊrush•iꞋRibꞋi, Yᵊho•shuꞋa.
