Blogcritics on Easter, Passover, Holy Week 2006

It is no coincidence that the profoundly resonant themes of Easter — resurrection, victory over death, the bodhisattva returned to walk among us — and Passover — escape of the Chosen from death and bondage, freedom! — arise in the heart of spring as Mother Nature and her charges stir, stretch and manifest themselves once more. Nor could the symbols be more obvious: bunnies, eggs, “nests” of grass, gathering baskets, chicks, lilies in bloom.

Nor is it a coincidence that we have some very fine writing at the confluence of Holy Week and Passover:

A Review of The Ten Commandments: The Biggest Easter Egg in History
Long after I got tired of pretending that a giant rabbit had hidden a bunch of colored eggs around the house, Easter retained its savor for me because I knew that once Passover passed overhead, ABC would once again be…
Posted to Video by Steven Hart on April 16, 2006 11:53 AM

Jesus Loved Us So Much it Hurt: A Reaction to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ
After seeing director Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, my first thought was this: the Jesus depicted in this movie is without question the most authentic one in the history of film. The character speaks Aramaic, Hebrew, and Latin…
Posted to Video by Victor Lana on April 16, 2006 12:03 AM

Passover And Easter: Uneasy Neighbours
A friend of mine sent me an email the other day containing a series of letters to the editor that one of the English newspapers hadn’t published. While some were sort of stupid and others mildly amusing, one had me…
Posted to Culture by Richard Marcus on April 15, 2006 03:27 PM

Manchester Unites For Passion Play
I was astonished. Manchester, the BBC, and the Easter story re-told in modern form, with rock songs and well-known performers? Manchester was used as the backdrop for a modern musical version of the crucifixion. Keith Allen was superb as a…
Posted to Culture by Jim Symcox on April 15, 2006 04:08 AM

The Not-Quite-Sunday Funnies
Happy Easter and Happy Passover, from all of us at The Not-Quite-Sunday Funnies…
Posted to Culture by Annie on April 14, 2006 05:18 PM

The Mystery and Glory of Holy Week
As my four year old daughter and I left a department store yesterday, we were confronted by a giant electronic Easter Bunny that was rising out of a cracked egg. The bunny’s arms were outstretched and it had a silly…
Posted to Culture by Victor Lana on April 14, 2006 03:49 AM

The Ninety-Sixth Thesis: The Mandate of Heaven
When men lack a sense of awe, there will be disaster. —Lao Tsu One of my teacher/mentors once told me that I reminded him of Martin Luther, so in honor of him, the ninety-five theses, and this Easter time of year, I’m…
Posted to Culture by John Spivey on April 13, 2006 04:31 PM

The Last Seder
Despite the fact that I haven’t attended a Seder for lo these many years, Passover remains my favorite Jewish holiday. Though my mother was Jewish and my father was Christian, neither of them were really too hip on celebrating their…
Posted to Culture by Elvira Black on April 13, 2006 07:58 AM

Reflections on Maundy Thursday
Baptists are not, as a rule, liturgical people. Normally that doesn’t bother me much, but when it comes to Holy Week, I start wishing we had more tradition associated with worship. Maundy Thursday is usually the big day…
Posted to Culture by Warren Kelly on April 13, 2006 02:41 AM

Passover and the Jews
I’m not a big fan of the current trend in some quarters to universalize Jewish holidays, calling Passover the “Festival of Freedom,” for instance, and then trying to apply its lessons to, say, gays suffering under the yoke of modern…
Posted to Culture by Joshua Sharf on April 12, 2006 09:21 PM

Pessah – Z’man Herutéinu: Passover, the Celebration of Our Freedom
This is that tricky time of day, between the time after we have removed all the leavened products from our home and before we have a Seder, an ordered meal describing the Exodus from Egypt, known in Hebrew as Yetziát…
Posted to Culture by Ruvy in Jerusalem on April 12, 2006 10:54 AM

Movie Review: When Do We Eat?
It’s no main course, but it’s a delightful appetizer that will keep you satisfied until the next big comedy rolls around.
Posted to Video by El Bicho on April 8, 2006 11:22 AM

Easter Bunny Gets Booted in Minnesota
In what will surely be touted as yet another example of the “war” on religion, Easter decorations in the St. Paul, Minnesota, city council offices were taken down after questions were raised about whether it was appropriate to recognize…
Posted to Culture by Sean Aqui on March 24, 2006 08:31 PM