Life of Brian or Life of Jesus? Uses of Critical Biblical Scholarship and Non-orthodox Views of Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian

Authors

  • James G. Crossley University of Sheffield

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11157/rsrr1-1-10

Abstract

It is often argued that Monty Python’s Life of Brian should not be regarded as blasphemous or offensive, largely because Brian and Jesus are two distinct characters in the film. Many religious opponents have claimed otherwise. This article argues that to some degree these pious opponents have a point: Brian does in someway represent Jesus. What Life of Brian does, through interaction with scholarly literature and ideas, is to attribute to Brian a whole host of mildly subversive and critical views about Jesus and effectively create a critical life of Jesus.

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Published

2011-07-12

How to Cite

Crossley, J. G. (2011). Life of Brian or Life of Jesus? Uses of Critical Biblical Scholarship and Non-orthodox Views of Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Relegere: Studies in Religion and Reception, 1(1), 93–114. https://doi.org/10.11157/rsrr1-1-10

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)

Section

Articles

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