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155-508: The Greatest Story Ever Told originated as a half-hour radio series in 1947, inspired by the four canonical Gospels . The series was later adapted into a 1949 novel by Fulton Oursler . In 1954, Twentieth Century Fox acquired the film rights to Oursler's novel, but development stalled for several years. In November 1958, Stevens became involved with the project, which he agreed to write and direct. However, in September 1961, Fox withdrew from

310-423: A 3 hr 19 min (199 min) version along with a documentary called He Walks With Beauty (2011), which details the film's tumultuous production history. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times described the film as the "world's most conglomerate Biblical picture" with "scenes in which the grandeur of nature is brilliantly used to suggest the surge of the human spirit in waves of exaltation and awe." However, he felt

465-477: A Roman centurion. An urban legend told of Wayne delivering his only spoken line in the film, "Truly this man was the Son of God" three times, none of which worked to Stevens's satisfaction. Stevens advised, "Can you give it a little more awe, Duke?" Wayne then repeated: "Aw, truly this man was the Son of God." In 1984, film critic Michael Medved and his brother Harry playfully noted: "It is impossible for those watching

620-456: A down payment of $ 110,000, plus a percentage of the gross. Denker wrote a draft of the script, but the studio did not move the project into production. When Zanuck left the studio in 1956, the project was abandoned. In September 1958, Philip Dunne briefly became involved with the project, after signing on as a producer. In November 1958, while George Stevens was filming The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) at 20th Century Fox, he became aware that

775-498: A fabrication since different eyewitnesses would have perceived and remembered differently. According to Chris Keith, a historical Jesus is "ultimately unattainable, but can be hypothesized on the basis of the interpretations of the early Christians , and as part of a larger process of accounting for how and why early Christians came to view Jesus in the ways that they did." According to Keith, "these two models are methodologically and epistemologically incompatible," calling into question

930-562: A few seconds) were played by Michael Ansara , Carroll Baker , Ina Balin , Robert Blake , Pat Boone , Victor Buono , John Considine , Richard Conte , John Crawford , Cyril Delevanti , Jamie Farr , David Hedison , Van Heflin , Russell Johnson , Angela Lansbury , Mark Lenard , Robert Loggia , John Lupton , Janet Margolin , Sal Mineo , Nehemiah Persoff , Marian Seldes , David Sheiner , Abraham Sofaer , Paul Stewart , Michael Tolan , John Wayne , and Shelley Winters . Richard Bakalyan and Marc Cavell , in uncredited roles, played

1085-544: A guarantee of his reliability, and the Synoptic Gospels are the primary sources for Christ's ministry. Assessments of the reliability of the Gospels involve not just the texts but studying the long oral and written transmission behind them using methods like memory studies and form criticism , with different scholars coming to different conclusions. James D.G. Dunn believed that the earliest tradents within

1240-492: A heart attack during production; Loyal Griggs , who won an Academy Award for his cinematography on Stevens's 1953 Western classic Shane , was brought in to replace him. By the summer of 1963, Stevens had met with Arthur B. Krim , the chairman of United Artists, and agreed to allow other directors to direct several sequences so the film would be finished. Fred Zinnemann contacted David Lean , asking if he would consider directing second unit for two sequences. Lean accepted

1395-457: A huge number of fish. Immediately after this, they follow Him. The Gospel of John gives a comparable account of "The First Disciples". In John, the readers are told that it was two disciples of John the Baptist (Andrew and an unnamed disciple) who heard John the Baptist announce Jesus as the " Lamb of God " and then followed Jesus. Andrew then went to his brother Simon, saying, "We have found

1550-594: A major saint and the founder of the Church of Antioch and the Church of Rome , but they differ in their attitudes regarding the authority of his successors . According to Catholic teaching , Jesus promised Peter a special position in the Church. In the New Testament , the name "Simon Peter" is found 19 times. He is the brother of Saint Andrew , and they both were fishermen . The Gospel of Mark in particular

1705-581: A manger . Mary states that the child's name is Jesus . As the local shepherds watch, the Magi present gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant. After observing the distant spies' departure, the magi leave, then an angel's voice warns Joseph to "take the child" and "flee." The spies inform Herod of what has occurred, and he decides to kill the child by ordering the death of every new-born boy in Bethlehem . He dies after being informed that "not one

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1860-562: A miracle that astonishes the citizens of Jerusalem who witness it, but concerns the Pharisees. Judas questions why Mary Magdalene is anointing Jesus with expensive oil , and Jesus states she is preparing him for his death. Jesus then dons a new garment, and rides on a donkey into Jerusalem . In the courtyard of the Temple , Jesus is angered by the merchants selling items for sacrifices, and drives them and money changers away . Even though it

2015-585: A mysterious hermit , the personification of Satan . The Dark Hermit tempts Jesus three times , but each temptation is overcome by Jesus, who leaves and continues climbing as John's message echoes in his mind. He returns to the valley, where he tells the Baptist that he is returning to Galilee. Four men, Judas Iscariot and the Galilean fishermen Andrew , Peter , and John , ask to go with him. Jesus welcomes them, promising to make them " fishers of men ." He tells them parables and other teachings, which attract

2170-693: A party of "Cephas". First Corinthians suggests that perhaps Peter visited the city of Corinth, located in Greece, during their missions. Dionysius, bishop of Corinth , in his Epistle to the Roman Church under Pope Soter (A.D. 165–174), declares that Peter and Paul founded the Church of Rome and the Church of Corinth, and they have lived in Corinth for some time, and finally in Italy where they found death: You have thus by such an admonition bound together

2325-562: A reminiscent scene in John's epilogue, Peter affirms three times that he loves Jesus. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians contains a list of resurrection appearances of Jesus , the first of which is an appearance to Peter. Here, Paul apparently follows an early tradition that Peter was the first to see the risen Christ, which, however, did not seem to have survived to the time when the gospels were written. In John's gospel, Peter

2480-497: A stable tradition resulting in little invention in the Gospels. Le Donne expressed himself thusly vis-a-vis more skeptical scholars, "He (Dale Allison) does not read the gospels as fiction, but even if these early stories derive from memory, memory can be frail and often misleading. While I do not share Allison's point of departure (i.e. I am more optimistic), I am compelled by the method that came from it." Dale Allison emphasizes

2635-473: A tax collector whom Jesus soon asks to join them. After consideration, Matthew does so. In the local synagogue , Jesus once again teaches, then miraculously helps a crippled man to walk again . Upon seeing this, many people begin to follow Jesus on his journey and gather to listen to his teachings. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem priests and Pharisees are troubled by the continuing influence and preaching of John

2790-409: A traveling exhibition of props, costumes, and photographs that toured museums around the country. Promotional items made available to groups identified for market segmentation included school study guides, children's books, and a reprint of the original novel by Oursler. Previews of the film were shown to leading industrialists, psychologists, government officials, religious leaders, and officials from

2945-650: A trip by Paul the Apostle to Jerusalem where he meets Peter. Peter features again in Galatians, fourteen years later, when Paul (now with Barnabas and Titus ) returned to Jerusalem. When Peter came to Antioch , Paul opposed Peter to his face "because he [Peter] was in the wrong". Acts 12 narrates how Peter, who was in Jerusalem, was put into prison by Agrippa I (AD 42–44) but was rescued by an angel . After his liberation Peter left Jerusalem to go to "another place". Concerning Peter's subsequent activity there

3100-484: A uncredited appearance as a Roman citizen who glares at Pilate when he gives in to the crowd's demand that he crucify Jesus. By November 1961, Stevens had finished writing the script. Financial excesses grew during pre-production. Stevens commissioned French artist André Girard to prepare 352 oil paintings of Biblical scenes to use as storyboards. Stevens traveled to the Vatican to see Pope John XXIII for advice. For

3255-567: A variety of reasons, the majority of scholars have abandoned this view or hold it only tenuously. Most scholars believe that the Historical Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet who predicted the imminent end or transformation of the world, though others, notably the Jesus Seminar , disagree. As eyewitnesses began to die, and as the missionary needs of the church grew, there was an increasing demand and need for written versions of

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3410-489: A week," though an elder scribe doubts it. Later, while he was with his disciples, Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and others, Jesus ascends to heaven , leaving them with his final commands as clouds engulf him. He then states that he will always be with them, "even unto the end of the world," and his image fades into the clouds, and to a painting of him on the church wall as Handel 's "Hallelujah Chorus " plays. Smaller credited roles (some appearing for only

3565-465: Is Passover , the Pharisees' attempt to arrest Jesus is impeded by the large crowd. In the Temple courtyard, Jesus begins to teach, but leaves after Pilate dispatches soldiers to restore peace and close the gates, and many in the crowd are killed . While the disciples gather to prepare and partake in an evening meal , Judas leaves to meet with the Pharisees where he promises to hand Jesus over to them on

3720-543: Is a lot less vulgar [than Cecil B. DeMille 's Biblical films], though audiences are apt to be intimidated by its pretentious solemnity, which amounts to 3 hours and 41 minutes' worth of impeccable boredom. As for vigorous ideas, there are none that would seem new to a beginners' class in Bible study." Brendan Gill wrote in The New Yorker : "If the subject matter weren't sacred in the original, we would be responding to

3875-426: Is alive." However, Joseph and Mary have escaped into Egypt with Jesus. Later when a messenger inform the couple and others of Herod's death, they return to their hometown of Nazareth . A pro-Israel rebellion breaks out in Jerusalem against Herod's son, Herod Antipas , but the conflict is quickly quashed. Herod's kingdom is divided, Judea is placed under a governor, and Herod becomes tetrarch of Galilee and

4030-849: Is always listed first among the Twelve Apostles in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts . Along with James the Elder and John he formed an informal triumvirate within the Twelve Apostles. Jesus allowed them to be the only apostles present at three particular occasions during his public ministry, the Raising of Jairus' daughter , Transfiguration of Jesus and Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane . Peter often confesses his faith in Jesus as

4185-478: Is at first acclaimed but then rejected, betrayed, and crucified, and when the women who have followed him come to his tomb, they find it empty. Mark never calls Jesus "God" or claims that he existed prior to his earthly life, apparently believes that he had a normal human parentage and birth, and makes no attempt to trace his ancestry back to King David or Adam ; it originally ended at Mark 16:8 and had no post-resurrection appearances , although Mark 16:7, in which

4340-435: Is disputed, some saying that its usual meaning is "rock" or "crag", others saying that it means rather "stone" and, particularly in its application by Jesus to Simon, like a "jewel", but most scholars agree that as a proper name, it denotes a rough or tough character... Both meanings, "stone" (jewel or hewn stone) and "rock", are indicated in dictionaries of Aramaic and Syriac . Catholic theologian Rudolf Pesch argues that

4495-645: Is instead spelled " Simeon " ( Συμεών in Greek). The variation possibly reflects "the well-known custom among Jews at the time of giving the name of a famous patriarch or personage of the Old Testament to a male child [i.e., Simeon ] along with a similar sounding Greek/Roman name [in this case, Simon]". He was later given by Jesus the name Cephas ( / ˈ s iː f ə s / ), from the Aramaic כֵּיפָא , Kepha , 'rock/stone'. In translations of

4650-418: Is no further connected information from the extant sources, although there are short notices of certain individual episodes of his later life. The synoptic gospels mention that Peter had a mother-in-law at the time he joined Jesus, and that Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law. However, the gospels give no information about his wife. Clement of Alexandria claimed that Peter's wife was executed for her faith by

4805-840: Is not the Jordan, nor is Southern Utah Palestine. But our intention is to romanticize the area, and it can be done better here." Principal photography began on October 29, 1962, at the Crossing of the Fathers along the Colorado River . The first sequence shot was the baptism of Jesus . The Pyramid Lake in Nevada represented the Sea of Galilee , and Lake Moab in Utah was used to film the Sermon on

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4960-410: Is offered a drink from a wine soaked sponge, and dies as the storm erupts. A centurion states that he was the " Son of God ." Peter mourns as Jesus is being laid to rest in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The Pharisees ask for Pilate to place guards around the tomb and seal it, to prevent a possible theft of the corpse that could potentially fulfil a prophecy of His resurrection . Pilate agrees, but on

5115-509: Is often repeated in the service of worship on Maundy Thursday by some Christian denominations . The three synoptic gospels all mention that, when Jesus was arrested, one of his companions cut off the ear of a servant of the High Priest of Israel . The Gospel of John also includes this event and names Peter as the swordsman and Malchus as the victim. Luke adds that Jesus touched the ear and miraculously healed it. This healing of

5270-772: Is once referred to as "prominent" or "head" among the Apostles, a title shared with Paul in the text ( The Fraction of Fast and Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ). Some, including the Orthodox Churches, believe this is not the same as saying that the other Apostles were under Peter's orders. According to the Epistle to the Galatians ( 2:11 ), Peter went to Antioch where Paul rebuked him for following

5425-409: Is provided by Jesuit Father Daniel J. Harrington , who suggests that Peter was an unlikely symbol of stability. While he was one of the first disciples called and was the spokesman for the group, Peter is also the exemplar of "little faith". In Matthew 14 , Peter will soon have Jesus say to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?", and he will eventually deny Jesus three times. Thus, in light of

5580-574: Is regarded as the first leader of the early Church, though he was soon eclipsed in this leadership by James the Just, "the brother of the Lord" . Because Peter was the first to whom Jesus appeared, the leadership of Peter forms the basis of the Apostolic succession and the institutional power of orthodoxy, as the heirs of Peter, and he is described as "the rock" on which the church will be built. Peter

5735-483: Is sick. After Andrew and Nathaniel escort Lazarus to his home in Bethany, Jesus heals Aram's sight. As Herod's soldiers draw nearer, Jesus and the others flee. When informed that Lazarus is dying, Jesus does not go immediately to Bethany, but to the Jordan with the group where he prays . Andrew and Nathaniel return, informing them that Lazarus has died, and Jesus travels to Bethany where he brings Lazarus back to life ,

5890-677: Is that Peter had a group of 12 to 16 followers, whom the Clementine writings name. Another is that it provides an itinerary of Peter's route from Caesarea Maritima to Antioch, where he debated his adversary Simon Magus ; during this journey he ordained Zacchaeus as the first bishop of Caesarea and Maro as the first bishop of Tripolis . Historian Fred Lapham suggests the route recorded in the Clementine writings may have been taken from an earlier document mentioned by Epiphanius of Salamis in his Panarion called "The Itinerary of Peter". Peter may have visited Corinth , and maybe there existed

6045-406: Is that the authors of Matthew and Luke based their narratives on Mark's gospel, editing him to suit their own ends, and the contradictions and discrepancies among these three versions and John make it impossible to accept both traditions as equally reliable with regard to the historical Jesus. In addition, the gospels read today have been edited and corrupted over time, leading Origen to complain in

6200-547: Is the Messiah , prompting Jesus to anoint him as "the rock on which [he] will build [his] church." At Nazareth, the people refuse to believe in Jesus and his miracles and demand to see for themselves by bringing a blind man named Aram and demanding that Jesus make him see. When he does not, the people are disgusted that he dare call himself the Son of God, and briefly try to stone him. Later Jesus reunites with his mother, and greets Mary, Martha as well as their brother Lazarus who

6355-400: Is the first person to enter the empty tomb , although the women and the beloved disciple see it before him. In Luke's account, the women's report of the empty tomb is dismissed by the apostles, and Peter is the only one who goes to check for himself, running to the tomb. After seeing the graveclothes, he goes home, apparently without informing the other disciples. In the final chapter of

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6510-433: Is the first to make Christological judgements outside the context of the narrative of Jesus's life. He presents a significantly different picture of Jesus's career, omitting any mention of his ancestry, birth and childhood, his baptism , temptation and transfiguration ; his chronology and arrangement of incidents is also distinctly different, clearly describing the passage of three years in Jesus's ministry in contrast to

6665-429: Is there, in the area of Caesarea Philippi , that he receives from Jesus the name Cephas (Aramaic Kepha ), or Peter (Greek Petros ). In Luke , Simon Peter owns the boat that Jesus uses to preach to the multitudes who were pressing on him at the shore of Lake Gennesaret . Jesus then amazes Simon and his companions James and John (Andrew is not mentioned) by telling them to lower their nets, whereupon they catch

6820-676: Is too one-sided, noting that memory "is nevertheless sufficiently stable to authentically bring the past to bear on the present" and that people are beholden to memory's successes in everyday life. Craig Keener , drawing on the works of previous studies by Dunn, Alan Kirk, Kenneth Bailey , and Robert McIver, among many others, utilizes memory theory and oral tradition to argue that the Gospels are in many ways historically accurate. His work has been endorsed by Markus Bockmuehl , James Charlesworth , and David Aune , among others. According to Bruce Chilton and Craig Evans , "...the Judaism of

6975-536: Is under Herod's authority, Jesus is sent to Herod , though he and his soldiers merely ridicule him and send him back to Pilate. As Jesus is escorted back to Pilate, the Hermit continues to observe, and Peter once again denies Jesus, as a remorseful Judas looks on. In the morning, Pilate presents Jesus before the assembled crowd , and the Hermit cries out several times for Jesus to be crucified . Pilate offers compromises, suggesting that Jesus merely be scourged, and for

7130-470: The Brown Derby , where Stevens told him his vision for the film would be reverent and universal. Stevens collaborated with him and then with James Lee Barrett . It was the only time Stevens received screenplay credit for a film he directed. It took two years to write the screenplay. By July 1960, Carl Sandburg had been hired for completion work on the screenplay. Sandburg remained with the project for

7285-720: The Diatessaron . Gospel is the Old English translation of the Hellenistic Greek term εὐαγγέλιον , meaning "good news"; this may be seen from analysis of ευαγγέλιον ( εὖ "good" + ἄγγελος "messenger" + -ιον diminutive suffix). The Greek term was Latinized as evangelium in the Vulgate , and translated into Latin as bona annuntiatio . In Old English, it was translated as gōdspel ( gōd "good" + spel "news"). The Old English term

7440-642: The Gentiles . Simon Peter applied the message of the vision on clean animals to the gentiles and follows his meeting with Cornelius the Centurion by claiming that "God shows no partiality". According to the Acts of the Apostles , Peter and John were sent from Jerusalem to Samaria . Peter/Cephas is mentioned briefly in the opening chapter of one of the Pauline epistles , Epistle to the Galatians , which mentions

7595-581: The Gospel of Marcion , similar to the Gospel of Luke. The Muratorian canon , the earliest surviving list of books considered (by its own author at least) to form Christian scripture, included Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Irenaeus of Lyons went further, stating that there must be four gospels and only four because there were four corners of the Earth and thus the Church should have four pillars. He referred to

7750-1013: The Hallelujah Chorus from George Frideric Handel 's Messiah for both sequences—a choice that was widely ridiculed by critics. The entire experience was recalled by David Raksin as "the saddest story ever told". The Greatest Story Ever Told premiered February 15, 1965, 18 months after filming wrapped, at the Warner Cinerama Theatre in New York City. It opened two days later at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles and then in Miami Beach . The film opened in Philadelphia and Detroit on March 9, 1965, and an edited version opened March 10, 1965, at

7905-528: The Jordan River . Both he and the Romans are convinced that the Messiah that the troubled people cry for, is "someone who will never come." Many years later, a prophet named John the Baptist begins to preach at the Jordan river, baptizing many who come to repent. Now an adult, Jesus appears to John who baptizes him . Jesus then goes into the nearby desert mountains, where he finds a cave in which resides

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8060-707: The Messiah ", and then brought Simon to Jesus, who immediately named him as "Cephas". Three of the four gospels—Matthew, Mark and John—recount the story of Jesus walking on water . Matthew additionally describes Peter walking on water for a moment but beginning to sink when his faith wavers. At the beginning of the Last Supper , Jesus washed His disciples' feet. Peter initially refused to let Jesus wash his feet, but when Jesus told him: "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me", Peter replied: "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head". The washing of feet

8215-476: The New Testament of the Bible . They were probably written between AD 66 and 110, which puts their composition likely within the lifetimes of various eyewitnesses, including Jesus's own family. Most scholars hold that all four were anonymous (with the modern names of the " Four Evangelists " added in the 2nd century), almost certainly none were by eyewitnesses to the Historical Jesus , though most scholars view

8370-757: The Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C. It also opened March 10 in Chicago, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh and in Boston on March 11. A shorter version was released in February 1967 for its general release in Chicago. The version that premiered in New York had a running time of 221 to 225 minutes (excluding a 10-minute intermission) per reviews from The New York Times and Variety . The original running time

8525-412: The Warner Cinerama Theatre in New York City on February 15, 1965 to a polarized response from film critics. It was also a box office disappointment, earning $ 15.5 million against a $ 20 million budget. It did receive five Academy Award nominations. Three wise men ( Magi ) follow a brightly shining star from Asia to Jerusalem in search of the newborn king it portents. They are summoned by King Herod

8680-437: The 3rd century that "the differences among manuscripts have become great [...] [because copyists] either neglect to check over what they have transcribed, or, in the process of checking, they make additions or deletions as they please." Most of these are insignificant, but some are significant, an example being Matthew 1:18, altered to imply the pre-existence of Jesus. For these reasons, modern scholars are cautious of relying on

8835-699: The Apostle Peter, his See , and his successors in book III of Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies ). In the book, Irenaeus wrote that Peter and Paul founded and organised the Church in Rome. Sources suggest that at first, the terms episcopos and presbyteros were used interchangeably, with the consensus among scholars being that by the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries, local congregations were led by bishops and presbyters, whose duties of office overlapped or were indistinguishable from one another. Protestant and secular historians generally agree that there

8990-669: The Apostles portrays Peter as the central figure within the early Christian community. All four canonical gospels recount that, during the Last Supper , Jesus foretold that Peter would deny him three times before the following cockcrow ("before the cock crows twice" in Mark's account). The three Synoptics and John describe the three denials as follows: In the Gospel of Luke is a record of Christ telling Peter: "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." In

9145-466: The Apostles. The word used for "rock" ( petra ) grammatically refers to "a small detachment of the massive ledge", not to a massive boulder. Thus, Orthodox Sacred Tradition understands Jesus' words as referring to the apostolic faith. Petros had not previously been used as a name, but in the Greek-speaking world it became a popular Christian name, after the tradition of Peter's prominence in

9300-454: The Aramaic word would mean "precious stone" to designate a distinguishing person. This cannot be sufficiently proven from Aramaic, however, since the use of the Aramaic root kp as a personal name has not been proven and there are hardly any known examples of the word being used to mean "precious stone". The combined name Σίμων Πέτρος ( Símon Pétros , Simon Peter) appears 19 times in

9455-516: The Baptist , and Telly Savalas as Pontius Pilate . Stevens recommended Savalas to shave his head for the role, which Savalas kept as his signature look for the rest of his life. The Greatest Story Ever Told features an ensemble of well-known actors, many in brief, sometimes cameo, appearances; these included Pat Boone , Carroll Baker , David McCallum , Sidney Poitier , Angela Lansbury , Jose Ferrer , Martin Landau , Ed Wynn , and John Wayne as

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9610-419: The Baptist is dead, Herod sends soldiers to arrest Jesus. Jesus teaches a sermon on a mountain to a great crowd . Pilate and the Pharisees hear of many of Jesus's miracles such as turning water into wine , feeding five thousand people , and walking on water . Meanwhile, Jesus asks his disciples who they and others say that he is. They respond with different answers, and Peter says that he believes that Jesus

9765-480: The Baptist, while the governor Pontius Pilate wishes only to maintain peace. Since the Jordan is ruled by Herod, he permits the priests to inform him of what is occurring. When he hears that the Baptist is speaking of a Messiah, Herod sends soldiers to arrest him. Simon the Zealot informs Jesus and his disciples of the Baptist's arrest, and then he is welcomed as one of them. The fame of Jesus begins to spread across

9920-467: The Baptist, with his wife's encouragement. His wife is the ex-wife of Herod's brother, and has been verbally attacked by John for being an adulteress. Jesus is soon asked to return to Capernaum by another man named James . Crowds gather and celebrate his return, something that is noticed by the Pharisees who are present and the returned Dark Hermit. Jesus then defends a woman caught in the act of adultery , who identifies herself as Mary Magdalene . Among

10075-530: The Bible from the original Greek , his name is maintained as Cephas in nine occurrences in the New Testament , whereas in the vast majority of mentions (156 occurrences in the New Testament) he is called Πέτρος , Petros , from the Greek and Latin word for a rock or stone ( petra ) to which the masculine ending was added, rendered into English as Peter . The precise meaning of the Aramaic word

10230-407: The Boy and Girl Scout organizations. The film was advertised on its first run as being shown in Cinerama . While it was shown on an ultra-curved screen, it was with one projector. True Cinerama required three projectors running simultaneously. A dozen other films were presented this way in the 1960s. In 1993, the film was released on LaserDisc . The film was released on DVD in 2001, which featured

10385-399: The Christian church. Peter was considered along with James the Just and John the Apostle as the three Pillars of the Church . Legitimised by Jesus' appearance, Peter assumed leadership of the group of early followers, forming the Jerusalem ekklēsia mentioned by Paul. He was soon eclipsed in this leadership by James the Just, "the Brother of the Lord." According to Lüdemann, this

10540-434: The Christian churches [were] preservers more than innovators [...] seeking to transmit, retell, explain, interpret, elaborate, but not create de novo [...] Through the main body of the Synoptic tradition [...] we have in most cases direct access to the teaching and ministry of Jesus as it was remembered from the beginning of the transmission process [...] and so fairly direct access to the ministry and teaching of Jesus through

10695-465: The Christian message of the second half of the first century AD, and modern biblical scholars are cautious of relying on the gospels uncritically as historical documents, though they provide a good idea of Jesus's public career; according to Graham Stanton , with the potential exception of the Apostle Paul , we "know far more about Jesus of Nazareth than about any first or second century Jewish or pagan religious teacher". EP Sanders claimed that

10850-407: The Easter event, Peter became an exemplar of the forgiven sinner. Outside the Catholic Church, opinions vary as to the interpretation of this passage with respect to what authority and responsibility, if any, Jesus was giving to Peter. In the Eastern Orthodox Church this passage is interpreted as not implying a special prominence to the person of Peter, but to Peter's position as representative of

11005-437: The Gospel of John, Peter, in one of the resurrection appearances of Jesus, three times affirmed his love for Jesus , balancing his threefold denial, and Jesus reconfirmed Peter's position. The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter on the Sea of Galilee is seen as the traditional site where Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and, according to Catholic tradition, established Peter's supreme jurisdiction over

11160-572: The Gospel-texts. According to Dunn, "What we actually have in the earliest retellings of what is now the Synoptic tradition...are the memories of the first disciples-not Jesus himself, but the remembered Jesus. The idea that we can get back to an objective historical reality, which we can wholly separate and disentangle from the disciples' memories...is simply unrealistic." These memories can contradict and are not always historically correct, as

11315-485: The Gospels display. Chris Keith argues that the Historical Jesus was the one who could create these memories, both true or not. For instance, Mark and Luke disagree on how Jesus came back to the synagogue, with the likely more accurate Mark arguing he was rejected for being an artisan, while Luke portrays Jesus as literate and his refusal to heal in Nazareth as cause of his dismissal. Keith does not view Luke's account as

11470-673: The Gospels should be trusted, though he is more skeptical on the details; if they are broadly unreliable, then our sources almost certainly cannot have preserved any of the particulars. Opposing preceding approaches where the Gospels are historically questionable and must be rigorously sifted through by competent scholars for nuggets of information, Allison argues that the Gospels are generally accurate and often 'got Jesus right'. Dale Allison finds apocalypticism to be recurrently attested, among various other themes. Reviewing his work, Rafael Rodriguez largely agrees with Allison's methodology and conclusions while arguing that Allison's discussion on memory

11625-459: The Great , whose advisers inform him of a Messiah mentioned in various prophecies. When Herod remembers that a prophecy names nearby Bethlehem as the child's birthplace, he sends the Magi there to confirm the child's existence, but secretly sends guards to follow them and to "keep [him] informed." In Bethlehem, the Magi find a married couple, Mary and Joseph , who are laying their newborn son in

11780-654: The Greek city before his journey to Rome. Claims of direct blood lineage from Simon Peter among the old population of Antioch existed in the 1st century and continue to exist today, notably by certain Semaan families of modern-day Syria and Lebanon. Historians have furnished other evidence of Peter's sojourn in Antioch. The Clementine literature , a group of related works written in the fourth century but believed to contain materials from earlier centuries, relates information about Peter that may come from earlier traditions. One

11935-528: The Jewish scriptures, by quoting or referencing passages, interpreting texts, or alluding to or echoing biblical themes. Such use can be extensive: Mark's description of the Parousia (second coming) is made up almost entirely of quotations from scripture. Matthew is full of quotations and allusions , and although John uses scripture in a far less explicit manner, its influence is still pervasive. Their source

12090-456: The Just was bishop of Jerusalem whilst Peter was bishop of Rome and that this position at times gave James privilege in some (but not all) situations. In a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples ( Matthew 16:13–19 ), Jesus asks, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" The disciples give various answers. When he asks, "Who do you say that I am?", Simon Peter answers, "You are the Messiah,

12245-410: The Messiah. Peter is often depicted in the gospels as spokesman of all the Apostles. John Vidmar , a Catholic scholar, writes: "Catholic scholars agree that Peter had an authority that superseded that of the other apostles. Peter is their spokesman at several events, he conducts the election of Matthias, his opinion in the debate over converting Gentiles was crucial, etc." The author of the Acts of

12400-585: The Mount . The Death Valley in California was filmed for Jesus's 40-day journey into the wilderness. Sections of the film were also shot at Lake Powell , Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point in Utah . Filming was initially scheduled to last 20 weeks. However, filming fell behind schedule due to Stevens ordering more than 30 different camera setups and filming multiple takes of several scenes. Charlton Heston, who

12555-582: The New Testament. In some Syriac documents he is called, in English translation, Simon Cephas. The sources used to reconstruct the life of Peter can be divided in three groups: In the New Testament, he is among the first of the disciples called during Jesus' ministry. Peter became the first listed apostle ordained by Jesus in the early Church. Peter was a Jewish fisherman in Bethsaida . He

12710-585: The Petrine authorship of both . Nevertheless, Evangelicals and Catholics have always affirmed Peter's authorship, and recently, evangelical scholars have revived the claim of Petrine authorship of these epistles . Based on contemporary historical data, Peter's papacy is estimated to have spanned from AD 30 to his death, which would make him the longest-reigning pope , at anywhere from 34 to 38 years; however, this has never been verified. Saint Irenaeus ( c.  130  – c.  202 AD ) explains

12865-526: The Pharisees and is paid thirty pieces of silver to lead soldiers to arrest Jesus . When they arrive in Gethsemane, Judas kisses Jesus to indicate that he is the man to be arrested. Knowing that Judas has betrayed him, Jesus orders Peter to "put back [his] sword," and goes quietly with the soldiers. He is put on trial before the Sanhedrin , and Aram appears as one of the questioned witnesses. Many of

13020-474: The Roman Empire (some 2,500 miles across), with thousands of participants—from different backgrounds, with different concerns, and in different contexts—some of whom have to translate the stories into different languages. While multiple quests have been undertaken to reconstruct the historical Jesus, since the late 1990s concerns have been growing about the possibility to reconstruct a historical Jesus from

13175-576: The Roman authorities but he did not specify any date or location. Another opinion states that Peter's wife was no longer alive at the time he met Jesus, so he was a widower. The Gospels and Acts portray Peter as the most prominent apostle, though he denied Jesus three times during the events of the crucifixion. According to the Christian tradition, Peter was the first disciple to whom Jesus appeared, balancing Peter's denial and restoring his position. Peter

13330-504: The Son of the living God." Jesus then declares: Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Cephas (Peter) ( Petros ), and on this rock ( petra ) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. A common view of Peter

13485-438: The ascension of our Saviour, as if also preferred by our Lord, strove not after honor, but chose James the Just bishop of Jerusalem. Dunn proposes that Peter was a "bridge-man" between the opposing views of Paul and James the Just [italics original]: For Peter was probably in fact and effect the bridge-man (pontifex maximus!) who did more than any other to hold together the diversity of first-century Christianity . James

13640-521: The attention of a passing young man named James , who asks to join them the next morning, and Jesus welcomes him. The group nears Jerusalem, and Jesus says that "there will come a time to enter." They rest at Bethany in the home of Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary . Lazarus asks Jesus if he can join him, but cannot bring himself to leave all he has. Before he leaves, Jesus promises Lazarus that he will not forget him. The group soon arrives at Capernaum , where they meet James's brother Matthew ,

13795-650: The author of Luke-Acts as an eyewitness to Paul , and all are the end-products of long oral and written transmission (which did involve eyewitnesses). According to the majority of scholars, Mark was the first to be written, using a variety of sources, followed by Matthew and Luke , which both independently used Mark for their narrative of Jesus's career, supplementing it with a collection of sayings called "the Q source ", and additional material unique to each. Alan Kirk praises Matthew in particular for his "scribal memory competence" and "his high esteem for and careful handling of both Mark and Q", which makes claims

13950-514: The brother of Jesus and Paul, the two other most prominent leading figures in first-century Christianity, were too much identified with their respective "brands" of Christianity, at least in the eyes of Christians at the opposite ends of this particular spectrum. Paul affirms that Peter had the special charge of being apostle to the Jews, just as he, Paul, was apostle to the Gentiles. Some argue James

14105-406: The church. Many non-canonical gospels were also written, all later than the four canonical gospels, and like them advocating the particular theological views of their various authors. Important examples include the gospels of Thomas , Peter , Judas , and Mary ; infancy gospels such as that of James (the first to introduce the perpetual virginity of Mary ); and gospel harmonies such as

14260-446: The communities which produced them: It was originally written in Greek and is often interpreted as a Gnostic text. It is typically not considered a gospel by scholars since it does not focus on the life of Jesus. Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah ; died AD 64–68), also known as Peter the Apostle , Simon Peter , Simeon , Simon , or Cephas , was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and one of

14415-453: The condition that no harm comes to him. When Judas returns to the meal, Jesus announces to all that one of them will betray him , and says that by morning, Peter will deny three times that he even knows Jesus . He gives a farewell discourse , then shares the bread and wine with the disciples. After that he tells Judas to "do quickly what you have to do," and Judas leaves again. Later, Jesus goes to Gethsemane to pray while Judas returns to

14570-537: The conservative line regarding the conversion of Gentiles, having meals separate from Gentiles. Subsequent tradition held that Peter had been the first Patriarch of Antioch . According to the writings of Origen and Eusebius in his Church History (III, 36) Peter had founded the church of Antioch. Later accounts expand on the brief biblical mention of his visit to Antioch . The Liber Pontificalis (9th century) mentions Peter as having served as bishop of Antioch for seven years, and having potentially left his family in

14725-405: The crowd looks on. When he collapses, a woman wipes his face , and he reassures the pious women. As Jesus falters, Simon of Cyrene , a man from the crowd, helped Jesus to carry the cross. At Golgotha , Jesus is stripped and nailed to the cross , which is then raised between those of two other men. At the same time this is happening, Judas tosses his silver into the Temple, then throws himself into

14880-514: The crowd that gathers as he moves away is a sick woman who is cured when she touches his clothes . As word of these incidents spreads, the number of people who believe that Jesus is the Messiah increases even further. Herod begins to wonder about Jesus, and the Baptist confirms that Jesus has escaped from the massacre ordered by Herod's father. Herod then decides to finally kill the Baptist by beheading, which occurs after Salome , Herod's stepdaughter by his wife's first marriage, dances for him. When

15035-524: The differences of detail among the gospels are irreconcilable, and any attempt to harmonize them would only disrupt their distinct theological messages. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are termed the synoptic gospels because they present very similar accounts of the life of Jesus. Mark begins with the baptism of the adult Jesus and the heavenly declaration that he is the son of God; he gathers followers and begins his ministry, and tells his disciples that he must die in Jerusalem but that he will rise; in Jerusalem, he

15190-533: The early Christian church had been established. The leadership of Peter forms the basis of the Apostolic succession and the institutional power of orthodoxy, as the heirs of Peter, and is described as "the rock" on which the church will be built. Catholics refer to him as chief of the Apostles, as do the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox . In Coptic Orthodox Church liturgy, he

15345-467: The early traditions were fluid and subject to alteration, sometimes transmitted by those who had known Jesus personally, but more often by wandering prophets and teachers like the Apostle Paul , who did not know him personally. Ehrman explains how the tradition developed as it was transmitted: You are probably familiar with the old birthday party game " telephone ." A group of kids sits in a circle,

15500-427: The end of 1959. When Denker and Oursler's estate sold the rights to Fox, Denker had placed a clause in the contract dictating the agreement. In September 1961, 20th Century Fox announced it had "indefinitely postponed" the project. Skouras refused to explain the reasons for canceling the project, but the decision was made after the studio had posted a $ 13 million loss in the previous year. Variety also reported that in

15655-460: The eyes and ears of those who went about with him. Anthony Le Donne, a leading memory researcher in Jesus studies, elaborated on Dunn's thesis, basing "his historiography squarely on Dunn’s thesis that the historical Jesus is the memory of Jesus recalled by the earliest disciples." According to Le Donne as explained by his reviewer, Benjamin Simpson, memories are fractured, and not exact recalls of

15810-639: The film to avoid the merry game of 'Spot the Star', and the road to Calvary in particular comes to resemble the Hollywood Boulevard ' Walk of Fame '." In late April 1960, Stevens, his son George Jr. , and researcher Tony Van Renterghem spent six weeks scouting potential locations for filming in Europe and the Middle East . However, in 1965, Stevens told The New York Times : "Unfortunately some of

15965-459: The film. By November 1961, Stevens had moved the project to United Artists . Before writing the screenplay, Stevens reviewed 36 different translations of the New Testament and compiled an extensive reference book with various clippings of scripture. Stevens and David Brown , a Fox executive, considered numerous screenwriters, including Ray Bradbury , Reginald Rose , William Saroyan , Joel Sayre , and Ivan Moffat . Stevens then met with Moffat at

16120-424: The fire of the nearby altar. From the cross, Jesus intercedes for his executioners, asking God to forgive them. He then asks John to care for his mother. One of the thieves, Gestas , asks Jesus to save him, while the other Dimas accepts his punishment and asks for Jesus to remember him, a promise that Jesus gives to him. Darkness begins to cover the sky, and from the cross, Jesus asks why God has forsaken him. He

16275-496: The first leaders of the early Christian Church . He appears repeatedly and prominently in all four New Testament gospels as well as the Acts of the Apostles . Catholic tradition accredits Peter as the first bishop of Rome ‍—‌or pope ‍—‌and also as the first bishop of Antioch . According to Christian tradition , Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero . The ancient Christian churches all venerate Peter as

16430-404: The first tells a brief story to the one sitting next to her, who tells it to the next, and to the next, and so on, until it comes back full circle to the one who started it. Invariably, the story has changed so much in the process of retelling that everyone gets a good laugh. Imagine this same activity taking place, not in a solitary living room with ten kids on one afternoon, but over the expanse of

16585-546: The founder's life and teachings. The stages of this process can be summarized as follows: Mark is generally agreed to be the first gospel; it uses a variety of sources, including conflict stories (Mark 2:1–3:6), apocalyptic discourse (4:1–35), and collections of sayings, although not the sayings gospel known as the Gospel of Thomas , and probably not the hypothesized Q source used by Matthew and Luke. The authors of Matthew and Luke, acting independently, used Mark for their narrative of Jesus' career, supplementing it with

16740-420: The four collectively as the "fourfold gospel" ( euangelion tetramorphon ). The many apocryphal gospels arose from the 1st century onward, frequently under assumed names to enhance their credibility and authority, and often from within branches of Christianity that were eventually branded heretical. They can be broadly organised into the following categories: The apocryphal gospels can also be seen in terms of

16895-405: The gospels uncritically, and critical study can attempt to distinguish the original ideas of Jesus from those of later authors. Scholars usually agree that John is not without historical value: certain of its sayings are as old or older than their synoptic counterparts, and its representation of the topography around Jerusalem is often superior to that of the synoptics. Its testimony that Jesus

17050-399: The historical Jesus continues apace, so much so that no one can any longer keep up; we are all overwhelmed." The oldest gospel text known is 𝔓 , a fragment of John dating from the first half of the 2nd century. The creation of a Christian canon was probably a response to the career of the heretic Marcion ( c.  85 –160), who established a canon of his own with just one gospel,

17205-612: The hypothesized collection of sayings called the Q ;source and additional material unique to each called the M ;source (Matthew) and the L ;source (Luke). Mark, Matthew, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels because of their close similarities of content, arrangement, and language. The authors and editors of John may have known the synoptics, but did not use them in the way that Matthew and Luke used Mark. All four also use

17360-494: The land and two more men, named Thaddeus and Thomas , join him. In Jerusalem, the priests become suspicious of Jesus and the curing of the cripple, and send a group to Capernaum to investigate, including the Pharisees Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea . Herod hears rumours about an army as a result of the multitudes that follow Jesus. He questions John the Baptist about him. Later Herod begins to consider killing

17515-589: The landscapes around Jerusalem were exciting, but many had been worn down through the years by erosion and man, invaders and wars, to places of less spectacular aspects." Stevens then decided to film in the United States, explaining: "I wanted to get an effect of grandeur as a background to Christ, and none of the Holy Land areas shape up with the excitement of the American southwest. ... I know that Colorado

17670-476: The latter two works are significantly theologically or historically different dubious. There have been different views on the transmission of material that led to the Synoptic Gospels , with various scholars arguing memory or orality reliably preserved traditions that ultimately go back to the Historical Jesus . Other scholars have been more skeptical and see more changes in the traditions prior to

17825-601: The members are present, but Nicodemus refuses to take part, and realizes that some (including Joseph of Arimathea) are absent. Meanwhile, the Dark Hermit asks Peter if he knows Jesus. Peter denies it twice and leaves. When Caiaphas asks Jesus if he is the Christ, Jesus's reply causes the members to condemn him. The Pharisees and Caiaphas bring Jesus to the tired Pilate , who after questioning Jesus, and briefly speaking with his wife , can find no guilt in Jesus. Since Galilee

17980-460: The message was reported. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words and deeds of Jesus , culminating in his trial and death and concluding with various reports of his post-resurrection appearances . The gospels are a kind of bios , or ancient biography , meant to convince people that Jesus was a charismatic miracle-working holy man, providing examples for readers to emulate. As such, they present

18135-459: The methods and aim of the first model. Keith argues that criticism of the criteria of authenticity does not mean scholars cannot research the Historical Jesus , but rather that scholarship should seek to understand the Gospels rather than trying to sift through them for nuggets of history. Regardless of the methodological challenges historical Jesus studies have flowered in recent years; Dale Allison laments, "The publication of academic books about

18290-426: The morning of the third day the guards soon discover that the tomb is open and empty. Meanwhile, though Thomas's faith has weakened, Mary Magdalene, along with Peter and others, recall the prophecy and run to see the empty tomb, where an Angel tells Mary that he is risen. Word of the miraculous event quickly spreads throughout Jerusalem, bewildering the Pharisees. Caiaphas claims that "the whole thing will be forgotten in

18445-421: The most expensive film shot in the United States. Alfred Newman , who had previously scored The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), composed the musical score, with the assistance of Ken Darby , his longtime collaborator and choral director. The protracted scoring process proved to be an unhappy one. Stevens, under pressure from his financers, made extensive late-stage changes to the edited footage. These edits altered

18600-488: The musical continuity and called for significant rewriting and reorchestration. Other composers, including Fred Steiner and Hugo Friedhofer , were called in to assist. The post-release editing of the film further disrupted the musical composition. The twin climaxes of Newman's score were his elaborate choral finales to Act 1 (the raising of Lazarus) and Act 2 (the Resurrection of Jesus). Stevens eventually substituted

18755-517: The next thirteen months, before returning to his residence in Flat Rock , North Carolina . In September 1961, Sandburg told Variety that he would continue to consult on the project "until George Stevens tells me to stop". The contributions Sandburg made included a brief conversation between Judas Iscariot and Mary Magdalene discussing her use of expensive perfume to anoint Jesus . He received screen credit for "creative association". Sandburg also had

18910-593: The offer, to which Stevens suggested he direct the Nativity scenes. Lean declined but he decided to direct the scenes with Herod the Great. Lean cast Claude Rains as Herod the Great. Jean Negulesco instead filmed sequences in the Jerusalem streets and the Nativity scenes. Filming ended on August 1, 1963, where Stevens had shot over six million feet of Ultra Panavision 70 film. The final production budget had spent nearly $ 20 million (equivalent to $ 199 million in 2023) plus additional editing and promotion charges, making it

19065-484: The past. Le Donne further argues that the remembrance of events is facilitated by relating it to a common story, or "type." This means the Jesus-tradition is not a theological invention of the early Church, but rather a tradition shaped and refracted through such memory "type." Le Donne too supports a conservative view on typology compared to some other scholars, transmissions involving eyewitnesses, and ultimately

19220-437: The period treated such traditions very carefully, and the New Testament writers in numerous passages applied to apostolic traditions the same technical terminology found elsewhere in Judaism [...] In this way they both identified their traditions as 'holy word' and showed their concern for a careful and ordered transmission of it." Other scholars are less sanguine about oral tradition, and Valantasis, Bleyle, and Hough argue that

19375-401: The picture in the most charitable way possible by laughing at it from start to finish; this Christian mercy being denied us, we can only sit and sullenly marvel at the energy for which, for more than four hours, the note of serene vulgarity is triumphantly sustained. Shana Alexander , reviewing for Life magazine, stated: "The scale of The Greatest Story Ever Told was so stupendous, the pace

19530-669: The project because of uncertainty concerning its presumptive cost and its thematic similarities to King of Kings (1961), another religious biopic of Jesus. A few months later, Stevens moved the project to United Artists . He decided to film the project in the Southwestern United States , rather than the Middle East , and principal photography began on October 29, 1962. Filming fell behind schedule due to Stevens' tedious shooting techniques; David Lean and Jean Negulesco were brought in to film some sequences. The film wrapped on August 1, 1963. The film premiered at

19685-481: The project from Bronston and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which had agreed to distribute the film. In June 1960, 20th Century Fox resigned from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), partly because of the similarity between the two films. In June 1960, Denker sued Fox to reclaim the film rights and for $ 2.5 million of damages, claiming the studio had failed to release the film before

19840-453: The release of a prisoner of the crowd's choice. The crowd chooses the alleged murderer Barabbas instead. Pilate asks Jesus if he has anything to say, but Jesus merely states that his kingdom is "not of this world," something that the Hermit and others claim is a challenge to the authority of Rome and the Roman emperor. With no other choice, Pilate reluctantly orders Jesus to be crucified. Jesus then carries his cross through Jerusalem while

19995-419: The rest of the New Testament , the four gospels were written in Greek. The Gospel of Mark probably dates from c.  AD 66 –70, Matthew and Luke around AD 85–90, and John AD 90–110. Despite the traditional ascriptions, most scholars hold that all four are anonymous and most scholars agree that none were written by eyewitnesses. A few scholars defend the traditional ascriptions or attributions, but for

20150-564: The role of Jesus, Stevens wanted an actor unknown to international audiences, free of secular and unseemly associations in the mind of the public. In February 1961, Stevens cast Swedish actor Max von Sydow as Jesus. Von Sydow had never appeared in an English-language film and was best known for his performances in Ingmar Bergman 's dramatic films. Von Sydow said, "I thought with horror of Cecil B. DeMille and such things as Samson and Delilah and The Ten Commandments . But when I saw

20305-421: The scenes of Jesus preaching to the multitude were too repetitive and "[t]he most distracting nonsense is the pop-up of familiar faces in so-called cameo roles, jarring the illusion." Robert J. Landry of Variety called the film "a big, powerful moving picture demonstrating vast cinematic resource". He also praised von Sydow's performance, writing he "is a tower of strength and sensitivity". However, he felt Stevens

20460-451: The script, I decided that the role of Jesus is absolutely not a religious cliché." It was reported that Elizabeth Taylor would portray Mary Magdalene , while Marlon Brando and Spencer Tracy were considered for the roles of Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate, respectively. In major supporting roles, Dorothy McGuire was cast as Mary, the mother of Jesus; Robert Loggia as Joseph , the adoptive father of Jesus; Charlton Heston as John

20615-477: The servant's ear is the last of the 37 miracles attributed to Jesus in the Bible. Simon Peter was twice arraigned , with John, before the Sanhedrin and directly defied them. Peter takes a missionary journey to Lydda , Joppa and Caesarea . At Joppa, Peter had a vision given him from God which allowed for the eating of previously unclean animals, leading the early believers to the decision to evangelise

20770-566: The single year of the synoptics, placing the cleansing of the Temple at the beginning rather than at the end, and the Last Supper on the day before Passover instead of being a Passover meal. According to Delbert Burkett, the Gospel of John is the only gospel to call Jesus God, though other scholars like Larry Hurtado and Michael Barber view a possible divine Christology in the Synoptics. In contrast to Mark, where Jesus hides his identity as messiah, in John he openly proclaims it. Like

20925-561: The sons of Zebedee , James and John . The Gospel of John also depicts Peter fishing, even after the resurrection of Jesus, in the story of the Catch of 153 fish . In Matthew and Mark, Jesus called Simon and his brother Andrew to be " fishers of men ". In the Confession of Peter he proclaims Jesus to be the Christ ( Jewish Messiah ), as described in the three synoptic gospels. It

21080-405: The sources for Jesus are superior to the ones for Alexander the Great . Critical study on the Historical Jesus has largely failed to distinguish the original ideas of Jesus from those of the later Christian authors , and the focus of research has shifted to Jesus as remembered by his followers, and understanding the Gospels themselves. The canonical gospels are the four which appear in

21235-512: The studio owned the rights to the Oursler property. Stevens then founded a company, "The Greatest Story Productions", to film the novel. The studio set an initial production budget of $ 10 million, twice the previous largest figure. That same month, another religious biopic titled King of Kings (1961) was in development, helmed by producer Samuel Bronston . Spyros Skouras , the studio president of 20th Century Fox, had tried and failed to purchase

21390-422: The thieves crucified with Jesus. The Greatest Story Ever Told originated in 1947 as a U.S. radio series of half-hour episodes, written by Henry Denker and inspired by the four canonical Gospels . In 1949, the series was adapted into a novel by Fulton Oursler , a senior editor at Reader's Digest . In May 1954, Darryl F. Zanuck , chairman of 20th Century Fox , acquired the film rights to Oursler's novel for

21545-548: The wake of the not-yet-released King of Kings (1961), starring Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus, several studio board members expressed concern about the eventual production costs. More than $ 1 million had already been spent on script preparation and there was no established filming date. The studio agreed to hand over the film rights to Stevens, and was contracted to recoup the costs should the film earn $ 5 million in profits. That same month, four American film studios—including Magna Theatre Corporation—and two in Europe made offers to finance

21700-424: The weakness of human memory, referring to its 'many sins' and how it frequently misguides people. He expresses skepticism at other scholars' endeavors to identify authentic sayings of Jesus. Instead of isolating and authenticating individual pericopae, Allison advocates for a methodology focused on identifying patterns and finding what he calls 'recurrent attestation'. Allison argues that the general impressions left by

21855-399: The written Gospels. In modern scholarship, the Synoptic Gospels are the primary sources for reconstructing Christ's ministry while John is used less since it differs from the synoptics. However, according to the manuscript evidence and citation frequency by the early Church Fathers, Matthew and John were the most popular Gospels while Luke and Mark were less popular in the early centuries of

22010-575: The young man discovered in the tomb instructs the women to tell "the disciples and Peter" that Jesus will see them again in Galilee, hints that the author knew of the tradition. The authors of Matthew and Luke added infancy and resurrection narratives to the story they found in Mark, although the two differ markedly. Each also makes subtle theological changes to Mark: the Markan miracle stories, for example, confirm Jesus' status as an emissary of God (which

22165-497: Was "not particularly original in his approach to the galaxy of talent, some 60 roles," noting several prominent actors were underused in their cameo appearances. James Powers of The Hollywood Reporter stated: "George Stevens has created a novel, reverent and important film with his view of this crucial event in the history of mankind." Time magazine wrote: "Stevens has outdone himself by producing an austere Christian epic that offers few excitements of any kind ... Greatest Story

22320-667: Was 4 hr 20 min (260 min). Twenty-eight minutes were cut for the release of the film in Washington D.C. to tighten the film without deleting any scenes and these cuts were later made to the other prints. The film was edited further with a running time of 137 to 141 minutes for its general release in the United States. This shortened version removed Jesus's 40-day journey into the wilderness, featuring Donald Pleasence as well as appearances by John Wayne and Shelley Winters. The marketing campaign included exhibits created for churches and Sunday schools, department stores, primary schools, and secondary schools. The Smithsonian Institution put together

22475-532: Was Mark's understanding of the Messiah), but in Matthew they demonstrate his divinity, and the "young man" who appears at Jesus' tomb in Mark becomes a radiant angel in Matthew. Luke, while following Mark's plot more faithfully than Matthew, has expanded on the source, corrected Mark's grammar and syntax, and eliminated some passages entirely, notably most of chapters 6 and 7. John, the most overtly theological,

22630-581: Was a charismatic miracle-working holy man. As such, they present the Christian message of the second half of the first century AD, and modern biblical scholars are cautious of relying on the gospels uncritically as historical documents, though according to Sanders they provide a good idea of the public career of Jesus. According to Graham Stanton , with the potential exception of the Apostle Paul , we "know far more about Jesus of Nazareth than about any first or second century Jewish or pagan religious teacher". The majority view among critical scholars

22785-667: Was due to the discussions about the strictness of adherence to the Jewish Law, when the more conservative faction of James the Just took the overhand over the more liberal position of Peter, who soon lost influence. According to Methodist historian James D. G. Dunn , this was not a "usurpation of power", but a consequence of Peter's involvement in missionary activities. The early Church historian Eusebius (c. AD 325) records Clement of Alexandria (c. AD 190) as saying: For they say that Peter and James (the Greater) and John after

22940-475: Was executed before, rather than on, Passover, might well be more accurate, and its presentation of Jesus in the garden and the prior meeting held by the Jewish authorities are possibly more historically plausible than their synoptic parallels. Nevertheless, it is highly unlikely that the author had direct knowledge of events, or that his mentions of the Beloved Disciple as his source should be taken as

23095-458: Was named Simon, the son of a man named Jonah or John. The three synoptic gospels recount how Peter's mother-in-law was healed by Jesus at their home in Capernaum ; these passages depict Peter as being married or widowed. 1 Corinthians 9:5 has also been taken to imply that he was married. In the synoptic gospels, Peter (then Simon) was a fisherman along with his brother, Andrew , and

23250-659: Was portraying John the Baptist, explained, "Stevens would do two or three [takes], but he would devise more different angles from which to cover than you'd think possible. You'd finish a day's work on a scene confident that there was no other possible coverage, yet find yourself there a day or two longer while George explored further ideas." Meanwhile, interior studio filming was shot at the Desilu Culver Studios for nine weeks from June 6 to July 31, 1963. There, forty-seven sets were constructed to represent Jerusalem. In June 1963, cinematographer William C. Mellor died of

23405-607: Was probably "no single 'monarchical' bishop in Rome before the middle of the 2nd century...and likely later." Outside of the New Testament, several apocryphal books were later attributed to him, in particular the Acts of Peter , Gospel of Peter , Preaching of Peter , Apocalypse of Peter , and Judgment of Peter , although scholars believe these works to be pseudepigrapha . The New Testament presents Peter's original name as Simon ( / ˈ s aɪ m ə n / ; Σίμων , Simōn in Greek ). In only two passages, his name

23560-682: Was retained as gospel in Middle English Bible translations and hence remains in use also in Modern English . The four canonical gospels share the same basic outline of the life of Jesus: he begins his public ministry in conjunction with that of John the Baptist , calls disciples, teaches and heals and confronts the Pharisees , dies on the cross and is raised from the dead. Each has its own distinctive understanding of him and his divine role and scholars recognize that

23715-539: Was so stupefying that I felt not uplifted but sandbagged." John Simon wrote: "God is unlucky in The Greatest Story Ever Told . His only begotten son turns out to be a bore." Gospel Gospel ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : εὐαγγέλιον ; Latin : evangelium ) originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel "), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which

23870-587: Was the Greek version of the scriptures, called the Septuagint ; they do not seem familiar with the original Hebrew. The consensus among modern scholars is that the gospels are a subset of the ancient genre of bios , or ancient biography . Ancient biographies were concerned with providing examples for readers to emulate while preserving and promoting the subject's reputation and memory; the gospels were never simply biographical, they were propaganda and kerygma (preaching), meant to convince people that Jesus

24025-514: Was traditionally thought to show the influence of Peter's preaching and eyewitness memories. He is also mentioned, under either the name Peter or Cephas, in Paul 's First Letter to the Corinthians and the Epistle to the Galatians . The New Testament also includes two general epistles , First Peter and Second Peter , that are traditionally attributed to him, but modern scholarship generally rejects

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