Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ hit the theaters four years ago and later earned the #1 slot for Entertainment Weekly's list of 25 most controversial movies. Reviews ranged from the favorable, to the not so favorable, to the bawdily humorous. A rather different drama premiered two nights ago in the UK, The Passion, a BBC/HBO coproduction starring Joseph Mawle and James Nesbitt. By all indications it seems to be more historical than Gibson's confessional film, if at times sentimental. The drama is only half finished (parts three and four will be aired on BBC One this Friday and Sunday) but so far getting favorable enough reviews (see here for instance).

Dramas about Jesus' death and/or resurrection can be incendiary and make viewers want to know "what really happened" 2000 years ago. The library has plenty of historical guides written by religious and secular specialists from all backgrounds, and the following are a sample.

For Good Friday (Passion)

Jesus and Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ: The Film, the Gospels, and the Claims of History, edited by Kathleen Corley and Robert Webb. Conservative and liberal scholars point out the strengths and weaknesses of Gibson's film.

The Last Week: The Day-by-Day Account of Jesus' Final Week in Jerusalem, by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. Two liberal Christians serve up an alternative account to the traditional one, arguing that Jesus' passion was for social justice more than suffering.

Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: A Jewish Life and the Emergence of Christianity, by Paula Fredriksen. A Jewish scholar argues that Jesus was killed because of the Jewish High Priest's itchy trigger-finger when dealing with popular prophets.

Who Killed Jesus? Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of the Death of Jesus, by John Dominic Crossan. An ex-Roman Catholic priest points out the features of the gospel drama which he thinks are unhistorical and explains why.

Jesus and His Death: Historiography, the Historical Jesus, and Atonement Theory, by Scot McKnight. An evangelical scholar argues that atonement ideas about Christ's death trace back to the historical Jesus.

For Easter Sunday (Resurrection)

The Resurrection of the Son of God, by N. T. Wright. The current Bishop of Durham analyzes Jesus' resurrection (which he believes in literally) through the filter of ancient Judaism.

The Resurrection of Christ, by Gerd Ludemann. An atheist argues that the resurrection belief came from the disciples' hallucinations, and that there never was an empty tomb.

Resurrecting Jesus: The Earliest Christian Tradition and its Interpreters, by Dale Allison. A Christian scholar argues that Jesus' tomb was empty for reasons we cannot know, and considers the documented evidence for accounts of bereavement visions.

The Empty Tomb, edited by Robert Price and Jeffery Jay Lowder. A series of essays from the skeptics corner.