Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The [Paperback]

Clemens Brentano (Narrator), Noel L. Griese (Introduction), Anne Catherine Emmerich (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2005

First published in 1833, "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" was the principal extrabiblical source for Mel Gibson's blockbuster 2004 movie "The Passion of the Christ," which grossed over $600 million in worldwide box office. To write the work, Goethe friend and author Clemens Brentano spent six years at the bedside of 19th century Augustinian nun Anne Catherine Emmerich, recording her spectacular visions of the life, passion, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In addition to being a visionary, Emmerich was an ecstatic, stigmatic and inediac. After she died in 1824, Brentano spent nine years organizing his notes on the renowned nun's visions of the passion and crucifixion before publishing them as "The Dolorous Passion." The book soon outsold even Goethe in Germany, and became an international best-seller. The book was all but forgotten until resurrected by Gibson for his classic movie about the Passion. The original work is published here in its entirety in English translation. In a 100-page introduction to the original work, author Noel Griese recounts how the book came to be written, and details more than 40 scenes in the Gibson movie based on Anne Catherine Emmerich's visions rather than biblical accounts. He also discusses the history of passion devotionals in the introduction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 2004, Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion of the Christ explored the last hours of Christ's life in (literally) excruciating detail, despite the fact that the New Testament says relatively little about this time. How did Gibson extrapolate a full-length feature film from a few minutes' worth of biblical material? One source he drew upon heavily was the visions of the 19th-century German nun Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1823), which were recorded in the last years of her life by a secretary, Clemens Brentano. In her visions, Sister Catherine glimpsed scenes from Christ's Last Supper, arrest and crucifixion-including extra-biblical details like how Satan might have tempted Jesus in Gethsemane, or how Mary might have accompanied Jesus to Golgotha. Noel Griese provides a helpful and comprehensive introduction to Sister Catherine's life and the controversies surrounding her revelations, and discusses the status of the campaign to canonize her (she is currently a candidate for beatification, the first step in the canonization process). Griese also ponders the visions themselves-referring, when relevant, to their use in Gibson's movie-in sections that are informative but make the introduction nearly 100 pages long. However, readers who persevere will be rewarded with a balanced and thorough examination of the life and work of a saint-in-the-making.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ is a work based on the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich... -- John Taylor, Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Anvil Publishers, Inc. (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974972118
• ISBN-13: 978-0974972114
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,590,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate Account of Crucifixion, February 14, 2005

By 

Cheryl Mccann "Review-Books" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Hardcover)

After the meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich
As Told To Clemens Brentano
Edited and with an Introduction by NOEL L. GRIESE

Mel Gibson's powerful move, The Passion of the Christ, prompted viewers to a renewed interest in the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Christus. It would probably surprise people to know the movie is actually taken from the meditations of a german nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich. This account is as told to Clemens Brentano, a German author, and the complete meditations are included in The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the 1904 English translation.

Included is an introduction to the meditations by Noel L. Griese, the meditations and the story used in Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ. If you have or have not seen the movie, it is a wonderful reiteration.

There are two schools of thought about Anne Catherine Emmerich's visions or meditations. On one hand, she is considered to be on the same plane as St. John the apostle and evangelist, reputed author of the Gospel of John...But on the other hand, the skeptics believe she is a misguided clairvoyant. I will this for your own interpretation.

Anne Catherine Emmerich suffered from poor health in her early childhood years. She is believed to have had visions and visits from Jesus and John the Baptists who appeared to also be children. She worked in the fields and was a happy child. One of her visions was seeing herself as a nun. Because of her poor health in childhood, she had an interest in helping the ill with natural plants and herbs. In her teens, she worked as a seamstress and began collecting wages for entering the convent. Most of the girls admitted to the convent during that time period were from well-to-do families and not from a poor family such as Anne Catherine's. She was accepted into the convent of Agnetenberg, Dülmen, Westphalia, because of her service to the Soentgen's family. Mr. Soentgen, father of Clara, said he would allow his daughter to become a nun only if Catherine was accepted into the convent.

While in the convent, other nuns looked at Anne Catherine Emmerich in contempt and slander and accused on baseless charges. She was unliked because of her physical ailments and poverty. This was very distressing for Anne Catherine Emmerich and she could be found in the chapel crying about it because she was never allowed to prove these misconceptions wrong. She persevered and at age 29 became a nun of the Agnetenberg Convent of the Augustinian Order on November 13, 1803.

She suffered from various illnesses and even though doctors tried to cure her, she was never able to be cured. These illnesses were viewed by other nuns as a burden on the community. The nuns were also jealous of the attention of Abbé Lambert, convent chaplain, gave to Anne Catherine Emmerich. Her reputation with her visions grew and were recorded upon the arrival of Clemens Brentano. Clemens Brentano was known in German elite literary circles for his imagination and collection of folk songs. He remained with her for six years capturing his meditations until her death in 1824.

Enjoy this interesting story of Anne Catherine Emmerich's visions and Clemens Brentano notes and writing of those visions - the intriguing story behind the story so to speak. Noel L. Griese notates `movie scenes based on The Dolorous Passion', 43 in all. Also, he explains Stations of the Cross, passion plays containing anti-Semitism and specific quotes from Anne Catherine Emmerich and goes into depth of the nine mediations of Anne Catherine Emmerich.