“What Kind of Man Must This Christ Be?”

Stenzel, Julia (2023): “What Kind of Man Must This Christ Be?”. In: Mohr, Jan und Stenzel, Julia (eds.) : Politics of the Oberammergau Passion Play : Tradition as Trademark. London ; New York: Routledge. pp. 208-224

Abstract

Departing from the novel On the Cross (1890) by Wilhelmine von Hillern, this chapter approaches debates on the gender of Jesus around 1900 and how they are negotiated in the contemporary Oberammergau belletristic. In the 19th century, triggered by Bible historiography and new perspectives on gender, the Jesus on stage, identified as the Son of God, also qualifies as a model for multiple masculinities. Complementary, the female figures of the gospels lose their self-evidence as models for femininity. Thus, the male body of Jesus must be read in correlation to the multiple female bodies surrounding him. The chapter focuses on how the intersections of masculinity and divinity are performed and challenged in fictional refigurations of the Oberammergau Jesus. It is argued that the manifold and heterogeneous semantics of Jesus, the man, and Mary (Magdalene), the woman, are involved in the diversification of the Passion play, especially regarding its popularization and distribution.

• Item Type: Book Section
• Faculties: History and Art History > Department of Art History > Theatre Studies
• Subjects: 200 Religion > 200 Religion; 700 Arts and recreation > 790 Sports, games and entertainment > 792 Stage presentations
• ISBN: 978-0-367-61744-8 ; 978-1-003-10631-9 ; 978-0-367-61740-0
• Place of Publication: London ; New York
• Language: English