The Meaning of Brian

Rating: Null/10 (27 November 2002)

The Meaning of Brian
Monty Python's The Life of Brian was released in 1979 to unprecedented scandal, even before production began the subject matter was deemed so controversial no movie studio or financier would touch it, if not for ex-Beatle George Harrison whose production company came to the rescue the project would probably never have gotten off the ground.

The Life of Brian was directed by Terry Jones and written as a collaborative effort involving the Python team; Graham Chapman - John Cleese - Terry Gilliam - Eric Idle - Terry Jones and Michael Palin. In the movie Brian Cohen, a young Jew played by Graham Chapman, discovers from his harlot mother that his father was a Roman centurion not a Jew as he was led to believe. To prove his Jewishness he joins a radical underground movement and by misadventure ends up lauded the messiah by multitudes of equally disaffected Israelites, his bemused mother recast a virgin. Brian's simple message that everyone's an individual, doesn't need a leader, shouldn't follow demagogues strikes a cord with an oppressed people but is quickly hijacked. Arrested by the Romans he is sentenced to death and abandoned by his companions, who in the final act are seen weaving politically advantageous myths around his martyrs death.
At first glance the life of Brian bears little resemblance to the life of Christ except in parody, however there's more to it then perceived by viewers. Anticipating a scandal which could result in the film being banned or its release restricted the Python team cunningly depicted Brian and Jesus as two different men in the opening act, it pacified the general public and censors but not the clergy who understood the meaning of the movie.
When people think of Jesus images of the Christmas nativity and passion plays spring to mind; the son of a God, born of a virgin, who preached love and forgiveness before dying on the cross for the sins of the world. Raised from the dead three days latter, the promise of eternal life fulfilled to all who believe. A narrative crafted into what became the Christian Bible in the first centuries AD by the Church of Roman, the fact Jesus was born a Jew, was by occupation a rabbi ignored. As such it would come as a surprise to most Christians to discover he has a presence in Judaic scripture, in the Talmud, Babylonian Edition, there are many references to Jesus, his mother and disciples which modern Christians would find as offensive as their first century counterparts did. It is these references which the Monty Python team used to form the basis of the Life of Brian, a fact not widely publicized at the time or since.
The Babylonian Talmud contradicts the popular Jesus story, within its pages he's referred to as Yeshu ben Pandera and Yeshu the Nazarene, the illegitimate son of Mary Magdala a ladies hairdresser. Yeshu being Hebrew for "Jesus", ben Pandera "son of Pandera" and Nazarene denoting his home town of "Nazareth". His mothers designation as a ladies hairdresser is an ancient metaphor for "prostitute". In these texts, written c70AD, it states Jesus' birth was the outcome of his mother having been raped by a Roman centurion called Panthera, with whom she had an adulterous relationship. First century philosopher Celsus wrote he had been told by a noted Hebrew scholar that Jesus' mother had been divorced by her carpenter husband for committing adultery, wandering in disgrace before giving birth to him in seclusion. The Talmud says Jesus incited Jews to deviate from the principals of Judaism and was put to death, after having been abandoned by his followers. Some biblical scholars believe the deviation in question was an anti theocratic stance, teaching that a man can find salvation in the next life by good deeds in this life and communicate directly with God via prayer without recourse to synagogues or priesthoods which he denounced as corrupt due to its alliance with Rome and amassing of wealth at the expense of the poor. The Talmud has many references to Jesus which Christians would find disturbing, the Toledoth Jeshu details how Jesus' disciples plotted to steal his body but a gardener removed it from the tomb to avoid a desecration and when the disciples returned to find it empty proclaimed Jesus had risen from the dead.
Not surprisingly as Christianity swept the world Jews found themselves in increasing danger for having such things printed in their holy book, so in the seventeenth century elders took steps to expunge all references to Jesus as states in which they lived threatened to ban the Talmud and Christian zealots threatened to exterminate Jews for their ancestors having written such things. After the invention of the printing press Church censors had to approve book content prior to publication and synagogues had no chance of obtaining licenses to publish anything perceived as defamatory to the life of Christ, so self censorship was practiced and all references were quietly removed. It wasn't until after WWII and the establishment of the State of Israel that rabbinical scholars and elders felt secure enough to reissue unabridged Talmud's, although Christian elders and scholars denounced it ferociously at the time.
The Monty Python team found the pompous, self righteous traits of Christianity irresistible and targeted it often on their TV show. Although they expected controversy upon the release of the Life of Brian they were quite stunned by the depth of outrage, John Cleese and Terry Jones shuddering with alarm as heated words were shot at them during TV dialogues with churchman. It's not surprising they hadn't the courage at the time to admit they were poking their tongue at Christianity by adapting the Talmudic account of Christ's life, however had they the joke would have gone over most peoples heads anyway. The joke only understood by devout Christians and biblical scholars who didn't find it funny, most lay people took offense merely because they were told to from the pulpit. The movie was denounced by the Pope, the Arch Bishop of Canterbury and every major Christian denomination in the world who mobilized congregations to protest outside cinemas and lobby legislators to ban the movie or have its rating classification changed so impressionable young people couldn't see it and succeeded in many places. More than 20 years on the movie remains as popular as it is controversial, whenever screened on TV or in cinemas as part of a Monty Python festival it generates protests, although its enduring popularity has more to do with great writing and acting performances then religious jibes.