The Return of the King (movie)

It has been estimated that the gross income from non-box office sales and merchandise has been at least equal to the box office for all three films; if this is so, the total gross income for the trilogy would be in the region of $6 billion, a very respectable return for a $300 million investment (although not by any means the best profit ratio ever seen in Hollywood - that prize belongs to The Blair Witch Project). (See also: Bible conspiracy theory). These figures do not include income from DVD sales, TV rights, etc. Both state their belief that Paul was used, along with Josephus, to start a peaceful messianic movement to undermine the unrest and rebelliousness of Judea. This compares favorably to the first two films of the trilogy: in their first 35 weeks of theatrical release in North America, the gross income of the first two movies was $313,364,114 and $339,789,881. Joseph Atwill, in his book, Ceasar's Messiah, and David Icke, among others, believe that Paul was an agent of Imperial Rome in general and of the Roman Emperors in specific. It was the second film in history to earn over $1 billion in box office revenue in its initial release (the first being Titanic in 1997). If Sanders' perspective was true, the traditional Protestant understanding of the doctrine of justification may have needed rethinking, for the interpretive framework of Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther, which had dominated Christian thinking for almost two millennia, was called into question.

The worldwide revenue is slightly enhanced compared to the earlier movies when converted to US Dollars because of the decline in the dollar's exchange rate in 2003. Sanders reframed the context to make law-keeping and good works a sign of being in the Covenant (marking out the Jews as the people of God) rather than deeds performed in order to accomplish salvation. The final North American box office stands at $377,027,325, and the worldwide take is $1,118,888,979 (about $741 million overseas). Traditionally, it had been assumed that 1st century Judaism was a religion of "works" whereby Jews believed they had to earn their salvation by keeping the Law, and therefore when Paul spoke about "justification by faith" or the "justification of faith", he was referring to a new non-works-oriented way of salvation (being declared righteous by God) announced in Christ. According to Box Office Mojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/), between the time of the film's release, its winning the Academy Award for Best Picture on Sunday, February 29, 2004, and Thursday, March 11, 2004, Return of the King had earned approximately $1,052,547,293 in worldwide box office revenue—$368,875,000 in North America, and $683,649,123 in sixty countries worldwide. Sanders in his 1977 book Paul and Palestinian Judaism, in which he argued that the Judaism of Paul's day had been wrongly caricatured by Protestant theology. These forecasts proved accurate. P.

(The general opinion in movie circles in 2003 was that a movie had to earn more than $150 million to be considered a "blockbuster"). The "New Perspective on Paul" rose to prominence as a result of the work of E. If this proved to be true, then this would be the first blockbuster movie trilogy for each successive film to earn more at the box office than its predecessor, when all three films were blockbuster successes. Again when he spoke to the Greeks about a divinity in their pantheon called "The Unknown God", it can be understood that he was trying to de-paganise their native religions for the sake of their own salvation. The substantial increase in initial box office totals caused optimistic studio executives to forecast that The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King would surpass The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in total earnings. This is further backed up by Paul in his first letter to the Romans when he compliments them on their religion. This was nearly twice the first-day total of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (which earned $18.2 million on its first day of release in 2001), and a significant increase over The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as well (which earned $26.1 million on its first day in December of 2002). In recent years perhaps the most exemplary developers of Emden's view are the Orthodox Rabbi Harvey Falk and Pamela Eisenbaum.^[3] In this view, Paul is seen as a rabbi who understood the ruling that, although it would be forbidden to a Jew, shittuf (believing in the divine through the name of another) would be permissible for a Gentile despite the Noahide ban on idolatry.

New Line Cinema reported that the film's first day of release (a Wednesday) saw a box office total of $34.5 million—an all-time single-day record for a motion picture released on a Wednesday (until Spider-Man_2 came along and grossed $40.4 million). He did however insist that any man born of a Jewish woman be circumcised (for example Timothy upon whom he himself carried out the ceremony) and live under the Law. After two years of attention and acclaim since the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, audience anticipation for the final installment of the trilogy had reached a fever pitch when the movie was finally released to theaters on December 17, 2003. Paul insisted that they need only their purified faith and was firmly against proselytizing. Note: because the box-office receipts below are not adjusted for Inflation, they have little objective meaning—thanks to increasing ticket prices, new films will inevitably break such "records" continually, although low inflation between 2001 and 2003 means that US domestic figures are roughly comparable (world-wide income comparisons, translated into US dollars, are more problematical because of a substantial decline in the dollar's value in 2003). But he opposed the Jewish Christians who insisted (under some kind of Shammaite influence) that Gentiles were beyond salvation unless they became Jews. The film remains faithful to the book in quoting the last lines spoken by Gandalf ("I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil", although Gandalf has some minor dialogue following this in the movie) and by Sam ("Well, I'm back."). Paul believed the advantage of the Jews was their being entrusted with the oracles of heaven, and that the law was upon them.

The film's closing scene shows Sam returning from saying farewell at the Grey Havens and coming back to the Shire and his home and family (returning at night in the book, during the day in the film). His view, based on the medieval Toledot Yeshu narratives, was that Saul of Tarsus was a devout and learned Pharisee, who (turning away from his early Shammaite views) came to believe in salvation for the Gentiles and under the guiding authority of the very learned and devout Simon Kepha (i.e., Saint Peter) set about refining a Noahide religion for the Gentiles based around the Jesus movement. These denouments are only briefly summarized in the films, where we get a hint of Frodo's periodic bouts of illness following his return to the Shire, we see Sam getting married to Rosie, and we follow Gandalf's and the Ring-bearers' departure from the Grey Havens. Another alternative view was first set forth by Rabbi Jacob Emden (1697–1776). Following the destruction of the One Ring, most of the second book of The Return of the King involves tying up loose ends (although Tolkien considered the "Scouring of the Shire" to be one of the most important chapters of the trilogy, it is completely omitted from the film). (An assessment of Paul of Tarsus from this viewpoint can be found online at The Pauline Conspiracy.). Other alterations to the story include:. Using the New Testament works themselves as his primary source, Garaffa offers a reinterpretation of key passages, and suggests an aggressive power struggle is preserved in the canonical New Testament writings themselves.

Fans hoped that several other key scenes from the book would be included in the extended cut, although inevitably not all of them were:. He maintains that Paul of Tarsus effectively usurped the authority of the remaining disciples, and the original Jerusalem Church operating under James the Just. In the book Gríma simply throws the Palantír at the company, not realising its value. Victor Garaffa. In the theatrical version there is no explanation as to how the Palantír fell into the water. A more critical view of Paul of Tarsus comes from the comprehensive work of A. (This is an homage to Lee's Dracula movies; Peter Jackson wanted to be the last director to drive a stake through his heart.) The Palantír then falls into the water where it is found by Pippin. While the teachings of Jesus may be the basis of Christian ethics, they view Paul's teachings as the true basis of modern Christian beliefs such as the atoning death of Jesus and the concept of original sin.

Saruman falls from the tower and is impaled on a wooden stake projecting from a mill-wheel. They see Paul as an apostate from Judaism. (This is apparently a reference to Denethor's madness.) Saruman is finally stabbed by Gríma Wormtongue (which in the book occurs at the end of the Scouring of the Shire) and Gríma is shot by Legolas (in the book he is shot by a Hobbit). Some small modern religious groups share Maccoby's views on Paul's doctrines. In the extended edition Saruman appears on the roof of Orthanc bearing a Palantír and taunts Gandalf and his company with hints of a darkness in the heart of Middle-earth which will destroy them. In this regard, 1 Corinthians 9:20-22:. In the book, the fall of Saruman takes place at the end of the scouring, but in the film's theatrical release Saruman is left trapped in the tower of Orthanc by the Ents. Maccoby questions Paul's integrity as well:.

Jackson felt that it would tax the audience's patience to mount another battle scene after the critical conflict, the defeat of Sauron, had already been resolved. Maccoby also contends that Paul invented many of the key concepts of the Christian religion, and that the Gospels and other later Christian documents were written to reflect Paul's views rather than the authentic life and teaching of Jesus. A sequence that did not make it from the book into the film at all despite the hopes of many fans, was the "Scouring of the Shire", in which the Hobbits return home at the end of their quest to find they have some fighting to do, owing to Saruman's takeover of the Shire. Maccoby considers Paul's claims to a Jewish background and Pharisaic education to be false, claiming that a number of passages in Paul's writings betray his ignorance of the Jewish Law. There are further rumours of an even more spectacular Lord of the Rings Trilogy box set in the future, and Jackson has half-seriously mentioned the possibility of re-editing the trilogy into a TV miniseries, along the lines of the Godfather movies. Maccoby believes that Paul's revelation was thus actually a resolution of his divided self; Paul subsequently fused the mystery religions, Judaism and the Passion of Jesus into an entirely new belief, centered on the death of Jesus as a mystical atoning sacrifice. Fans also hoped that the extended discs would feature deleted scenes and outtakes, but none are included except for a few in the behind-the-scenes documentaries. Paul's work persecuting the enemies of the High Priest led to an internal conflict in his mind, which manifested itself while he was travelling to Damascus on a covert mission.

A Collectors' Box Set was also released, which also included a sculpture of Minas Tirith and a bonus 50-minute music documentary DVD, Howard Shore: Creating The Lord of the Rings Symphony: A Composer's Journey Through Middle-earth. He found work in Jerusalem as a police officer of the Sadducee High Priest, who was at that time a de facto Roman quisling in Jerusalem. The extended DVD is actually a 4-disc set like its predecessors, with the movie and commentaries occupying Discs 1 and 2 and the behind-the-scenes material on discs 3 and 4. In his books The Mythmaker and Paul and Hellenism, Talmudic scholar Hyam Maccoby proposed a theory that Paul was actually a Gentile raised in an environment influenced by the popular Hellenistic mystery religions centered on dying and resurrected savior deities, who later converted to Judaism, hoping to become a Pharisee scholar. (In the Director and Writers' Commentary on the extended DVD edition he jokes about including some scenes in a 25th Anniversary edition, provided he is not too senile to remember by then.). (MacDonald, 1983). He also stated that not all of the unused footage shot for the movie would necessarily appear in the extended cut. MacDonald suggests that the context of the Pastoral Epistles associated with the name of Paul -- emphasizing order within conventional family formulas and the social legitimacy of the Church -- should be seen as counter to the radical preaching and story-telling of roaming celibate women, represented in the legends.

He mentioned the inclusion of the "Mouth of Sauron" scene, as well as Frodo and Sam running with the Mordor orcs. The literary version of these traditions was so despised by the Church, that only in the 20th century has a coherent text been pieced together from surviving fragments. In January 2004, Peter Jackson indicated that the then recently completed extended edition is actually four hours and ten minutes long. The simple folk who were endorsing such material were not reading it from a text, but transmitting oral traditions that seem to originate in the eastern Mediterranean (MacDonald). Other rumours suggested that the extended DVD might be a five or six-disc set, with the movie occupying three discs rather than two, and that the extended cut might be as long as six hours. According to the writing, she had been commissioned to do so by Paul himself. The early release of the standard edition had led some fans to hope that the extended edition might be released as early as August, but the release was actually put back from mid-November, presumably because of the amount of work involved in preparing the extra footage and bonus material. The main vehicle for the Pauline legend-cycle is the Acts of Paul and Thecla, which Origen mildly approved, but which attracted Tertullian's attention at the end of the 2nd century; he complained that the example of Thecla was being employed to legitimize women teaching and baptizing.

The release of the theatrical edition had originally been scheduled for worldwide release in late August but actually appeared on May 25. The oral tradition was transmitted above all among women, MacDonald has asserted, and women appear more centrally in the legend than in the epistles, where they are relegated to the periphery. Christopher Lee apparently reconciled his differences with Peter Jackson because he appears on the behind-the-scenes documentaries and Cast Commentary on the extended DVDs. The pastoral epistles were accepted into the canon, as it developed in the 3rd century, while the legends continued their parallel, apocryphal career. The final ten minutes of the extended DVD comprises a listing of the names of the charter members of the official fan club. Their tradition has been characterized (MacDonald 1983) as being in competition with the Pauline pastoral epistles. These were released on December 10 2004 in the UK and December 14 in the U.S., with an expanded length of 250 minutes (4 hours, 10 minutes) (slightly shorter in PAL versions). From the mid-2nd century, orally transmitted legends that had grown up about the figure of Paul were embodied in written narratives, that applied contemporary literary conventions of realism and authenticity in order to give weight to this legendary oral core.

Peter Jackson confirmed that this scene, although not in the theatrical release, would be included in the extended VHS and DVD editions. The following epistles, agreed to be pseudepigraphical (non-canonical), present themselves as if written by Paul:. According to British newspaper reports appearing on November 13, 2003, Christopher Lee was unhappy to learn that a seven-minute scene featuring a confrontation at Isengard in which Gandalf casts Saruman out of the order of Wizards, would not be appearing in the finished film, and he decided to boycott the premiere as a result. Two further Pauline epistles have been lost:. Gandalf is now certain that Sauron will come after Pippin, thinking he has the ring. The Pastoral epistles are usually considered a separate category, no longer generally attributed to Paul, save by traditionalists (also possibly pseudonymous):. Pippin is left deeply shaken, but lives. The Deutero-Pauline Epistles(suspected to be pseudonymous).

Barely able to resist the Eye's power, Pippin is nearly broken into submission, but Gandalf and Aragorn wrest it from his tortured fingers. Undisputed Pauline Epistles (almost certainly authentic). Whilst gazing into the crystal ball, Pippin is spied by Sauron and through a psychic link, the dark lord attempts to interrogate the hobbit. The Pauline Corpus: those considered to be the "prison-letters" are marked with an asterisk (*). That night, after a post-battle party in Edoras, Pippin, fascinated by the seeing stone, takes it from Gandalf, ignoring Merry's urgings to leave it alone. Since at least 1750, a number of other letters commonly attributed to Paul have also been suspected of having been written by his followers some time in the 1st century—so early that religious writers like Marcion and Tertullian knew of no other author for them. He is stabbed in the back, and plummets from Orthanc's top to be impaled on one of his machines, dropping from his sleeve a palantir, which Gandalf takes. His possible authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews had been questioned as early as Origen.

Before he can give them more information, he is attacked by his servant Wormtongue. A subgroup of these letters, written from captivity, are called the "prison-letters", and tradition states they were written in Rome. They are informed by Saruman that Sauron the trilogy's main antagonist, is readying his forces for a final strike. Those letters that have survived are part of the New Testament canon, where they appear in order of length, from longest to shortest. Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Theoden, the victors of the Battle of the Hornburg, there confront the traitorous wizard, Saruman. However, not all have been preserved; 1 Corinthians 5:9 alludes to a previous letter sent by him to the Christians in Corinth that has clearly been lost. The plot then switches back to Isengard. Paul wrote a number of letters to Christian churches and individuals.

As this sequence ends, we find Frodo, Sam and Gollum approaching the mountains of Mordor, Mount Doom's eruptions disturbingly close. See also Authorship of the Pauline Epistles. The film begins with a flashback sequence, wherein we discover how the character Gollum first came across the One Ring. The true subversive nature of Paul's ethic was not that the Church seek to subvert the Empire (vindication in full had already been promised), but that the Church not be subverted by the Empire in its wait for Christ's return. The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King picks up the story from the end of The Two Towers. The christianity which Paul envisioned was one in which adherents lived unburdened by the norms of Roman and Jewish society to freely follow the promise of an already established but not yet fully present Kingdom of God, promised by Jesus and instituted in his own Resurrection. This ensured that all three movies were consistent in terms of story, acting, effects, and direction. The ethic being that the Christian's life is not to be lived out of hope for what the Roman Empire could provide (legal, martial and economic advantage) or the pharisaical system could provide (legalistic, self-dependent salvation), but out of hope in the Resurrection and promises of Jesus.

The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy is highly unusual in that it is to date the only movie series whose separate installments were written simultaneously and shot all at once, so that it could be considered three parts of a single very long film. If Jesus is lord, then Caesar is not, and so on. Other key events include the Siege of Gondor; the re-forging of the shards of Narsil into Aragorn's new sword Andúril; Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas' journey through the Paths of the Dead; the epic Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and the charge of the mûmakil (everything being carefully choreographed in advance, a process Jackson describes as like planning a real battle); Merry and Éowyn's role in the defeat of the Lord of the Nazgûl; the destruction of the One Ring and the final fall of Sauron; Aragorn's assumption of the throne; and the departure of several of the heroes to the Undying Lands. Paul used these titles to expand upon the ethic of Jesus with words from and for his own place and time in history. These include the scene in which the monstrous Shelob attacks Frodo and is wounded by Sam. Ancient Roman inscriptions had called Augustus the evangelon (good news) for Rome. This film contains key scenes that occurred in the middle portion of the novel The Lord of the Rings but were not included in the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. When Paul refers to Jesus' life as the "Good News", evangelion in Greek, he is using another title claimed by Augustus.

Close-ups of the city are represented by sets and long shots by a large and highly-detailed model, often populated by CGI characters. Augustus had claimed the titles "Lord of Lords", "King of Kings", and "Son of God" (as he was the adopted son of Julius Caesar, whom he declared to be a god). The filmmakers have taken great care to base the city closely upon Tolkien's description in The Return of the King, Book V, Chapter 1. Paul used titles to describe Jesus that were also claimed by the Caesars. The city of Minas Tirith, glimpsed briefly in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is seen in all its glory. Paul was not only establishing a new cultural awareness and a society of charity, but was also subverting Roman authority through language and action. In his degraded state Gollum is "played" in the movies by a CGI character whose movements are sometimes derived from a motion-capture suit worn by Serkis, and sometimes from footage of Serkis interacting with the other actors and then digitally replaced by Gollum. Due to his authority, these views have had an influence in Western society into modern times; Paul's apparent failure to explicitly condemn slavery in his Epistle to Philemon may have been sometimes interpreted as justifying the ownership of human beings.

This scene was actually held over from the previous film because it was felt that it would have a greater emotional impact if audiences had already seen what the Ring's influence had done to Sméagol. 7:21ff.). As confirmed in the feature on Gollum in the Extended DVD Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Andy Serkis appears in person in a flashback scene playing Sméagol before his degradation into Gollum. Paul may have been ambivalent towards slavery, saying that pending the near return of Jesus, people should focus on their faith and not on their social status (1 Cor. It tied with Ben-Hur and Titanic for the most Oscars ever won by a single film, and broke the previous record for a sweep set by Gigi and The Last Emperor (See Movies with eight or more Oscars). 5:21-33). On February 29, the film won 11 Academy Awards, winning in every category for which it was nominated. 7, Eph.

On January 27, 2004, the film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score (Howard Shore), and Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup, Best Music (Song), Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects; however, none of the ensemble cast received any acting nominations. 4:1-6), and marriage (1 Cor. The first two films were The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, although the film's story includes later events in the section of the book The Two Towers as well as most of The Return of the King. 1:10-17, Eph. Further premieres took place in major cities around the world in the days leading up to the film's worldwide theatrical release on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 with a runtime of 200 minutes (that is, 3 hours and 20 minutes). 11), the unity of believers (1 Cor. The film premiered in Wellington, New Zealand, on December 1, 2003, attended by the director and many of the stars. 2:6-23), proper worship and church discipline (1 Cor.

Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. 8, Col. R. 5, 1 Cor. R. Other Pauline teachings are on freedom in Christ (Gal. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the third part of a film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, based on J. 3:1-17).

In the books Celeborn also takes a later ship, as do Legolas and Gimli. 5:21–33, Col. In the book, Frodo and Sam join with Bilbo and the elves in the woods while traveling to the harbor. 5:27|27-28; see also 1 Cor 6:9ff.; Eph. In the film, it is not revealed that Frodo is to sail to the west with Bilbo, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn until after most of them have boarded the ship. 6:18) -- based on the moral laws of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus (Matt. In the film, Frodo jumps on him one last time and causes them both to fall; it is subsequently revealed that he was able to catch himself on the rock below the precipice, from which Sam pulls him back (after a brief hesitation by an apparently suicidal Frodo). All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body" (1 Cor.

In the book, Gollum slips accidentally into the Crack of Doom while dancing in triumph after wresting the Ring from Frodo. Paul condemned sexual immorality, saying "Flee from sexual immorality. Unlike the book, Merry is not taken to the Houses of Healing to recuperate from his encounter with the Witch-king (with the aid of Aragorn's knowledge of the healing herb athelas, which he also uses to heal Faramir and Éowyn), but instead rides out to the Last Battle alongside Aragorn and Gandalf. 3:1-17). In his commentary on the extended DVD Peter Jackson admits that he was aware of the distance issue but included the scene for dramatic effect.). In the same passage, Paul extols the virtues of compassion, kindness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace, and gratitude (Col. While on fire, Denethor would have had to run across the entire city to fall like that. He condemns such things as impurity, lust, greed, anger, slander, filthy language, lying, and racial divisions.

(In fact the "prow" of Minas Tirith, located on the Seventh Level, is on the opposite side of the city from the burial chambers where the pyre is, located on the fifth level. These standards have highly influenced Western society for centuries. In the book, Denethor lights his pyre and lies down upon it to burn, clasping the palantír. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul expounds on how a follower of Christ should live a radically different life - using heavenly standards instead of earthly ones. In the film, the burning Denethor runs along the "prow" of Minas Tirith and falls like a meteor. Paul's writings on social issues were just as influential on the life and beliefs of Christian culture, as were his doctrinal statements. In the book, Frodo and Sam have no break in their trust, except for a brief instant upon Frodo's rescue from the orc tower where he demands that Sam return the Ring. Paul's notion that the Holy Spirit dwells within all believers at the time of their conversion, is integral to his soteriology, ecclesiology, missiology, and eschatology.

In the film, Gollum tricks Frodo into mistrusting Sam and sending him away, so that Frodo enters Shelob's Lair alone. These references would later take shape as the doctrine of the Trinity. In the film, there is no courier, and the Riders are spurred to help Gondor by the beacons (above). Much of Romans, and particularly the ending to 2 Corinthians, portrays the Spirit in equality with the Father and the Son. In the book, Gondor's formal request for aid is sent to Rohan by a courier carrying the Red Arrow (although Rohan was already mustering to Gondor's defense, in part at Gandalf's urging). Paul also manifests a strong doctrine of the Holy Spirit. In the film, Denethor refuses to light the beacon of Minas Tirith, or indeed to organize any defense of the city, so Gandalf persuades Pippin to sneak past the guards and light it, causing the rest of the beacons to be lit in response. His missionary work amongst non-Jews helped to raise Christianity beyond its initial reputation as a dissident (if not heretical) Jewish sect, at least with the populace, if not the Roman Imperial party.

In the book, the beacons of Gondor are lit before Gandalf and Pippin arrive, as a part of Denethor's careful mustering of Minas Tirith's defenses. While a number of passages in the Gospels (e.g., Mark) acknowledge that Gentiles might enjoy the benefits of Jesus, Paul claims to be "The Apostle to the Gentiles" -- a title that can be traced to Galatians 2:8. The book version makes more sense when considering the maps, as Pelargir is a long way from Edoras or Minas Tirith, and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli run for a short time considering the distance. One development clearly not original to Paul, (for example see Isaiah 56:6-8), but for which he became the chief advocate, was the conversion of non-Jews to Christianity. No rangers or southern gondorians are in the movie. Paul was also one of the first Christians to expound the doctrine of Christ's divine nature. The dead than sail on the ships to Pelennor fields. This doctrine was confirmed at the Apostolic Council (see above).

In the movie, Aragorn gets the dead to serve in an underground cave, exits the underground path at Pelagir to see the corsairs. His writings also express the doctrine that salvation is not achieved by conforming to Mosaic Law, but through faith in (or the faith of) Jesus. After the Dead defeat the corsairs, they disappear, and the ships carry Aragorn, the rangers, Legolas, Gimli, and some forces from southern Gondor to the battle of Pelennor fields. In the New Testament, the doctrine of original sin is most clearly expressed by Paul's writings. Aragorn than leads the dead and members of his group to Pelargir to attack the corsairs. Related to Paul's interpretation of the resurrection are his concepts of faith, which he explains through his explanation of Abraham, and of righteousness and the forgiveness for sins, using language that Augustine of Hippo later elaborated upon in his formulation of original sin. In the book, the rangers, Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn ride through the mountain path to summon the dead, than ride through the Morthond valley to the stone of Erech, where the dead agree to serve. Roman Catholic and Orthodox theology disputes this, asserting that passages cited in Paul are being misinterpreted, and that this interpretation is directly contradicted by James 2:24: "man is justified by works, and not by faith alone." (KJV).

Elrond's appearance partially substitutes. Most Protestant denominations assert that Paul's teachings constitute a definitive statement that salvation comes only by faith, and not by any external action of the believer. The company of Rangers of the North, who along with the two sons of Elrond join Aragorn after Saruman is defeated, do not appear at all in the film, in which Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli take the Paths of the Dead alone. justification by faith and works. In the book, Narsil was reforged when Aragorn first brought the hobbits to Rivendell (following a prophecy that the reforging could only take place after "Isildur's Bane", the Ring, was found). This belief leads directly to the modern argument of justification by faith vs. In the film, shards of Narsil are re-forged by Elrond at Arwen's urging, and Elrond travels to Rohan where he presents the reforged sword to Aragorn and orders him to take the Paths of the Dead. However, there is some evidence suggesting that Paul's concept of salvation coming from the death of Jesus was not unique amongst early Christians; Philippians 2:5–11, expounds a Christology similar to Paul's, and has long been identified as a hymn of early Christians dated as existing before Paul's letter.

In the extended cut Gandalf tells Pippin that the dead White Tree remains in the courtyard in the apparently forlorn hope that it will blossom again; in a later scene the tree is seen bearing a single white flower. The assumption that Paul was anti-Law, (indeed that even Jesus was anti-Law), found its largest proponent in Marcion and Marcionism. Book: After the coronation, Gandalf counsels King Elessar and shows him where to find a seedling of the White Tree.
Movie: Not included. Paul goes to Herod's Temple with four Nazarite pledges to show that he is not; however, when some people from Asia Minor (Paul's home area) see him, it starts a major riot. In both versions of the film the destruction of the Ring causes the Eye of Sauron to erupt in flame and then explode as Barad-dûr collapses. For example, in Acts 15 he accepts a subset (see Noahide Laws) of the Law for new Gentile converts; in Acts 16 he "personally" circumcises Timothy, even though his father is Greek, because his mother is of the Jewish faith; and in Acts 21, James challenges Paul about the rumor that he is teaching rebellion against the Law. Book: The spirit of Sauron rises like a black cloud from the ruin of Barad-dûr before being blown away by the West wind.
Movie: Not included. The Acts of the Apostles definitely depicts Paul as a Mosaic Law-observant Jew.

In the book he is allowed to live until the battle. The Ethiopian Orthodox, who claim to be the only church free of Marcionism, still observe some Mosaic Laws.^[2] The Apostolic Constitutions, generally dated around the 3rd century, though they claim to be from the Council of Jerusalem, are pro-Mosaic Law (see 2.36, 6.19, 7.23). He then taunts Aragorn over his broken sword and Aragorn decapitates him with the reforged Andúril. The Didache does not have this concept. The Mouth torments the Fellowship by claiming that Frodo has been horribly tortured and killed. It was not until his later letter to the Corinthians that he alluded to the possibility of eternal life, that one often hears about in more conservative churches, and in turn was held to supersede the value of the Mosaic Law -- a belief often expressed as "Jesus died for our sins." It is unclear how much of this idea is original to Paul; Jerome notes the existence in the 4th century of a Christian sect in Syria called the Ebionites who still observed the Mosaic Law, thus suggesting that at least some Christians may not have believed in the salvatory qualities of the Passion. Book: The Mouth of Sauron taunts Gandalf at the Black Gate and presents evidence that Frodo had been captured (which was true, although Frodo was rescued by Sam before he could be interrogated).
Movie: Included with alterations. (Romans 3:22, Galatians 3:22, etc.).

The scene ends with Frodo and Sam pretending to fight, causing the other orcs to join in, and slipping away while they are distracted - a simplification of the original scene. The first was that of the centrality of faith within the life of Jesus, and the ability to attain righteousness through such. Book: Incognito in Orc armor, Sam and Frodo are forced to march with a band of Orcs who are heading for the Black Gate.
Movie: Included. Paul had several major impacts on the nature of Christian doctrine. Takes place following the Last Debate; Sauron retaliates by showing Aragorn a vision of Arwen apparently dying, which is not in the book. It is commonly accepted that Paul died as a martyr in Rome. Book: Aragorn reveals himself and his reforged sword to Sauron using the palantír recovered at Isengard.
Movie: Included with alteration. While there is little evidence to support any of these traditions, there is no evidence contradicting them either, nor any alternative tradition of Paul's eventual fate.

Book: Faramir and Éowyn meet and fall in love in the Houses of Healing.
Movie: Referred to in a brief scene in which they begin to bond. One Gaius, who wrote during the time of Pope Zephyrinus, mentions Paul's tomb as standing on the Via Ostensis. Book: Aragorn cures Éowyn, Faramir, and Merry in the House of Healing.
Movie: His healing of Faramir and Merry is not included. Eusebius of Caesarea states that Paul was beheaded in the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero; this event has been dated either to the year 64, when Rome was devastated by a fire, or a few years later, to 67. Book: Éomer grieves over the deaths of Éowyn and Théoden after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Movie: We see Éomer's shock at his sister's apparent death, and his attempts to nurse her back to health with the aid of Aragorn. Another tradition, that can also be traced to the first century, places his death in Rome. It is also possible, however, that the Palantir Aragorn used was the stone of Orthanc, and Denethor's seeing-stone was completely cut out of the films. 15:22–7), the evidence is inconclusive.

Denethor, in the theatrical cut, does cryptically say that "the eyes of the White Tower are not blind", and he implies that he has a Seeing-stone, which someone that read the book might understand but would be lost on a movie-only audience. One tradition holds (attested as early as in 1 Clement 5:7, and in the Muratorian fragment) that Paul visited Spain; while this was his intention (Rom. The implication that this is the cause of Denethor's madness is left to viewers with knowledge of the book. We are forced to turn to tradition for the details of Paul's final years. The vision is true as far as it goes, but Denethor does not realise the ships have been taken over by Aragorn's army.
Movie: Not included, but there is a scene after the Battle of Pelennor Fields, where Aragorn finds a Palantir in Denethor's cloak in the throne room and reveals himself to Sauron (see below). While Paul's letters to the Ephesians and to Philemon may have been written while he was imprisoned in Rome (the traditional interpretation), they just as likely may have been written during his earlier imprisonments at Caesarea (first suggested in 1799), or at Ephesus (suggested in the early 20th century). But Sauron has infiltrated the palantír and used it to show Denethor a vision of the Black Ships. Acts only recounts Paul's life until he arrived in Rome, around 61; Paul's own letters cease to furnish information about his activities long before then.

Book: In the Pyre of Denthor scene it is revealed that Denethor has a palantír, usually kept in a secret room at the top of the White Tower of Ecthelion, which he has been using to obtain strategic information for the defence of Gondor. The three months when navigation was considered most dangerous were spent there, where Paul is said to have healed the father of the Roman Governor Publius from fever, and other people who where sick, and preached the gospel; but with the first days of spring, all haste was made to resume the voyage. Book: The Rohirrim bypass the main road to Gondor by negotiating with the Wild Men of Drúadan Forest for passage through their woods.
Movie: There is no mention of the Wild Men or of Drúadan Forest; the Rohirrim just ride all night. His advice was not followed, and the vessel, driven by the tempest, drifted aimlessly for fourteen whole days, being finally wrecked on the coast of Malta. The arrival of the Rohirrim is announced by their horns, but there is no sound of a cock crowing first (despite the fact that Tolkien described this as one of his favourite images). At Myra in Lycia, the prisoners were transferred to an Alexandrian vessel transporting wheat bound for Italy, but the winds being persistently contrary, a place in Crete called Goodhavens was reached with great difficulty, and Paul advised that they should spend the winter there. Shortly afterward, the Witch-king, riding his Fell Beast, intercepts Gandalf and Pippin, on Shadowfax, who are racing from the gate to the Citadel (at the summit of the city) to save Faramir from being burned alive by Denethor. They skirted the coasts of Syria, Cilicia, and Pamphylia.

In the book this takes place at the gate of Minas Tirith.
Movie: When the gate is breached trolls and orcs enter the city. As the season was advanced, the voyage was slow and difficult. Book: The Witch-king enters Minas Tirith when its gate is breached and challenges Gandalf to fight, but as a cock crows the horns of the Rohirrim announce their arrival and the Witch-king is forced to return to meet their assault. The centurion Julius had shipped Paul and his fellow prisoners aboard a merchant vessel, whereon Luke and Aristarchus were able to take passage. Book: On the way to the Morgul Vale, Frodo, Sam and Gollum pass through the Crossroads, where there is a giant statue of a seated king with his head laying on the ground nearby, "crowned" anew with flowers that have grown there, an image of hope amidst destruction.
Movie: Included without alteration. Acts describes Paul's journey from Caesarea to Rome in some detail. Very polite." Merry promises to tell him more about pipe-weed; the relationships of Merry and Pippin with Théoden and Denethor are more significant in the books.
Movie: Just adds a scene where Merry pledges his allegiance to Théoden. Paul claimed his right, as a Roman citizen, to be tried in Rome; but owing to the inaction of the governor Antonius Felix, Paul languished in confinement at Caesarea Palaestina for two years until a new governor, Porcius Festus, took office, held a hearing, and sent Paul by sea to Rome, where he spent another two years in detention (Acts 28:30).

Book: Théoden meets Merry and Pippin and calls them holbytlan, suggesting that the word hobbit is derived from Rohirric; Pippin comments that the King of Rohan is "A fine old fellow. 2:10), Ananias the High Priest made accusations against him that again resulted in his imprisonment (Acts 24:1–5). Upon Paul's arrival in Jerusalem with the relief funds requested at the Council of Jerusalem (Gal. As a result, when he later raised money for victims of a famine in Judea and his journey to Jerusalem took him through the province once again, he carefully sailed around Ephesus -- instead summoning his followers to meet him in Miletus (20:17–38). Their income relied on the sale of silver statues of the goddess Artemis, whom they worshipped, and the resulting mob almost killed him (19:21–41).

He caused a great uproar in the theatre in Ephesus, where local silversmiths feared loss of income due to Paul's activities. Following this hearing, Paul continued his preaching (usually called his Third Missionary Journey), traveling again through Asia Minor and Macedonia, to Antioch and back. From an inscription in Delphi that mentions Gallio, we are able to securely date this hearing as having occurred in the year 52, providing a secure date for the chronology of Paul's life. Again he ran into legal trouble in Corinth: on the complaints of a group of Jews, he was brought before the proconsul Gallio, who decided that it was a minor matter not worth his attention and dismissed the charges (Acts 18:12–16).

First he came to Athens, where he gave his legendary speech in Areios Pagos and said he was talking in the name of the Unknown God who was already worshipped there (17:16–34); then he traveled to Corinth, where he settled for three years, and wrote the earliest of his letters to survive, 1 Thessalonians. Paul then traveled along the Via Egnatia to Thessalonica, where he stayed for some time, before departing for Greece. 2:2 KJV); the author of Acts, perhaps drawing from a witness (this passage follows closely on one of the "we passages"), explains here that Paul exorcised a spirit from a female slave—ending her ability to tell fortunes, and reducing her value—an act the slave's owner claimed was theft, wherefore he had Paul briefly put in prison (Acts 16:22). Paul himself tersely describes his experience as "when we suffered and were shamefully treated" (1 Thess.

Paul spent the next few years traveling through western Asia Minor -- this time entering Macedonia -- and founded his first Christian church in Philippi, where he encountered harassment. 4:10). Later on, there is some reconciliation—Paul mentions that John Mark is in prison with him, and tells the church in Colossae to welcome him if he comes to them (Col. However, Paul and Barnabas then had a severe falling-out over whether they should take John, surnamed Mark (Barnabas' cousin) with them, and they went on separate journeys (Acts 15:36–41)—Barnabas with John Mark, and Paul with Silas.

Acts recounts nothing of this, saying that "some time later", Paul decided to leave Antioch, (giving the impression he lost the argument with Peter) -- usually considered the beginning of his Second Missionary Journey -- with the object of visiting the believers in the towns where he and Barnabas had preached earlier. 2:11–18). Despite the agreement they achieved at the Council as understood by Paul, Paul recounts how he later publicly berated Peter (accusing him of Judaizing) over his reluctance to share a meal with gentile Christians in the "Incident of Antioch" (Gal. 2:9 KJV).

The letter also refers to Barnabas and Paul as "beloved" (Acts 15:25 KJV); compare Paul's account "James, Cephas [Peter] and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship" (Gal. (Acts 15:29). They sent a letter accompanied by some leaders from the Jerusalem church back with Paul and his party to confirm that the Gentile believers should not be overburdened by Mosaic Law beyond abstaining from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. Returning to Acts 15, after much debate and discussion, Peter says that "[God] made no distinction between us [Jews] and them [Gentiles], but cleansed their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:9 KJV), and James the Just states that "we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who are turning to God" (Acts 15:19 KJV).

A rumor that Paul aimed to subvert the Law of Moses is cited in Acts 21:21, however, according to Acts, Paul followed James' instructions to show that he "kept and walked in the ways of the Law". (see Antinomianism). 2:2) that he wanted to make sure what he had been teaching to the Gentile believers in previous years was correct— one interpretation is that his teaching was that Christ's fulfillment of the Mosaic Law by death and resurrection had freed Christian believers from the need to obey Mosaic Law. He stated (Gal.

2:4 KJV). 2:2 KJV), "because of false brethren secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage" (Gal. [he] preached among the Gentiles" (Gal. Paul states that he had attended "in response to a revelation", to "lay before them the gospel ..

This was said to be the result of men coming to Antioch from Judea and "teaching the brothers: 'Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved'" (Acts 15:1 KJV) (see Legalism). Some interpret this to mean whether Christians should continue to observe all of the Mosaic Laws, the most important being considered the practice of circumcision and dietary laws. Acts states that Paul was the head of a delegation from the Antiochene church that came to discuss whether new converts needed to be circumcised. Here the accounts of Acts 15 and Paul's Galatians 2:1-10 come at things from fairly different angles.

About AD 49, after fourteen years of preaching, Paul travelled to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus to meet with the leaders of the Jerusalem church—namely James the Just, Saint Peter, and John the Apostle; an event commonly known as the Council of Jerusalem. 11:24–27). He endured hardships on these journeys: he was imprisoned in Philippi, was lashed and stoned several times, and almost murdered once (2 Cor. Barnabas, Silas, Titus, Timothy, John, surnamed Mark, Aquila and Priscilla all accompanied him for some or all of these travels.

For these journeys, Paul usually chose one or more companions for his travels. These missionary journeys are considered the defining actions of Paul. 1:18–20); and though Acts states that Paul later "went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches" (Acts 15:41), it does not explicitly state that these were churches founded by Paul on a previous journey. Paul merely mentions that he preached in Syria and Cilicia (Gal.

Acts states he went to Antioch, whence he set out to travel through Cyprus and southern Asia Minor to preach of Christ -- a labor that has come to be known as his "First Missionary Journey" (13:13, 14:28). Following this visit to Jerusalem, Paul's own writings and Acts slightly differ on his next activities. He traveled to Jerusalem, where he met Saint Peter and James the Just. 11:32ff.).

1:17–20) until he was forced to flee from that city under the cover of night (Acts 9:23–25; 2 Cor. Following his conversion, Paul first went to live in the Nabataean kingdom (which he called "Arabia") for three years, then returned to Damascus (Gal. In addition, an adequate explanation for Paul's conversion is lacking in the absence of his vision. 1:13–16).

15:8 KJV), and frequently claimed that his authority as "Apostle to the Gentiles" came directly from God (Gal. However, Paul did write that Jesus appeared to him "last of all, as to one untimely born" (1 Cor. Paul himself offers no clear description of the event in any of his surviving letters; and this, along with the fact that the author of Acts describes Paul's conversion with subtle differences in two later passages, has led some scholars to question whether Paul's vision actually occurred. Acts 9:1–9 memorably describes the vision Paul had of Jesus on the road to Damascus, a vision that led him to dramatically reverse his opinion.

3:6) but later embraced the belief that he had fought against. Paul himself admits that he at first persecuted Christians (Phil. Furthermore, this view contends that Paul embraced ideas from esoteric mystery religions of the time, later superimposing them on the teachings of Jesus. They state that citizenship would have required participation in the Imperial Cult, which would have been in conflict with Hebrew religious ideals.

The Ebionites and Restorationists argue that Paul was a Roman who tried to convert to Judaism so he could marry or court a Jewish woman and that his conversion was denied. Because Paul himself never mentions this privilege, some scholars have expressed skepticism as to whether Paul actually possessed citizenship; such an honor was uncommon during his lifetime. Acts 22:25 and 27–29 also state that Paul was a Roman citizen -- a privilege he used a number of times to defend his dignity, including appealing his conviction in Iudaea Province to Rome. He was unmarried and taught that single people should remain unmarried (1 Cor 7:8).

According to Romans 16:2 he had a patroness (Greek prostatis) named Phoebe [1]. 9:13–15); according to Acts 18:3, he worked as a tentmaker. Paul supported himself during his travels and while preaching -- a fact he alludes to a number of times (e.g., 1 Cor. However, some scholars, such as Helmut Koester, have expressed their doubts that Paul either was in Jerusalem at this time or studied under this famous rabbi.

According to Acts 22:3, he studied in Jerusalem under Gamaliel; Thomas Robinson depicts Paul as coming to study in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, when Shammai became Nasi of the Sanhedrin, and during the rise to supremacy of the house of Shammai from AD 20. He was born as Saul in Tarsus of Cilicia and received a Jewish education. 1:14 KJV). more exceedingly zealous of the traditions" (Gal.

3:5), and of the "Jews' religion .. 11:1; Phil. Paul described himself as an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised on the eighth day, a Pharisee (Rom. There are many points of contention, even among scholars, but this outline reflects an effort to trace the major events of Paul's life.

The following construction of a possible chronology is based on this fourth approach. Brown explains (An Introduction to the New Testament, 1998), historians take one of four approaches:. Because of the problems with the two contemporary sources, as Raymond E. However, the events recorded in this work do not coincide with any of the events recorded in either Paul's letters or Acts, and scholars usually dismiss this as a 2nd century novel.

There is also the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla. However, both sources have weaknesses: Paul's surviving letters were written during a short period of his life, perhaps only between AD 50 and 58; and the author of Acts makes a number of statements that have drawn suspicion (e.g., the claim that Paul was present at the death of Stephen [7:58]). In reconstructing the events of Paul's life, we have two sources, written either during, or soon after, the period of his life: Paul's own surviving letters (although his authorship of some of these has been disputed; see below), and the narrative of the Acts of the Apostles, which at several points draws from the record of an eyewitness (the so-called "we passages"). .

Many Christian scholars say that no teachings were modified, and assert that Paul taught in complete harmony with Jesus. However, this view remains controversial. Due to his body of work and his undoubted influence on the development of Christianity, many modern scholars have considered him the founder of Christianity, who modified Jesus' teachings and added important new doctrines. Some argue that he was instrumental in establishing Christianity as a distinct religion, rather than a sect of Judaism.

His epistles form a fundamental section of the New Testament. He did much to advance Christianity among the Gentiles, and is considered to be one source (if not the primary source) of early Church doctrine, and the founder of Pauline Christianity. Paul is venerated as a Saint by all the churches that honor saints, including those of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican traditions, and some Lutheran sects. He made the first great efforts through his Epistles to Gentile communities to show that the God of Abraham is for all people, rather than for Jews only, though he did not originate the idea; for example, see Isaiah 56:6-8.

Paul is described in the New Testament as a Hellenized Jew and Roman citizen from Tarsus (present-day Turkey), and as a great persecutor of Christians prior to his conversion to the religion. Many Christians view him as an important interpreter of the teachings of Jesus. 3–67) is widely considered to be central to the early development and adoption of Christianity. Paul of Tarsus (originally Saul of Tarsus or Paulus), also known as Saint Paul the Apostle, (ce.

The Legend and the Apostle : The Battle for Paul in Story and Canon Philadelphia: Westminster Press. MacDonald, Dennis Ronald, 1983. ISBN 0060155825. New York: Harper & Row, 1986.

The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity. Maccoby, Hyam. ISBN 0806513500. Paperback, 576 pages.

Carol Publishing Group, July 1992. The 100. Hart, Michael. Jesus, Paul and the Law 1990 ISBN 0664250955.

Dunn, James D.G. Bruce, F.F., Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (ISBN 0802847781). ISBN 0385247672. Anchor Bible Series, 1997.

An Introduction to the New Testament. Brown, Raymond E. Christ the End of the Law, Romans 10.4 in Pauline Perspective 1985 ISBN 0905774930 argues that telos is correctly translated as goal, not end, so that Christ is the goal of the Law, end of the law would be antinomianism. Badenas, Robert.

(New York: HarperCollins, 1992). ^  John Shelby Spong, "The Man From Tarsus," in Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism, reprint ed. 4 (Winter 2000–2001). ^  Pamela Eisenbaum, "Is Paul the Father of Misogyny and Antisemitism?," Cross Currents 50, no.

^  The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, CNEWA. The Correspondence of Paul and Seneca the Younger. Epistle to the Laodiceans. 3 Corinthians.

Epistle to the Macedonians (lost). Epistle to the Alexandrians (lost). Titus. 2 Timothy.

1 Timothy. 2 Thessalonians. Colossians*. Ephesians*.

Philemon*. 1 Thessalonians. Philippians*. Galatians.

2 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians. Romans. an intermediate approach, which treats Paul's testimony as primary, and supplements this evidence with material from Acts.

(Ebionite and Restorationist view). the approach to completely disregard anything that Paul has written. the approach used by a number of modern scholars, which is to distrust Acts; sometimes entirely; and to use the material from Paul's letters almost exclusively; or. the traditional approach is to completely trust the narrative of Acts, and fit the materials from Paul's letters into that narrative;.