Why is the "Passion of Christ" movie not in English?

Question

and are all those who act in it speak that language natively? ,and what's the language called? was is the original language of Christ?

thanks.

why does it seem like they speak that language perfectly without an accent...(and it's not even their native language).....CoOL!!! but why?

Answer 1

Aramaic, Hebrew and Latin were spoken in the movie.

Scholars believe Jesus might have known Hebrew — which by that time was reserved mainly for use in synagogues and by upper classes and some Greek, but Aramaic was the language of his native Galilee.

Aramaic is a Semitic language and has similarities with Hebrew and Arabic.
Source cited for those that don't believe it.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/22/entertainment/main601558.shtml

They spoke it well because they are actors who learned their lines well.

Answer 2

Apparently, to add to Gibson's vision for a realistic portrayal of the days leading up to the crucifixion, he wanted to use the original languages of the period. Aramaic was the language Jesus and his disciples spoke. Latin was the language spoken by the Romans who were occupying Israel at the time. Hebrew was the traditional language of the Jews, which was the language most of scripture was written in (some was in Chaldean), and was used by the Jews in their religious practice. All three are used in the screenplay. (Greek was a sort of universal language of the time and was used for writing, which is why the original New Testament books were written in Greek.) Latin, according to Wikipedia, is not spoken natively by anyone today; and few peoples speak Aramaic (fewer than half a million). Hebrew is still spoken in Israel and is used in the practice of Judaism.

Of the lead actors, Jim Caviezel is American (speaks English), Maia Morgenstern who plays Mary is Romanian, and Rosalinda Celentano who played Satan is Italian.

Answer 3

Jim Caviezel was the american actor who portrayed Jesus Christ. Notice the same initials. He also happened to be the same age as Jesus when He died. I found that compelling. The language spoken was Aramaic because it was the native language during the time. The actors had to learn to speak the language. Some of them were native English speakers, others native Italians. The movie doesn't have to be in English. It is gripping and very emotional. I think it being spoken in Aramaic makes it all the more real.

Answer 4

I think it was done in Aramaic for at least two reasons. One, it was the language that was probably actually spoken at the time, and two it was a low budget film. By doing it in Aramaic, it did not have to be dubbed into other languages. It could be subtitled into all the different languages of the countries of the world for less money than dubbing it. I think that's a great use of the money to spread the gospel.

Answer 5

I don't think most of the actors- at least not Jim Caviezel, who plays Jesus- spoke it natively. The languages it was filmed in were Aramaic, Hebrew, and Latin. Yes, Aramaic was Jesus's native language. It was the common language of first century Palestine.

Apparently, all the Aramaic lines in the movie were written by one scholar and they were criticized as "stilted and unfamiliar."

It's likely that the actors were trained in the languages by scholars or speakers in those languages; this happens regularly to research roles.

Answer 6

It's in Aramaic (sp?). The language that was spoken in the film is the Aramaic spoken in Ethiopia and is the closest language to it spoken today. Aramaic, along with latin, egyptian and galic are considered "dead languages" because no one speaks them anymore. Gibson's last film also has a dead language in it, using a dialect of the Andies mountains as the language of the Myans. Um and why do they speak it so well, coaches and they are actors, thats what they are paid to do.

Answer 7

It speaks volumes I think that even though it is not in English people did not miss a word of it. I think the thing was that Mel Gibson wanted the full effect of the reality including the language of the day.

Answer 8

The language is called Aramaic, and scientist (though not sure) think it was the language of Christ, others say Hebrew since he was indeed Jewish.

Answer 9

I don't know the details about the language itself, but it wasn't in English simply for the sake of authenticity.

It doesn't make sense for a movie set in China with an entirely Chinese cast to speak English, does it? :P

Answer 10

All the people were trained to speak in Latin, however all scholars say Gibson got it wrong (probably because he's Catholic and liturgy was in Latin until the 1960s).

The primary langauge of the Middle East was Greek.

Greece occupied that area of hundreds of years before Rome came and Rome was there only starting in the time of Jesus.