By Karen Vance
Enquirer contributor

LOVELAND - When people head to theaters in coming weeks to see Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ, the audience will be seeing two different films based on their beliefs, says one local expert.

"There is not one Mel Gibson film. It will be two different films, for Christians and Jews," Michael Cook, professor of Judeo-Christian studies at Hebrew Union College, said at a public forum Tuesday night.

Cook, one of seven international scholars asked by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to read a draft of Gibson's script, discussed the film at Congregation Beth Adam in Loveland. More than 450 people of diverse faiths attended.

"Jews need to understand that Christians will be moved by the love Jesus had for them to endure suffering. And Christians need to know that Jews will be worried about how Jews will be treated as a result of the film, especially in Europe and the Middle East," Cook told the audience.

For more than two hours, the crowd, which included ministers, rabbis, theology students and people from all over the city, listened as Cook explained concerns with the film and Passion plays in general.

"We knew there was a real thirst for knowledge on this issue," said Brian Grossbard, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. The council co-sponsored the event with Beth Adam and the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

Cook discussed how the Passion narrative has evolved and said that scholarly research has shown that many elements were added decades after Jesus' death to appease Romans and stop their persecution of Christians.

What he finds most objectionable about the script is Gibson's use of imagery from the writings of Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich, a 19th century European mystic.

"Her writings and visions reflect the anti-Semitism of her time and environment," he said. "Her visions are not in the New Testament, but they are in the movie."

Cook provided the audience with a checklist of 48 objectionable items to look for in the film, noting that friends who have seen it told him 38 remain in the film.

"I have no objection to people seeing the movie. I intend to see it twice, and I encourage all Jews to see it," he said after the meeting. "I understand the importance of the Passion to the Christian worship experience."

E-mail kvance@fuse.net