The Messiah and the ‘Very Naughty Boy’

Easter is a big day for Christians. Marking the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described by the Catechism of the Catholic Church as “the crowning truth of our faith in Christ,” it is an occasion for celebration after the penitential prelude of Lent. Growing up, I typically enjoyed this holiday at the home of one or another set of grandparents, among extended family. At these gatherings, TVs were typically tuned to the classic-film channel Turner Classic Movies, which devotes the entirety of its Easter programming to biblical epics, once a staple of Hollywood filmmaking, such as King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and, perhaps most famous, Ben-Hur. As we were among family, these movies were typically just background noise. Though sometimes, my late grandfather couldn’t turn away from Ben-Hur, whose chariot race he considered — with good reason — the greatest set piece in all of movie history.

I don’t know if my grandfather ever saw Monty Python’s Life of Brian. I somewhat doubt it: A serious, pious man, he would likely have been unamused by the British comedy troupe’s skillful, biting satire of organized religion. The film met with both critical acclaim and considerable controversy upon its original release. But thinking about Life of Brian as a parody of biblical epics is both the best way to appreciate it and serves, paradoxically, to illuminate the aspects of the Christian faith that even Monty Python could not puncture.

About the Author

Jack Butler

Jack Butler is a former submissions editor at National Review.

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Easter is a big day for Christians. Marking the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described by the Catechism of the Catholic Church as “the crowning truth of our faith in Christ,” it is an occasion for celebration after the penitential prelude of Lent. Growing up, I typically enjoyed this holiday at the home of one or another set of grandparents, among extended family. At these gatherings, TVs were typically tuned to the classic-film channel Turner Classic Movies, which devotes the entirety of its Easter programming to biblical epics, once a staple of Hollywood filmmaking, such as King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and, perhaps most famous, Ben-Hur. As we were among family, these movies were typically just background noise. Though sometimes, my late grandfather couldn’t turn away from Ben-Hur, whose chariot race he considered — with good reason — the greatest set piece in all of movie history.

I don’t know if my grandfather ever saw Monty Python’s Life of Brian. I somewhat doubt it: A serious, pious man, he would likely have been unamused by the British comedy troupe’s skillful, biting satire of organized religion. The film met with both critical acclaim and considerable controversy upon its original release. But thinking about Life of Brian as a parody of biblical epics is both the best way to appreciate it and serves, paradoxically, to illuminate the aspects of the Christian faith that even Monty Python could not puncture.