In one of the most sublime interweavings of dramatic elements in literature, two things are said to have happened at the same instant. The three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) all reference this, that the final moment of Jesus’ life was simultaneous with the rending of the Temple Veil that concealed the Holy of Holies.
Though the cloak of Jesus was spared being divided among the Roman soldiers attending the execution, the cloak of God… the Veil… was ripped in half. This reflects the Hebrew tradition of a father tearing his own garments when one of his children dies. It also implies a moment when the wall between the sacred and the profane, between the Divine and the Mortal, between God and Humankind… is obliterated.
This is also the moment that one of the Roman attendants, in this case a Centurion, declared his realization that Jesus was the Son of God. So, the splitting of the Veil also represents an opening to the Gentiles.
Believe it or not, there’s a hilarious scene in the movie “The Greatest Story Ever Told” that is supposed to portray this moment. We see the Centurion, but he is distant, in shadow, almost in silhouette, unrecognizable. But we hear his voice, “Surely this man was the Son of God.” Why is this hilarious? In typical Hollywood style of the day, most of the speaking parts were played by famous actors. The Centurion’s voice is unmistakable. It is John Wayne, doing his best John Wayne impression. One almost expects him to end that sentence with “…Pilgrim.”
There are videos, as you might expect, on YouTube.
In one of the most sublime interweavings of dramatic elements in literature, two things are said to have happened at the same instant. The three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) all reference this, that the final moment of Jesus’ life was simultaneous with the rending of the Temple Veil that concealed the Holy of Holies.
Though the cloak of Jesus was spared being divided among the Roman soldiers attending the execution, the cloak of God… the Veil… was ripped in half. This reflects the Hebrew tradition of a father tearing his own garments when one of his children dies. It also implies a moment when the wall between the sacred and the profane, between the Divine and the Mortal, between God and Humankind… is obliterated.
This is also the moment that one of the Roman attendants, in this case a Centurion, declared his realization that Jesus was the Son of God. So, the splitting of the Veil also represents an opening to the Gentiles.
Believe it or not, there’s a hilarious scene in the movie “The Greatest Story Ever Told” that is supposed to portray this moment. We see the Centurion, but he is distant, in shadow, almost in silhouette, unrecognizable. But we hear his voice, “Surely this man was the Son of God.” Why is this hilarious? In typical Hollywood style of the day, most of the speaking parts were played by famous actors. The Centurion’s voice is unmistakable. It is John Wayne, doing his best John Wayne impression. One almost expects him to end that sentence with “…Pilgrim.”
There are videos, as you might expect, on YouTube.