| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of the Bible and its reception |
| Subtitle of host publication | Vol. 21: Negative Theology – Offspring |
| Editors | Constance M. Furey, Joel Lemon, Brian Matz, Thomas Römer, Jens Schröter, Barry Dov Walfish, Eric Ziolkowsk |
| Place of Publication | Berlin |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter |
| Pages | 153-159 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Edition | 1st |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-11-062827-2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Abstract
Not mentioned by name in the Bible, Nero is nearly “the cinema’s ultimate ‘bad guy’” (Winkler 2017a: 319). He is a filmic synonym for evil and is variously portrayed as a merciless tyrant, a ruthless dictator,
a monster, a wannabe musician and poet, a ruthless persecutor of Christians, and seemingly “the lawless one ... destined for destruction” (2 Thess 2:3) that Paul preached about. He often appears as an immoral, childlike lunatic, a sexually-depraved megalomaniac, a pyromaniac, someone guilty of matricide, acting like an “antichrist” (1 John 2:18), impulsive, tyrannical, and a self-indulgent sadist who commits suicide...
a monster, a wannabe musician and poet, a ruthless persecutor of Christians, and seemingly “the lawless one ... destined for destruction” (2 Thess 2:3) that Paul preached about. He often appears as an immoral, childlike lunatic, a sexually-depraved megalomaniac, a pyromaniac, someone guilty of matricide, acting like an “antichrist” (1 John 2:18), impulsive, tyrannical, and a self-indulgent sadist who commits suicide...
Keywords
- Bible films
- religion-and-film
- Nero
- popular culture