03-19-2004, 01:54 AM
I did find points in the film where the Roman troops seemed out of control, and the officers seemed weak in their handling/discipling of the troops. Jerusalem, in particular, would not have been a "popular or welcome" duty post. I suspect the troops had very few outlets for "R&R" while posted there, and may have felt a bit "caged" in their barracks as a result. It would have been even harder for Roman soldiers than it is for Americans today in Saudi Arabia-where religious law of the host country severely restricts interaction between troops and civilians. On the Jewish side, the resentment caused by the presence of "unclean heathen occupiers" would have made even the Jerusalem prostitutes unwilling to provide their services to the Roman troops.<br>
One only has to go to Josephus to find examples of Roman brutality and lack of discipline. There was a soldier who turned his back, bent over and made either an obscene gesture or noise (farting?) at the crowd in the temple while Cumanus was procurator (after the brief interlude of Herod Agrippa as King). He repesents one of the more egregious examples.<br>
The soldier's behavior caused riots, and in putting down the riots, which spread into the countryside, other soldiers deliberately insulted and/or destroyed copies of the Torah they found.<br>
It took a Jewish appeal to higher authority, either the Proconsul of Syria, or the Emperor Claudius, before order was restored. Unfortunately, I am using memory alone to describe what happened next (My copies of Josephus' books are in a storage unit at present). Orders were issued from the "higher authority", carried by a new procurator, I think. The soldier who started the whole mess by his obscene gesture, whatever it was, was punished by being dragged through the streets of Jerusalem and then publicly executed. I honestly do not remember whether any officers also suffered punishment for failing to discipline the soldier immediately after the incident.<br>
It took that Jewish appeal to higher-ups outside Judea to get any redress. No one at the local level cared about punishing the original culprit or any of the soldiers who added more insult and injury while "putting down" the riots.<br>
So,... in that sense, the brutal, undisciplined troops in the "Passion" have "descendents" in the historical record.<br>
<br>
M. Quintius Clavus/Quinton<br>
<p></p><i></i>
One only has to go to Josephus to find examples of Roman brutality and lack of discipline. There was a soldier who turned his back, bent over and made either an obscene gesture or noise (farting?) at the crowd in the temple while Cumanus was procurator (after the brief interlude of Herod Agrippa as King). He repesents one of the more egregious examples.<br>
The soldier's behavior caused riots, and in putting down the riots, which spread into the countryside, other soldiers deliberately insulted and/or destroyed copies of the Torah they found.<br>
It took a Jewish appeal to higher authority, either the Proconsul of Syria, or the Emperor Claudius, before order was restored. Unfortunately, I am using memory alone to describe what happened next (My copies of Josephus' books are in a storage unit at present). Orders were issued from the "higher authority", carried by a new procurator, I think. The soldier who started the whole mess by his obscene gesture, whatever it was, was punished by being dragged through the streets of Jerusalem and then publicly executed. I honestly do not remember whether any officers also suffered punishment for failing to discipline the soldier immediately after the incident.<br>
It took that Jewish appeal to higher-ups outside Judea to get any redress. No one at the local level cared about punishing the original culprit or any of the soldiers who added more insult and injury while "putting down" the riots.<br>
So,... in that sense, the brutal, undisciplined troops in the "Passion" have "descendents" in the historical record.<br>
<br>
M. Quintius Clavus/Quinton<br>
<p></p><i></i>
Quinton Johansen
Marcus Quintius Clavus, Optio Secundae Pili Prioris Legionis III Cyrenaicae
Marcus Quintius Clavus, Optio Secundae Pili Prioris Legionis III Cyrenaicae
