Faith Works 3-24-18
Jeff Gill
If you are looking for some Easter reading
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In 1942 a retired Congregational minister named Lloyd Douglas published a book.
It wasn't his first book, nor would it be his last, but of his entire output it's the one that has stayed in print without interruption for 76 years, and is likely to be around in electronic or some other form along with the stray printed copy for a long time to come.
"The Robe" is probably the book I've given to more people, second only to the Bible, than any other work . . . "Blue Highways" is a distant second. And "The Robe" is a good companion to that volume, especially this time of year.
Douglas had started writing at age 50 (encouraging, some of us might say) and when he retired from pulpit ministry at 60 he only picked up the pace of his novel writing craft. And he was 65 when his (I would argue) greatest work was released.
It came out just as America was entering a world war, and both author and publisher made the copyright available for a cheaply printed, palm-sized edition (this is long before paperback novels were common) that was produced in mass quantities, along with a number of other popular books for distribution to service members overseas. Time would prove that Douglas did not lose out in the deal in the long term.
"The Robe" became the first CinemaScope movie in 1953, and the first widescreen release in twenty years, as Depression era cost cutting and wartime rationing had kept film stock narrower, but the rise of television had studios scrambling to draw people back into theatres: Douglas' tale of the followers of Jesus and the Roman soldier who sought what they had was deemed a good choice to open up viewers to the grandeur of the Palestinian landscapes and Imperial majesty back in Rome. And with Richard Burton and Jean Simmons, I think of all the great "sword and sandal" epics of the 50s, it holds up better than most to the modern viewer. Not as vast as "The Ten Commandments," but with less of the silent movie ethos of DeMille, as 20th Century Fox saw the potential of this story to reach families, regular moviegoers, and even whole communities (a marketing model DeMille would follow three years later).
The story is about Jesus, but he is seen only obliquely, in both the novel and the movie. This is perhaps part of the strength of this picture against the somewhat dated portrayals in similar films like "King of Kings" or "The Greatest Story Ever Told." The robe of the title is, of course, Jesus' robe; the protagonist of the narrative is Marcellus, a son of nobility and a Roman tribune, whose father is a senator in the time of Tiberius. Before the book's end, Caligula has taken the throne, persecution has begun in earnest against this Christian cult infiltrating from Judea into Rome itself, and you may have guessed – Marcellus becomes a Christian.
But first, in what's not quite a spoiler alert, Marcellus is the officer in charge of the detail tasked by Pontius Pilate with crucifying Jesus. And of course, in a dice game played at the foot of the cross, older soldiers having made sure to help their young superior deal with the horror of crucifixion by getting him good and drunk, Marcellus wins the seamless garment that is the only possession of Jesus whose destiny is mentioned in the Bible. In fact, the obscure detail of Romans gambling for Jesus' outer garment, his robe, is one of a relatively short list of points that is common to all four gospels. Psalm 22:14 points to this incident, and the fulfillment of that prophecy made it of importance to all four authors.
The robe is really just a vehicle for understanding the man who once wore it, just as "The Robe" is a story wrapped around a quest to understand and explain how faith develops from questions to hopes to commitments. Marcellus' journey, and those of many more characters than this column can outline, is a journey that we can identify with. He begins a skeptic and a doubter; "The Robe" lets you travel with him towards becoming a believer.
How far will you go with him? I'd invite you to read "The Robe" yourself and find out.
Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and pastor in Licking County; tell him about your Lenten reading at knapsack77@gmail.com, or follow @Knapsack on Twitter.
