Recently, Internet users have been sharing a strange version of the film The Passion of the Christ available on Netflix on social media. This video once again puts the streaming giant at the heart of a lively controversy related to censorship. It is accused of having censored a passage that contains a verse important to Christianity.
The "forbidden chapter" of Isaiah
Concretely, when you watch the introduction of the feature film, a 13-second black screen appears. The emptiness is quite disturbing, as there is no music or text. However, in the original theatrical version, this scene contained this biblical verse from Isaiah 53:5:
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He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment for our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.
This passage from the Old Testament is actually a prophetic text. It describes a rejected, suffering man, silent in the face of injustice... For Christians, this text is symbolic, because it summarizes the mission of Christ. Deleting it therefore amounts to erasing the main message of the film.
But at the same time, it is part of a chapter abandoned in modern Jewish synagogues. Moreover, Isaiah 53 has been nicknamed "the forbidden chapter" by some scholars. According to Dan Delzell, pastor and columnist, this omission is not new. He quotes Eitan Bar, an Israeli Jewish scholar, who explains:
The chapter caused too much debate. The rabbis preferred to remove it from public readings to avoid confusion.
Did Netflix intentionally censor this passage?
For the moment, the platform has not responded to requests from several media outlets. However, some subscribers report still having access to the verse in their version of the film. It is still possible that the removal was geolocated, linked to the language, or to a profile setting.
In any case, this is not the first time that Netflix has been accused of distorting religious references. In 2019, for example, a Brazilian comedy featuring a homosexual Jesus provoked an international outcry. A year later, the series Messiah, produced by Mark Burnett, shocked some Christians with its ambiguous main character. Then, in 2024, an animated Christmas film introduced a Madonna song into a nativity scene. For many, it was provocative.
A film still as controversial as ever
The Passion of the Christ had already sparked controversy since its release in 2004. Directed by Mel Gibson, and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus, the film tragically depicts Christ's final hours.
Some found it too violent. Others, too Catholic. Still others, anti-Semitic.
Either way, with over $600 million in worldwide revenue, it's one of the highest-grossing religious films in history.
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