Even in Hollywood, Easter's approach rekindles hope. A hope for profit, that is, since films about Jesus seem to make their debut in late February. The Passion of Christ, for instance, was released in theaters on the 25th in 2004, the Son of God on the 28th in 2014, and Risen on the 19th of this year. As the self-chosen sacrifices of Lent grind on and the light of springtime brightens, Hollywood marketers bank that Christian movie-goers will itch and pine to see Jesus on the big screen.
The relationship between Easter and dramatic narrative runs much deeper. In the gospel of Mark, which is the earliest extant gospel, the story of the empty tomb in chapter 16 verses 1-8 (16:1-8) recalls the deus ex machina scenes that occur at the end of ancient Greek tragedies (most frequently in plays by Euripides). In these tragedies, a god or demigod swings into view and, while hovering over the stage suspended from a stage-crane, he or she commands mortals to embrace the fate that awaits them. The deus ex machina (meaning "god from the machine") also calms the mortals frightened by the sudden epiphany of his or her unexpected appearance, predicts the future, and issues commands with which the mortals comply, although in some cases, only grudgingly.
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