I always got the idea that Carti knew more than meets the eye. More than merely a two-thousand year old man, he has probably acquired a huge knowledge-base which would include biblical and pre-biblical, and especially esoteric-mystical-magical knowledge, including the Jewish Kabbalah which features in the film. Perhaps Carti has found that Hell is not for him; perhaps his long sojourn on earth has been his Purgatory, and that death will release him into the embrace of a (finally) forgiving God.
Perhaps he thinks of himself as doing penance or fulfilling karma. He is driven to "get" the returning Messiah. However, was this a volunteer position, or was it a decree of an angry sky god, enraged that Carti had the nerve to slap His Son?
Carti is a SUPPOSED subject of divine "justice". However, his punishment is not just - to live in eternal earthly suffering for a brief mistreatment of Jesus??
Carti's crime is far less than that of Caiaphas, Judas, Pilate and everyone else who had a hand in Jesus' execution.
Yet, here poor Carti is singled out for a crazily egregious punishment.
NOT. FAIR.
Why does god need to punish him twice - once with earthly deathlessness, and a second time with eternal Hell? The idea is vicious.
More than just vicious, the idea is in direct contradiction to Jesus' words on the cross - "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
So Carti - alone among all earth's sinners - is singled out for special punishment? That's vicious and evil, and it's the one objection that I have to this otherwise very good film.
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fiatlux-1
11 years ago
Singled out?
Why was Job singled out? Why that man?
Why poor Job?
The main point is, how do we know either of them are 'the only ones'?
We don't know that ONLY Cartiphilus was chosen for this punishment. Its just that these are the only ones we 'hear' about.
God punishes how He chooses to punish. 'Fair' doesn't apply.
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
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TheButlerDidItYes
10 years ago
As I understand Judaism, they believe that even the most wicked will be punished in Gehenna (which is like Hell) until they have received what they deserve and then will be annihilated. And not all Jews even believe that. Some don't believe in any afterlife. Based on my understanding of Christian history I think a lot of Christians have believed in annihilation rather than eternal suffering. So maybe Cartiphilus believed that after he died he would just be annihilated. Either after more punishment in the afterlife or after he died because he had already been punished for nearly 2000 years.
Also, there is a difference between what Cartiphilus did and what Caiaphas, Pilate and Judas did. Those last three men, although they acted against the law and against justice, were fulfilling prophecy and the will of God even if they didn't know it. But what Cartiphilus did was unneccesary and motivated purely by cruelty.
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