The Book of Life (1998)

Martin Donovan: Jesus Christ

Photos 

Quotes 

• Jesus Christ : What would become of them, I wondered. In another 100 years, would they all be born in test-tubes? Or perhaps evolve through computers to become groups of disembodied, digital intelligence machines? Would they remember who I was? Would they remember what I said? Would it matter? Maybe someone else will come along and say pretty much the same thing. Would anyone notice? In a hundred years, would they be living on other planets? Would the Earth still exist? Would they engineer themselves genetically so that disease was a thing of the past? Would they all just become one big multi-ethnic race? Would they discover the secret of the universe? God? Would they become gods themselves? What will they eat? What sort of houses will they live in? Cities - think about it. What will the weather be like? Will they still have to go to work everyday? What will they wear in the future? How smart will they get? And will being smarter make them happier? Will they all speak the same language in the future? Will they make love? Maybe there will be more than two sexes. Will they still believe life is sacred? Will it matter? Do we matter?

• [about human beings] 

  Satan : It's amazing the things they do. They're inventing themselves now. Artificial intelligence and cybergenetics and so on.

  Jesus Christ : It's impressive, I admit.

  Satan : They're cross-fertilizing pears with apples and goats with sheeps, tobacco plants with lightning bugs.

  Jesus Christ : Now that's just stupid.

  Satan : Well, I agree.

• Jesus Christ : And the New Year arrived. The new millennium. Just another day in a lifetime of similar days, but each one of them crowded with possibilities. The possibility of disaster and the possibility of perfection. To be there amongst them again was good. The innocent and the guilty all equally helpless, all perfectly lost, and, as frightening as it was to admit, all deserving of forgiveness.

• Jesus Christ : My father He is a jealous god. To Him the law is everything. Even today, lawyers are His favorites.

• Jesus Christ : I had considered the truth of the gospels to be self evident, but I had no idea it would be perverted by people who claimed to preach it in my name.

• Lawyer : It's the Mormons. I'm outta here, you're on your own.

  Jesus Christ : Now, who are the Mormons again?