History Literature / JesusVideo

* JesusWasWayCool: The novel obviously attacks modern organized religion and mostly the Catholic Church, but Jesus himself is humble and deeply touching.

* YouAlreadyChangedThePast[=/=]YouWillBeBeethoven: [[spoiler:Steffen]] becomes the Time Traveler and maker of the video, and as a result, the very skeleton in the archaeological dig he was working at. [[spoiler:He is not Jesus, however.]]

** The movie ends with Steffen asking what would happen if [[spoiler:Sharon and him decide not to travel back in time - which would mean he never leaves his skeleton and the camera to be found.]] Kaun simply states that he's certain that they will travel back in time because then the skeleton wouldn't be there.

''Jesus Video'' (''Das Jesus Video'' in later reissues) is a 1998 ScienceFiction novel by German author Andreas Eschbach.

* BerserkButton[=/=]SeriousBusiness: Scafaro is so incensed when Steffen blasphemes during torture that he comes out of hiding and reveals his organization just to make him apologize (under threat of plucking his eye out with a scalpel).

* SinisterMinister: Unlike in the movie adaptation, Scarfaro is cleary a priest in the novel.
* YourCostumeNeedsWork: The videos go viral but have a mixed reception. While it does spur the birth of a new church that aims to be closer to Jesus's teachings as they appear in the video, many others believe that it is a hoax.

''Jesus Video'' is a 1998 ScienceFiction novel by German author Andreas Eschbach.

* AdaptationNameChange: Stephen Foxx is changed to "Steffen Vogt" ("Stephen Boyd" in the English dub) and Judith Menez to "Sharon Daran".

* AgentMulder: Steffen decides with little prompt that the skeleton belongs to a Time Traveler (and is not a hoax for example), that the Time Traveler filmed a video of Jesus, and that there must be a conspiracy to cover it up or use it for nefarious ends. And he's right about everything.

** The Lucanian Order is supposed to have replaced the Roman Inquisition in the mid-19th century, but it actually existed under that name until 1908 (and its modern successor is still informally known as the Holy Office). The Inquisition was also not a religious order, though the Lucanians being called "warriors of God" could be inspired by the Dominican Order, who had a similar reputation, and many inquisitors belonged to it.

* BerserkButton[=/=]SeriousBusiness: Scafaro is so incensed when Steffen blasphemes during torture that he comes out of hiding and reveals his organization just to make him apologize (under threat of plucking an eye out of him with a scalpel).

* CompositeCharacter: Steffen himself becomes [[spoiler:the Time Traveler]], while they were different characters in the novel.

* TheConstant: The Time Traveler hides the video in the only place he knows will survive for 2,000 years - [[spoiler:The Wailing Wall... and even then, this particular section is gone by the time Steffen makes it there.]]

* {{Demythification}}: Steffen ponders that the video might show Jesus was just a preacher from his time and not a miracle man son of God.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The Time Traveler's letter mentions that he found a woman, and the surviving monk trusts [[spoiler:Steffen]] with the camera after seeing his face.
* HolierThanThou: Scafaro is the most vocally religious character and a massive {{jerkass}}.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: [[spoiler: All we see of Jesus is a few seconds of him in his sepulchre. No evidence either way of miracles.]]

** Zig-zagged with the letter and instruction manual. The ink is almost gone after 2,000 years but the paper is more or less perfect. They are contained in a plastic bag (which looks intact), but plastic is estimated to last around 500 years. However, they are also in a sealed cave in the desert, which might have delayed the process.
** The camera is in working order after 2,000 years, only needing a new battery. It was even played once (at least) 500 years ago, 1,500 years after it was buried.

** The Lucanian Order is supposed to have replaced the Roman Inquisition in the mid-19th century, but it actually existed under that name until 1908 (and it is still informally known as the Holy Office). The Inquisition was also not a religious order, though the Lucanians being called "warriors of God" could be inspired by the Dominican Order, who had a similar reputation, and many inquisitors belonged to it.

* ArtisticLicenseTraditionalChristianity: Contrary to what the movie says, there is a Luke 15:4 actually, and it is not even an obscure line (''"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine for the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?"'').

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The Lucanian Order replaces the real successor of the Roman Inquisition - the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (''Dicastery'' for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2022).

-->'''Christopher''': Don't ask. I'd need hours to explain the mess that is the CIA, NSA, Army. I'm on your side, that's enough for now. Call me Christopher.

-->'''Christopher''': The American embassy.

///

* YouAlreadyChangedThePast[=/=]YouWillBeBeethoven: [[spoiler:Steffen]] becomes the Time Traveler and maker of the video, and as a result, the very skeleton in the archaeological dig he was working at. [[spoiler:Neither is Jesus, however.]]

* TimeAndRelativeDimensionsInSpace: The Time Machine can send objects into the past and future, but they materialize in the same spot where they were; as Earth rotates and moves through space, an object sent 4 seconds into the future will materialize in the air just outside the machine.

** Zig-zagged with the letter and instruction manual. The ink is almost gone after 2,000 years but the paper is more or less perfect. They are contained in a plastic bag, yet plastic is estimated to last around 500 years. However, they are also in a sealed cave in the desert, which might have delayed the process.

* HidingBehindReligion: Scafaro's absolute certainty that the video is a threat to Christianity without even seeing it, is a transparent admision that he does not believe in the faith whatsoever. As far as anyone knows, the video could just as well contain proof of Jesus's divinity and miracles. His [[MotiveRant motive rants]] to Kaun and Steffen all but state that he sees Christianity as a {{Masquerade}} that must be upholded to prevent the collapse of civilization.

* HolierThanThou: Scafaro's absolute certainty that the video is a threat to Christianity without even seeing it is a transparent admision that he does not believe in any way in the faith. As far as anyone knows, the video could just as well contain proof of Jesus's divinity and the miracles. His [[MotiveRant motive rants]] to Kaun and Steffen all but state that he sees Christianity as a {{Masquerade}} that must be upholded to prevent the collapse of civilization.

* TemporalParadox: A lab rat's future self starts to materialize next to it while investigating time travel, but when the horrified investigator aborts the process, the future rat disappears and the present rat ends never travelling in time at all.

* EveryCarIsAPinto: Scarfaro's helicopter explodes in a fireball of CGI fire after Kaun shoots it. The weirder part is that the helicopter had been previously shot by Sharon with a similar weapon and no effect.

* BadassIsraeli: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. Sharon and Yehoshuah are trained, mostly competent army reservists and have access to weapons, but never come near the usual OneManArmy antics of the trope. And the Israeli police and army are portrayed as apathetic when not subservient to Kaun and the Lucanians.

* AdaptationalNationality: The main character is German in the movie (original audio). The English dubbed version makes him American again, but with the German name.
* AdaptationNameChange: Stephen Foxx is changed to "Steffen Vogt" and Judith Menez to "Sharon Daran".

* AdaptationalNationality: The main character is German in the movie.

* TheConstant: The Time Traveler hides the video in the only place he knows will survive for 2,000 years - [[spoiler:The Wailing Wall.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The Time Traveler's letter mentions that he found a woman, and the surviving monk trust [[spoiler:Steffen]] with the camera after seeing his face.

** The camera is also in working order after 2,000 years, only needing a new battery. It was even played once (at least) 500 years ago, 1,500 years after it was buried.

* TeleporterAccident: During the development of TimeTravel, a lab rat ''[[MindScrew planned]]'' to be sent a few seconds into the future starts to materialize as [[AndIMustScream a charred, yet moving corpse]]. The investigator aborts the process, causing the future charred mouse to disappear.
* TemporalParadox: A lab rat's future self starts to materialize next to it while investigating time travel, but when the horrified investigator aborts the process, the future mouse disappears and the present mouse ends never travelling in time at all.