re: Was Passion of the Christ a controversial film?

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Well the Jews did crucify Christ.

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I thought it was the Romans - physically and technically at the very least.

Crucifixion was a big time Roman tactic to keep down dissent and punish those who opposed them in any way. There is a pretty well known story about Cesar when he was younger - he was kidnapped and held on an island by a large group of pirates and their "families". He charmed them to the extent that he was allowed to roam the place freely. He would tell them with a smile that one day when he got out he would crucify them all. They laughed, thinking he was joking. When he was freed (by being ransomed, I think), he came back, captured them and crucified the lot of them. Though for those who had been especially kind to him I think he did at least have their legs broken so the death would be quicker.

I'm not sure that the Jews used crucifixion at all.

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demanded him to be crucified.

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little evidence of this (other than a verse from a book that also claims he had to be killed to fulfill the story); christians have spouted "the jews did it" since christianity's inception; "the jews" saw jesus as just another nut from the desert claiming to be the messiah ...

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All of this was portrayed in the movie.

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and we know how accurate movies are

Yeah and don't forget that most historians agree that Jesus was crucified pretty much how the movie portrayed it. For being a "nut" he sure has made one of hell of an impact on the world with some serious staying power.

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little evidence of this (other than a verse from a book that also claims he had to be killed to fulfill the story); christians have spouted "the jews did it" since christianity's inception; "the jews" saw jesus as just another nut from the desert claiming to be the messiah ...

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No serious scholar agrees with your conclusions. If Jesus had been executed by the Romans for being a legitimate threat to Rome, they wouldn't have allowed his closest followers (the Apostles) to a) continue living and b) form their own religion based on Jesus's teachings in the very city where he was condemned and crucified. It is much more probable that the Jews demanded the Romans kill Jesus, and threatened to take advantage of Pilate's shaky relationship with Rome if he refused to do so.

It’s amazing how much has changed since 2004.

It was almost 14 years ago and quite a bit has changed since then.

Nobody mentioned the oddly androgynous demon/devil hanging around the scene in the movie. That character upset quite a few folks. Probably would get condemnation by today’s trannies and their supporters.

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i'll trust what i've read over an internet claim with no support/links ...

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The fact that you are so willing to dismiss the New Testament as a legitimate historical document tells me everything I need to know about your intellectual prowess, or lack thereof.

No serious biblical scholar, including the famed border line atheist Bart Ehrman, dismisses the writings of the Gospels as easily as you do. It's very likely that the Jewish elders, threatened by Jesus's message, handed him over to the Romans using the charge of sedition as the main reason he should be executed. The Romans really put a lot of emphasis on him being the "King of the Jews" in the Gospel narrative.

But we know from the Gospel narrative that Christ never claimed to be a king, at least not publicly. Which means this information came to the Romans by someone in his inner circle (Judas, anyone?). Seeing as it is unlikely that Judas would have gone directly to the Roman authority, he probably went to the Sanhedrin with his claims first.

It was the fault of SOME Jews, not all Jews. The fault lies with the Pharisees. The way the Roman occupation worked allowed the Pharisees to remain in control of the Sanhedrin (religious ruling council) and allowed Jews to continue to practice their religion at the temple, so long as the Pharisees helped to maintain the peace between locals and Romans.

The region was an absolute powder keg, and the Pharisees saw Jesus as a lit match. They were absolutely terrified that his rhetoric about a new Kingdom and the size of his following would get the attention of the Roman rulers, and cause them to dissolve the Sanhedrin, end religious freedom, for the Jews, demolish the Temple, and impose direct military rule. Like most people, they did not understand his teachings about a kingdom in heaven not a kingdom through military conquest.

The Pharisees killed Jesus to save Judaism. They screened the crowd entering the square to stack the mob against Jesus. Barabus was a freedom fighter and was very popular. Jesus was seen by many allies of the Sanhedrin as a rabble-rouser and heratic. With the square stacked with Pharisee fans, Jesus’s goose was cooked.

TBH, the Pharisees worst fears did eventually come true when another “massiah” appeared and led the Great Jewish Revolt decades later. The Roman response ended the Temple and resulted in the diaspora from the Holy Land, the ramifications of which are still felt today.