Biblical Misinterpretation in Constantine
Constantine, Balthazar, and Gabriel Struggle with Salvation
Jul 2, 2009
The 2005 film Constantine follows the story of John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), a man who can see demons and angels in this world. He spends his time chasing down and exorcising demons in hopes that he can be redeemed. Constantine, along with other characters, misinterpret some main tenets of Christianity, and therefore cheat themselves of salvation.
Constantine’s View of Christianity
The first misinterpretation involves John Constantine, who thinks that he can “earn” his way into heaven with good deeds. The second misinterpretation comes in a scene with the demon Balthazar, and the final and most dramatic misinterpretation comes from the angel Gabriel.
Constantine sees all of the literal aspects of the Bible: hell, demons, angels, etc. and so knows the truth about the afterlife. He did not need faith because he already knew the truth. But since he had committed suicide (he was revived), he was on the list to go to hell after he died.
He continually tries to prove himself worthy of heaven by exorcising demons and doing other works. But he misses the whole concept in the New Testament, and both Gabriel and Angela try to explain to him that not everything in the Bible is tangible and literal, and that he can’t “buy his way into heaven.”
Balthazar’s Misperception
Constantine later uses the Bible to trick the demon Balthazar into revealing information. He opens a Bible and reads from it and tells the demon that he is giving him his last rites so that he will go to heaven.
After getting the information he wants, he tells the demon: “by the way, you have to ask for absolution to be forgiven.” Constantine uses this to trick the demon, but it also seems to be an issue he is struggling with himself (as shown above). Constantine is giving advice to Balthazar that he has not yet come to grips with.
Gabriel’s Mistake
The biggest Biblical misinterpretation comes from the angel Gabriel who says that: “I will bring you pain, I will bring you horror, so that you may rise above it; so that those of you who will survive this reign of hell on earth will be worthy of God's love.”
Gabriel thinks that people must be shown divine forces or they will never be saved. Once again, a character is missing the point—trying to earn absolution and salvation through some sort of retribution rather than forgiveness. Salvation has to do with faith, not deeds or knowledge.
Although the Bible has a lot to say about salvation, the misinterpretation of it in this movie shows how damaging it can be to misinterpret the Bible or any other religious text.
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