Last March, interviews [Mel Gibson] gave during the film's production in Italy led officials of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith to ask a group of nine leading scholars -- five Catholics and four Jews -- to read a copy of the movie's script that had come into their possession. The organizations previously have cooperated to assist Europeans who wished to revise local Passion plays dating to the Middle Ages to eliminate anti-Semitic provocations.

The scholars sent Gibson's Icon productions a letter expressing their concern. When accounts of their reaction leaked into the press, Gibson threatened to sue the scholars and the Catholic bishops. When representatives of the ADL asked to see a cut of film, they were rebuffed.

In the weeks since, Gibson has screened a cut of the film with subtitles -- the dialogue is in Aramaic and Latin, though the Roman soldiers who crucified [Christ] spoke Greek -- for carefully selected audiences whose members have signed confidentiality agreements. Among the elect have been right-wing commentators Peggy Noonan, Kate O'Beirne, Linda Chavez and Matt Drudge, Laura Ingram and Rush Limbaugh.