Christianity

"We are an unimaginative lot when it comes to naming things." The title of this article is conjectural. Although this article is based on canonical information, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.

Ragetti reading the Bible, the sacred book in Christianity.

"I am the resurrection and the life... whosoever believeth in me... even though he shall die... yet shall he have life everlasting..."

―Jack Sparrow quotes John 11:25 from the Bible

Christianity was the world's largest and most widespread religion, which generally hold in common the belief that Jesus was the son of God, whose coming as the messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament and chronicled in the New Testament of the Bible. It remained culturally and doctrinally diverse concerning justification and the nature of salvation. Christian theology included the belief that Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary, performed miracles, founded the Christian Church, died on a cross by crucifixion as a sacrifice to achieve atonement for sin, descended into hell, rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, from where he will return to judge the living and the dead for the salvation of humankind. Accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus were conserved by the Bible, and the community formed by his followers eventually expanded as a worldwide movement.

Over the years, the disciples of Jesus spread their faith, despite significant persecution, and the crucifix became the central ornament of the altar, a use that has been nearly universal in churches since then. The Christian community slowly separated over differences in Christology and split into numerous denominations, including a more centralized and bureaucratic Catholicism. Christianity expanded throughout the world via missionary work, evangelism, immigration, and extensive trade. By the Age of Piracy, both Christianity and Catholicism played a prominent role in the development of Western civilization.

History

"Oi. What did that poor sod do?"
"And how can I make sure to not?"
"Him? Churchly fellow. Always going on about the Lord Almighty."
"Bible-thumper on this ship?"
"A missionary is his story. What I heard was he got captured in a raid. Rest of the ship got killed, but not 'im. First mate wouldn't let it happen on account of his premier standing with the Lord. A first mate sticking her neck out for some prisoner. That you don't see."

―Jack Sparrow and Scrum, on Philip Swift

The history of Christianity began with the life of Jesus Christ, whose followers proclaimed that he was the incarnation of God, born of a virgin named Mary, died by crucifixion, descended into hell, and had risen from the dead, whose arrival as the messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament and chronicled in the New Testament of the Bible. Through Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection, Christians believed that God offered salvation and eternal life, with Jesus's death atoning for all sin. The birth of Jesus was celebrated annually, generally on 25 December, as Christmas. His crucifixion was honoured on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. The use of depictions of Jesus was advocated by the leaders of denominations, such as Catholics, and the crucifix became the central ornament of the altar, a use that has been nearly universal in churches since then. Accounts of Jesus's life and teachings were conserved by the Bible, and the community formed by his followers eventually expanded as a worldwide movement.

During the Age of Piracy, sailors and pirates were superstitious because it was a dangerous profession, they didn't want to tempt fate or stir up anything that might cause them to end their lives in a storm. By tradition, as it was a "bad-luck day" for sailing, sailors did not set sail on a Friday because Friday was the day that Jesus Christ was crucified. The British Empire controlled islands of the Caribbean like Barbados, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, spread Anglicanism and later Methodism.

Most of the pirates, having come from European backgrounds, were likely Christian, or had a Christian background, though not necessarily practicing Christians. But they would still respect the Bible. The term "Corsair" could be applied to both French privateers and Islamic ones—the latter having marauded across the Mediterranean from the Muslim nations of North Africa, attacking Christian ships. Ammand the Corsair, the Pirate Lord of the Black Sea, notably robbed bountiful trade ships from wayward Christian infidels.

Jack Sparrow was friends with a Christian named Robert Greene, who told Jack about the parable of a pearl of great price.

Captain Jack Sparrow had a religious background since his early adulthood through Robert "Robby" Greene, a devoted Christian and the first mate of the East India Trading Company merchant ship Wicked Wench who owned a Bible that he would read from time to time. With the help of Robby, Jack quoted John 11:25 from the Bible as well as learned of the parable of a pearl of great price, which Jesus told his disciples. Despite his lack of interest, Sparrow would be inspired by the Biblical story, having eventually realized the Wicked Wench was like his pearl of great price, so when Davy Jones raised his beloved ship from the bottom of the sea, now half burned and with her hull and masts all charred, Sparrow returned to a life of piracy and rechristened the Wicked Wench as a pirate vessel, the Black Pearl. Sparrow later impersonated a cleric of the Church of England, told Twigg and Koehler that the deepest circle of hell was reserved for betrayers and mutineers, spoke earnestly about being willing to believe in order to be welcomed into heaven, and suggested that Blackbeard may have been saved by unintentionally saving Angelica at the Fountain of Youth.

Joshamee Gibbs was a superstitious sailor of the British Royal Navy, and even after turning pirate. When Lieutenant James Norrington of the British Royal Navy examined Will Turner, a young unconscious boy found lying on his back on a small piece of wreckage and hauled safely aboard the HMS Dauntless, Gibbs gasped "Mary, mother of God!" All hands on deck, including Governor Weatherby Swann and his young daughter Elizabeth, turned and followed Gibbs's gaze out to the sea where they saw the burning remains of a merchant vessel littering the waves. Gibbs later made prayers when Norrington was lost at Isla Cruces, and shortly afterwards when facing Davy Jones' cursed crew aboard the Flying Dutchman.

During the search for the Dead Man's Chest, when the formerly cursed pirates Pintel and Ragetti made their escape from jail at Port Royal via a longboat, the two pirates got into an argument about divine providence, stealing a ship, or if it was right that the illiterate Ragetti was trying to read the Bible, despite his attempt to save their immortal souls. When Davy Jones offered a line of dead and dying sailors aboard the scuttled ship a choice to postpone judgment by joining his crew one hundred years before the mast aboard the Flying Dutchman, though Jones ordered the death of the ship's chaplain, who was clutching a rosary cross in his hand and told Jones he'd take his chances with the afterlife. Jones was familiar with the Christian scripture as he quoted the Book of Job while he and his crew summoned the Kraken.

A working missionary of Christian faith, Philip Swift wore a simple cross necklace, which lied close to his heart.

Philip Swift was a devoted Christian, wearing a simple plain wooden cross necklace, which lied close to his heart, a working missionary in the Caribbean until Blackbeard captured him during a raid on a remote island. While all the others on his ship were killed, Philip himself was saved by Blackbeard's first mate, Angelica, who wouldn't let it happen on account of his standing with the Lord Almighty, and was taken aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge. Even when taken prisoner by Blackbeard and ruthlessly tortured, Philip's spirit remained unbroken as he carried his Bible in an attempt to save the terrible pirate's eternal soul from certain damnation during the quest for the Fountain of Youth. Despite Angelica's pleas, Blackbeard tried to prove that faith and prayer were useless and helpless in the face of true evil. Although Philip believed all souls could be saved in his mission of salvation, this changed when Blackbeard attempted to torture the mermaid called Syrena in order to get a tear for the ritual of the Fountain. But something stirred inside of Philip's heart as well as his soul when he encountered Syrena—feelings which prove that the path to real deliverance may lie beyond the Good Book he carried with him.

In Saint Martin, a elderly confessional priest asked Carina Smyth, a young astronomer accused of witchcraft, if she had anything to confess, only for Carina to escape. Another priest at Hangman's Bay opened his Bible and shakily took his place at the front of the alter during the wedding of Jack Sparrow and Pierre "Pig" Kelly's sister, Beatrice.

Behind the scenes

While Christianity itself isn't mentioned, the faith and spiritual content associated with God and Jesus first appeared in media relating to the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, notably Irene Trimble's junior novelization, based on Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's early screenplay draft. Although the term "Christian" was mentioned in the "Below Deck" bonus feature included in the home video releases for The Curse of the Black Pearl, it had a more direct in-universe mention in media relating to the 2007 film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which described Ammand the Corsair having robbed from "wayward Christian infidels" in Yahoo as well as the "Inside the Brethren Court" bonus feature. In 2011, Christianity had a role with Robert "Robby" Greene in the novel The Price of Freedom by A. C. Crispin and Philip Swift the film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. While unnamed in most Pirates media, the term "Christianity" was used in Terry Rossio's unproduced screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, as Davy Jones' crewmen turn the capstan to summon Jones' leviathan, the Kraken, it was said that Jones was quoting, "Let no joyful voice be heard. Let no man look up at the sky in hope. Let this day be cursed, by we who ready to wake the Leviathan." While unclear, the line "Leviathan" was spoken as "Kraken" by the final version of the film, Jones was quoting the Book of Job from the Bible, though a paraphrased version of chapter 3, verses 7 and 8 ("Lo! that night—let it be gloomy, Let no singing come into it. Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan."), as confirmed by Elliott in the audio commentary.

Appearances

• The Price of Freedom
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003 junior novelization) (First appearance)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Sources

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: "Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates"
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: "Scoundrels of the Seas"
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: "Inside the Brethren Court" (First identified as Christian)
• The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook

External links

• Christianity on Wikipedia