Is the film true to the Bible?
Depends whom you ask. The Christian Coalition's Ammons calls it "actual-factual." Sister Mary Boys, a professor at New York's Union Theological Seminary, sees many inventions. Nearly all the dialogue can be found in one or more of the four Gospels, all of which relate that Jesus was flayed and crucified. But none, Boys points out, goes into the lengthy sinewy detail that The Passion does. Another departure: Gibson has made a major player of Satan, who appears only once in the Gospels' accounts of the Passion but appears several times in the movie as a shadowy hooded figure.

Is it historically accurate?
Experts quibble with some of the details: For instance, Greek, not Latin, was the prevalent tongue in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire at the time. A bigger problem for historians: While little of Jesus' life is in the historical record, we do know a lot about the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. "Not nice," says John Dominic Crossan, a former priest and author of Who Killed Jesus? Gibson's Pilate is a thoughtful, even compassionate leader who orders Jesus' death only under pressure from the Jewish high priests. But history shows the Jews were wholly subordinate to Pilate, a sadist who routinely crucified people without trial. In The Passion, says Crossan, "the Roman authority comes off smelling like a rose." Gibson differs. "I don't think there is a better history than [the Gospels]," he says. "To suddenly find some other revisionist story is an insult, quite frankly. To me, these are rock solid."

Why do some people fear this film may inflame anti-Semitism?
While some critics feel Gibson uses movie clichés (eye patches, gnarly teeth) and cultural stereotypes (clanking coins) to negatively depict the Jews, what many find more worrisome is his implication that Jews bear responsibility for Jesus' death. "We don't feel the film, or Mr. Gibson, is anti-Semitic," says Abraham Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League. "But for almost 2,000 years, four words – 'the Jews killed Christ' – have fueled anti-Semitism. There's been an explosion of anti-Semitism in Europe – I worry what impact this film will have." Father Michael O'Connell, rector of Minneapolis's Basilica of Saint Mary, feels the film provides a teaching moment. Noting the centuries-long history of violence against Jews during the Easter season, he says, "Good Friday [which recalls the Crucifixion] is a day that Jews feared – it was a day of pogroms." His church is pairing with a local synagogue to discuss The Passion. "I hope we can put to bed," he says, "the mistaken notion that the Jews were responsible for the death of Christ."

This is an online excerpt of PEOPLE magazine's cover package.

• By ALLISON ADATO. TOM CUNNEFF and AMY LONGSDORF in Los Angeles, KATHY EHRICH and DANIEL S. LEVY in New York City, PAM GROUT in Chicago, MACON MOREHOUSE in Washington, D.C., MARGARET NELSON in Minneapolis and PRAXILLA TRABATTONI in Rome