"No #Blasphemy at all!" — Internet claims Olympics Opening Ceremony did not parody Last Supper but was inspired by The Feast of the Gods

In a surprising twist to the ongoing conversation surrounding the Olympics Opening Ceremony, one side of the internet has reached a consensus that the scenes in the ceremony that seem to be parodied Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper were inspired by The Feast of the Gods by Giovanni Bellini and Titian.

On July 26, 2024, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics took place in Paris, France. The opening scene, which allegedly depicted the parody of a biblical scene, was intended to interpret Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.

The scene, which was performed against the backdrop of the River Seine, was deliberated to raise awareness "of the absurdity of violence between human beings," as Olympics stated on X on July 27, 2024:

"The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings. #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony."

The initial uproar began when viewers reportedly noticed a resemblance between a segment of the ceremony and the famous depiction of Jesus and his disciples in The Last Supper. Netizens on X were abuzz with accusations of blasphemy and insensitivity. However, art enthusiasts and many others on X analyzed the scene and claimed that no blasphemy was committed.

Some internet users on X suggested that the scene was not a mockery of Christianity by any means— instead, it was a tribute to Greece, as the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896 —

"Sorry I hate to burst peoples bubbles, but Frances performance at the Olympics was not intended as a mockery of Christianity, rather it was a homage to Greece and the painting "The Feast of The Gods,"" one wrote.

"Dear Christians, It wasn't the last supper, it was the feast of Dionysus. You know, the GREEK god? Greek like the Olympics? Not everything is about y'all," a second wrote.

"I'm seeing a lot of Tweets calling blasphemy on yesterday's #Olympic2024 opening ceremony. This scene in particular seem to have offended a bunch of folks. For what it's worth, it was not a parody of the Last Supper, but of… Olympus (Feast of the Gods)," another claimed.

A few art enthusiasts analyzed the scene and the painting simultaneously, suggesting that the child depicted on the left of the painting is the same as the one shown in the opening art. Therefore, they argue that the Christian reference is merely a coincidence,

"Perhaps a Christian reference is most likely a fluke. The painting ('The Feast of the Gods') by Jan Harmensz van Biljert depicts the Olympian gods in a feast with Dionysius presiding over it. If you look closely, there's even a child by the left, just like the portrayal at the ceremony." netizen on X.

The tableau in question started at the end of the opening scene of the Olympics. The scene begins when dinner plates are lifted, and a person covered in blue paint starts singing in French. He was accompanied by dancers and drag queens in the background.

The possible misinterpretation occurred because netizens believed the drag queens and other people in the act were the 12 apostles of Jesus (Prophet Isa AS). However, there were more than 12, making it a point of contention between the two theories.

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Olympics 2024 opening ceremony

The opening ceremony aired on Friday allegedly depicted the scene of The Feast of the Gods was misinterpreted by netizens online as The Last Supper. In addition, a French philosopher, Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer, shared a clip of Thomas Jolly, the director of the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Games.

In the clip, which aired on BFM TV, Jolly, speaking in French, suggested that the scene was not a "Christian Last Supper but a pagan feast," as Vilmer noted in his caption:

"Beware of misinterpretation! The director of the opening ceremony of the @Paris2024 Games, Thomas Jolly, confirms that this scene was NOT a representation of the Christian Last Supper but a pagan feast, as evidenced by the presence of Dionysus -the Greek god of feasting and wine," Vilmer wrote.

The Last Supper, a famous painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, was painted between 1494 and 1498. According to Britannica, in the Gospel accounts, the painting depicted the final meal of Jesus (Prophet Isa AS) with his apostles before his crucifixion.

On the other hand, an oil painting, The Feast of the Gods, was initiated by the Italian Renaissance master Giovanni Bellini and later completed by Titian in 1514. This painting represents a winter celebration overseen by Dionysus, the god of wine, as per the National Gallery of Arts.

Anne Descamps, the spokesperson for the Paris Games 2024, told a press conference that they never intended to show disrespect to any religious group. They tried to celebrate community tolerance. However, Descamps apologized to the group that was offended.