Seite - 157 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Band 07/01

Reading The Book of Joseph | 157www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/1, 145–171 is unique to the trailer: it is a grey notebook with a black rubber band holding the pages together, with on the cover the symbol of the double cross, later in the game identified as the cult’s logo. Although the trailer does not state so explicitly, it is suggested that this grey notebook with the rubber band is a proto version of the later Book of Joseph, probably consisting of Joseph’s handwritten notes, which he is seen working on later in the same trailer. Eventually, these notes are transformed into the typeset printed white book seen later in the trailer and throughout the game. Just like in the game, the content of The Book of Joseph is hidden from everyone, including the film’s text-immanent reader. The fact that in both the game and the film trailer the Book of Joseph is inac- cessible to both the characters (except Joseph Seed himself, although this is not made explicit) and to the text-immanent reader emphasizes the secret charac- ter of the cult of Joseph Seed. One cannot freely enter and leave the book. This restriction makes the cult a dangerous sect, where brainwashing, instead of the reading and discussion of the book on which it claims to be based, stands central. For the game’s text-immanent reader, this insight even underlines the importance of their task to stop Joseph Seed by playing the game. The Book of Joseph: The Physical Book As stated earlier in this article, the physical Book of Joseph was part of the Far Cry 5’s Mondo edition, the most extensive edition Ubisoft made available for sale. This edition included – besides the game itself – a steel book-holder, a vinyl record with the original soundtrack, a code for the digital version of the Fig. 11: Jerome’s daughter copying the symbol on the cover of The Book of Joseph.