Bible: Episode 4 - The King is Revealed

Just Genesis ^ | March 24, 2013 | Alice C. Linsley

[Jandy on Genesis]

Episode four opens with Jesus healing a paralytic and a leper. He draws large crowds and the number of his disciples grows.

Among his followers is a woman named Mary. She is from Magdala near Tiberias, on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee. The notion that she was a prostitute comes from a Talmudic expression meaning "curling women's hair," which the Talmud applies to an adulteress. This is how the rumor began that Mary of Magdala was a prostitute.

Some Talmudic writings cast aspersions on the early Christian leaders. That Mary Magdalen, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary were hated by the Jewish authorities is a testimony to their prominence. All were slandered by the rabbis. Sanhedrin 106a says Jesus' mother was a whore: “She who was the descendant of princes and governors played the harlot with carpenters.” She is called "Charia" which means dung or excrement, and Jesus is called "Jeschu" which means "May his name be blotted out."

Many Jews believe that the Talmud contains truth of greater authority than the Bible. The Talmud itself encourages readers to place it above the authority of the Old Testament. We read this instruction: “My son, be more careful in the observance of the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah." (Talmud Erubin 21b)

With Jesus' appearing, a great conflict arose within Judaism. The Jewish rulers necessarily sought to avoid trouble to the Romans. Jesus was being hailed as the long-expected Messiah, the Seed/Son of God (Gen. 3:15) anticipated by the Patriarchs and Prophets of old. This caused division among the Jewish leaders. Some of the Jewish leaders became Jesus' followers. This is the case with Nicodemus and Joseph of Hara-Mathea, both members of the Sanhedrin. Hara-Mathea refers to the Horite priestly line of Mathea (Mattai/Matthew).

[Smittie]

With Mary Magdalene being prominently showed in just about every scene and saying things attributed to other disciples, I was beginning to wonder if this was The Bible Meets The Da Vinci Code.

[Dogbert41]

I haven’t seen it yet. I hope not!

I’ll watch anything that’s about our Lord, but To me, for a movie, nothing beats Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth, so far. There were so many scenes that will always bring tears to my eyes. And nobody has done Peter better than Starsky, or is it Hutch? LOL. I should buy that movie some day.

[Smittie]

I was hoping this would be a good series, but the omissions of vital tenets of the Faith and other changes have let me down. I understand that you can't fit everything in The Bible in 10 hours of film, but at least get what you do include right.

The over emphasis on Mary Magdalene was almost blasphemous. And she just shows up without any mention of her being healed of demon possession by Jesus.

[NKP_Vet]

First couple of episodes were OK, but this latest takes the cake. Jesus did not walk into Lasarus’ tomb and talk to him.
He stood out and called for him and Lasarus came out with his head wrapped in bandages. This is just one example of this latest Bible movie playing fast and loose with the truth.
And Jesus told Nicodemus you have to be born again and the way he said was to born by water and the spirit. In the movie tonight Jesus said your spirit has to be born again. Read John 3 for the truth.

[aruanan]

First couple of episodes were OK, but this latest takes the cake. Jesus did not walk into Lasarus’ tomb and talk to him.

Lazarus.

[TalBlack]

“My son, be more careful in the observance of the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah.” (Talmud Erubin 21b)

Frankly and given that that line isn’t in it’s original language, it could easily mean the opposite if what is alleged here.

[Sans-Culotte]

I haven’t seen it yet. I hope not!
I’ll watch anything that’s about our Lord, but To me, for a movie, nothing beats Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth, so far. There were so many scenes that will always bring tears to my eyes. And nobody has done Peter better than Starsky, or is it Hutch? LOL. I should buy that movie some day.

My wife and I gave part one of The Bible a try and were not impressed. The Sodom & Gomorrah sequence featured no homosexuals other than one apparently trans-gendered person. Instead of depicting the men of Sodom wanting to have sexual relations with the visitors/angels, they were depicted as wanting to kill them. They did add a cool martial-arts sequence in which the visitors/angels dispatched a good many denizens of Sodom.

I agree with you about the excellence of Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth. However, neither Starsky nor Hutch were in the movie. Simon Peter was played by James Farentino.

[Dogbert41]

Lol, I always thought he was Starsky!