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Testament: The Story of Moses: Part One: The Prophet (2024)
Is Exodus 3:15 missing in your Bible?
It's shockingly ignorant that so many people base their theology on 1 verse in Exodus chapter 3. They quote Exodus 3:14 all day long and remain blind to the very next verse.
Understandably, many English Bible translations follow the offense against God of removing His Holy Name from the 6,820 places where He commanded His prophets to write it, but there are quite a number of translations which do not remove the Glorious Name of the God whom the Messiah (Christ) calls "my God" and "the only true God".
Exodus 3:15 (American Standard Version) And God said moreover unto Moses, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations."
(This follows the translation rule that every Hebrew name which starts with a Y gets a J in English)
On to the details...
First, the producers of this show left out the fact that Moses hid/buried the Egyptian he killed and then on the next day, Moses broke up a fight between two Hebrews and was only then made aware that the rumor of the murder was spreading throughout Egypt.
Next, as the "expert" commentators point out, people have other gods but Yehovah made clear to Moses that He alone is the true God. The others are false.
Then, while in Midian, Moses didn't have visions according to the Bible account. He only came upon the burning bush suddenly while tending his flock. He didn't climb a mountain to follow a light.
At Exodus 2:11, the Bible says Moses knew he was a Hebrew.
Unbelievably, the "expert" lady says that God said his name was eyeh asher eyeh, but that is merely God's promise in verse 14, not His Name. Verse 15 is where God states His Name YHVH known by Hebrew rabbis to be pronounced Yehovah.
Finally, they left out that Yehovah told Moses at the burning bush to use his staff, turning it into a snake, to prove to the Hebrews that he was sent by God There is nothing in the Scriptures about Moses recounting the history of mankind to the Hebrews to explain who God is.
Testament: The Story of Moses: Part Two: The Plagues (2024)
Exodus 7:7
I find it very interesting that all the experts they have in this series offering commentary seem to be perfectly fine with skipping over the details we actually have in the Scriptures, while pontificating on a plethora of information which is not in Scripture.
It seems to me that, if one wishes to create a documentary style series on the life of a Biblical person, that they should at the very least include every detail found in the historical account and then base their embellishments upon those facts.
Exodus 7:7 plainly shows a glaring omission of fact in this series. I would be fine with an actor that was perhaps 60 years old playing an 80 year old, but an actor in his 30s is just absurd casting for Moses.
The Chosen: Homecoming (2022)
The Sermon on the... field?
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Season 3, Episode 1 - Sermon on the... field? I guess the producers couldn't find a location on a hillside. As usual, most of the episode is not from Scripture. I would have preferred the entire sermon on the mount re-enacted by the actor playing Jesus instead of the shortened excerpts of the sermon and the lengthy settling in scenes of the disciples, but in general the character development is well written and the major appeal of this series. So, other than the recurring issues I stated in previous episodes; the names of Christ and his Father as well as the dress and grooming, this was an interesting episode.
Biblical content in this episode; 5%. Bits of Matthew 5:1 through 7:29.
The Chosen: Two by Two (2022)
Sent to preach the good news of God's coming Kingdom
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Season 3, Episode 2 - The 12 Apostles sent by two. Jesus send the twelve Apostles out to heal and preach the good news of the coming Kingdom of God "on Earth as it is in Heaven". The rest of the scenes in this episode are fabricated by the writers but most of them allow the audience to draw closer to the Apostles as normal human beings like you and I. Quintus, Gaius, Atticus and the shanty town are all fabricated embellishments, as is the broken sewer. Ramah and her relationship with Thomas is also made up, as are all the scenes between Simon Peter and Eden. Lastly, there is nothing about "little" James being lame. He was called the "lesser" likely due to his height. So, other than the recurring issues I stated in previous episodes; the names of Christ and his Father as well as the dress and grooming, this was an interesting, even if not Biblical, episode.
Biblical content in this episode; 5%. Luke 9:1-6.
The Chosen: Physician, Heal Yourself (2022)
Return to Nazareth
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Season 3, Episode 3 - Jesus goes back to Nazareth. Imagine that Adam did not sin against Yehovah and all his offspring were perfect. The level of focus and usable brain capacity you would have would be unimaginable. Jesus was a perfect man, he didn't make common mistakes like others. This episode contains a lot of embellishment. The Biblical account is not very detailed. I enjoyed Jesus' interaction with Mary at the beginning of the episode, but then the donkey bridle thing was a bit of a stretch. The actual portion of this episode which is from Scripture was very well done though. I thought it was interesting to show Jesus' adopted father as African; nicely done since a few of the bloodline of Joseph were not strictly "sons of Abraham" there is a possibility that the Hebrew Joseph could have been black.
Biblical content in this episode; 5%. Luke 4:16-30.
The Chosen: Sustenance (2023)
Food and Storms
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Season 3, Episode 8 Jesus feeds thousands and walks on water. This is one of the best episodes yet, especially since it has a high amount of Scriptural content. The inventive embellishments of the writers are rabbi Shmuel and the issues with Eden. Simon Peter's wife is not named in the Bible and she does not have any story lines in Scripture. Also, there is no controversy in the Decapolis in Scripture. Other than that, this episode is true to Bible accounts except that the writers have depicted Simon Peter as a bit too temperamental in my opinion. In Scripture we see that Peter is brash and outspoken, but he is always zealous, never irreverent as when he pushes over the basket of food in this episode. I love the depiction of feeding the hungry masses and stopping a violent storm as this shows what Jesus as God's appointed King will do forever for mankind when God's Kingdom comes "on Earth as it is in Heaven" after the wicked are eliminated in Armageddon.
Biblical content in this episode; 50%. Matthew 14:15-34; Matthew 13:3-9; 44-46.
The Chosen: Clean, Part 1 (2023)
The Apostles' travels
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Season 3, Episode 4, Broken water well. This episode is mostly about character development. We find out Rabbi Yusef comes from a wealthy family who own the stone quarry and brick manufacturing in Jerusalem. I think this is the wealthy Biblical member of the Sanhedrin named Joseph of Arimathea who stood up in defense of Jesus during his trial and provided the tomb that Jesus' body was laid in. Zebedee is only mentioned twice in the Bible, as being with his sons when Jesus called them. There is nothing about him selling his boat and buying an olive grove. The character Gaius could be the army officer mentioned in the Bible as having a sick servant whom he asks Jesus to heal, so that episode may be coming in season 4.
Biblical content in this episode; 2%. The Apostles heal and expel demons as they preach the good news of the coming Kingdom of God. Jairus' daughter is sick, and the woman with the constant flow of blood is real. The rest of the episode is invented.
The Chosen: Clean, Part 2 (2023)
Jairus' daughter
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Season 3, Episode 5, Jairus' daughter. There was a good amount of Bible content in this episode. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll just say that this was one of the best episodes of the series. So, other than the recurring issues I stated in previous episodes; the names of Christ and his Father as well as the dress and grooming, I have no issues with this episode.
Biblical content in this episode; 20%. Matthew 9:15-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:41-56.
The Chosen: Intensity in Tent City (2023)
John the baptizer's question
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Season 3, Episode 6 John the baptizer's question. Many characters and accounts in this series are not from the Bible. Barnaby and Shula are not in the Bible, but the invention of these characters adds dimension to the series and at times provides excellent comic relief. The scene with Jesus answering John the baptizer's question is found in the Bible but Simon Peter's wife is not spoken of beyond the mention of him being married. The story line about the miscarriage is one that was not necessary in my opinion. Also, the casting of a 20 year old actor to play Pontius Pilate is quite odd. He really needs to be a rough, seasoned Roman dictator. Not one of the stronger episodes.
Biblical content in this episode; 5%. Matthew 11:1-30.
The Chosen: Ears to Hear (2023)
Decapolis
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Season 3, Episode 7 - Decapolis. This episode was nearly 100% embellishment not found in the Bible except for the deaf mute man being healed. The Decapolis is mentioned 3 times in the Scriptures, two of those were just statements of where the message was proclaimed with no detail. The third was connected to the deaf mute man who Jesus healed. No mention of any controversies. That said, the portrayals of the followers of Jesus interacting with eachother are well written and help us to sense the real life issues they must have dealt with even though they are not in the Bible account. So, other than the recurring issues I stated in previous episodes; the names of Christ and his Father as well as the dress and grooming, this was an interesting episode.
Biblical content in this episode; 2%. Mark 7:31-37.
The Chosen: I Am He (2019)
Yusef, Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Episode 8 - The woman at the well. One of the many embellishments to the Biblical account is the interactions between the Jewish religious leaders. I found it interesting that the writers had Yusef, who I think will be revealed as being Joseph of Arimathea, chastizing Jesus during the dinner at Matthew's house. This is very well done, showing the progression of Yusef's feelings toward Jesus. The scene of Nicodemus leaving money for Jesus and the Apostles was extremely heart-wrenching. An absolutely stunning embellishment. The account of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well was nicely done, but this brings up an interesting note. In the Gospels, the Samaritan woman is the first one Jesus tells that he is the Messiah, but in this series he has made that pronouncement to others before her. That aside, this is the first episode I have given a 10. Made me cry twice.
Biblical content in this episode; 20% Matthew 9:9-13; Luke 4:38-39; John 4:1-38.
The Chosen: Invitations (2019)
Nicodemus meets Jesus
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Episode 7 - Nicodemus meets with Jesus. This episode is very well done. The writers' depiction of Nicodemus is very well written. Mary Magdalen did not arrange the meeting, but that's not an issue to me. Only one small detail; the writers add that Jesus tells Nicodemus "come see the Kingdom I am bringing into this world". The thing is that the Scriptures inform us over and over that this world needs to be eliminated for God's Kingdom to come "on Earth as it is in Heaven". I do love how the writers incorporated Psalm 2:12 into the account, even though that is not in the Scriptural passage of the meeting. That said, there are no embellishments in this episode which are objectionable other than the recurring ones I stated in previous episodes; the names of Christ and his Father as well as the dress and grooming.
Biblical content in this episode; 20% John 3:1-21 has the entire meeting with Nicodemus so that you can see what is Gospel and what is embellishment.
The Chosen: Indescribable Compassion (2019)
Jesus heals a leper and a paralytic
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Episode 6 - Jesus heals a leper and a paralytic. Much of the things Jesus says in Zebedees house are collected from various points during his ministry in the Gospels. The sad part is that we only get to hear bits and pieces of his many parables, which are absolutely poignant and beautiful, due to the cutting away to show the Egyptian woman trying to get her friend in to be healed.
My only critique is that, one thing that the writers wrote for Nicodemus to say concerns the idea of God becoming flesh. When Jesus speaks of his "Father in Heaven", that is the One he calls "my God and Father" and God is in Heaven when Jesus is saying that. God sent His only-begotten Son to Earth, God didn't send Himself. Y'shua was Yehovah's firstborn, only-begotten Son in Heaven as a spirit being with his God and Father before being sent to Earth. They were not and are not the same spirit being. There are dozens of Scriptures, including Jesus' own words, which prove this truth. That's the only issue I have with this excellent episode.
Biblical content in this episode; 20% Mark 2:1-12 but it doesn't say whose house he was in.
The Chosen: The Wedding Gift (2019)
The first miracle
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Episode 5 - Jesus' first miracle. I love the way the writers embellished the characters at the wedding and the ceremony itself. This was very well done. There is no embellishment in this episode which is objectionable other than the recurring ones I stated in previous episodes; the names of Christ and his Father as well as the dress and grooming.
Biblical content in this episode; 10% Luke 2:41-5; John 2:1-10.
The Chosen: The Rock on Which it is Built (2019)
Apostles
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Episode 4 - Andrew, John, James and Simon Peter are called. This episode is focused on Simon Peter's dilemma with his taxes and the Roman ruler Quintus. It is all embellishment until the end of the episode. The writers of this series are to be commended for inventing these stories which make the Apostles real people with real issues. Unfortunately, this episode contradicts the Bible, specifically Luke 5:10 which states that Simon Peter and the Zebedees were partners, so Simon Peter would not make the deal with Rome as depicted in the narrative here.
Biblical content in this episode; 5% Luke 5:1-11.
The Chosen: Jesus Loves the Little Children (2019)
Jesus loves children
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series. I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series.
I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Episode 3 - Jesus camps out. This episode seems to depict, at the very beginning at least, the 40 days in the wilderness on the mountain after Jesus was baptized. But then we never see the account of satan tempting him. Instead, we have a group of children befriending him. It is a heart-warming episode showing Christ's love for children. The only problem I have with this series as a whole is, we see many men in first century Israel depicted in this series aligning with what we know from 1 Corinthians 11:14, but then for some reason the Son of God is depicted as raggedly groomed. This depiction not only contradicts 1 Corinthians 11:14 but also John 19:23 regarding the quality of his clothing. Jesus was well groomed and wore nice clothes, worthy of the Roman soldiers desire.
Biblical content in this episode; 1% Jesus camped for 40 days and loves children.
The Chosen: Shabbat (2019)
Simon Peter's dilemma
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series.
I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Episode 2 - Simon Peter makes a deal with the Romans to settle his tax debt. The depiction of the daily life in first century Capernaum is splendid. I am really enjoying this series. I'm not so sure I like the depiction of Simon Peter being a slimeball to such a great degree. Clearly his brother Andrew knows that his behavior is reprehensible for someone who believes in Yehovah.
Two other points I'm not crazy about. First, there are Hebrew words being used in the series instead of their English translations; shabbat instead of sabbath, Yusef instead of Joseph, etc.. So then, shouldn't Christ be referred to as Y'shua? With all the other Hebrew names being used, the English name Jesus seems odd in this context. I have no problem with the transliteration Jesus, but it would work better if all the other names were the English versions as well. Second, on a historic note, the Messiah fulfilled the entire law code of Moses perfectly, without one error. He would have said the prayer for shabbat and not given Mary the option to do so in the presence of adult Jewish men. That was forbidden.
Biblical content in this episode; 1% Andrew, James, John, Matthew and Simon Peter are in the Bible; and yet the embellishments are mostly very captivating and thought provoking.
The Chosen: I Have Called You by Name (2019)
Mary Magdalene
I've been an avid Bible student since I was 21 years old. Prior to that I lived my life without caring what my Creator thought about my choices. My Bible study has only increased in the over the 40 years since I first started reading the Gospel accounts.
I know the Bible very well and am thoroughly enjoying The Chosen series. Naturally, since I am so familiar with the Bible account, I have some opinions about this series. I believe it is important to point out that less than 10% of each episode of The Chosen is actually from the Bible accounts. Ninety percent of these episodes are embellishments; the producer's ideas of how the Bible characters may have spoken, looked and acted, beyond what is written in the Bible. I have no problem with those embellishments. As a matter of fact, I appreciate and enjoy much of the non-biblical inventions by the writers of this series.
I would like to speak about the good and the not so good embellishments created by the writers of this series. I hope you will not be offended by my critique.
Episode 1 - Mary Magdalene is possessed and Nicodemus tries to expel the demon. Mary was possessed and Jesus healed her, but other than that fact, nothing else in this episode is from the Bible. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the depiction of the Bible characters Mary, Nicodemus, Matthew, Simon Peter and Andrew. Even the non-biblical characters of Gaius, Shmuel, Yusef and Quintus bring an interesting depth to the interactions in this episode.
A solid story, however one thing that jumped out at me was the 3rd-20th century practice of replacing God's Holy Name with a mere title. Every religious and Bible scholar knows that the Jewish and Roman ban against speaking the Name of God Yehovah did not happen until the 3rd century or the late 2nd century at the earliest. Isaiah 43:1 says "And now, thus said Jehovah, Thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Fashioner, O Israel, Be not afraid, for I have redeemed thee, I have called on thy name -- thou art Mine." (Young's Literal Translation). All Hebrew names which begin with a Y get translated into English using a J. Christ's Hebrew name is Y'shua but in English it is Jesus. Yusef is Joseph. Yerushaliym is Jerusalem, and so on.
Many other English translations also refuse to bow to the tradition of removing God's Name from His word the Bible. There is no reason, in our modern day, to continue to ban God's Name from being spoken. The Hebrew Bible scholar Nehemia Gordon has found thousands of instances of God's Holy Name in ancient Hebrew literature and Bibles over the past 2 decades. God's Name in Hebrew is Yehovah, but even if the writers of this series were to use the erroneous Samaritan version Yahweh, that would be better than the mere title "Lord" or "Adonai". That is my only criticism of this series as a whole. It is sadly, a major flaw.
Biblical content in this episode 2%, Mary Magdalene was possessed and Jesus healed her. Nicodemus, Matthew, Simon Peter and Andrew are all people in the Bible but the things they do in this episode are not found in the Scriptures.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Subspace Rhapsody (2023)
The Klingon bit saved this from a 0 rating
There were funny moments for sure, but in general it dragged and it did not feel like Star Trek at all. It was like if Family Man did a Star Trek parody.
That being said, this Strange New Worlds series seems to do the impossible. It has captured the essence of the original series better than any other including TNG... with the possible exception of the Pine, Quinto, Urban, Pegg, Saldana, Yelchin (RIP) movies which are also excellent.
Perhaps this series leans a bit too much on glib comic relief, but in all honesty, I find that refreshing. All of the actors involved are bringing something to the table and that something captures the feel of the original series. The only criticism is that I'm not too keen on the Ortegas insubordination angle.
Star Trek: Who Mourns for Adonais? (1967)
Who Mourns for Chump?
Boy did this extra terrestrial idiot remind me of a certain narcissist of the 2015-2024 era of Earth ... what a bore!
I thought it interesting that Captain Kirk at one point told the imbecile "mankind has no need for gods, we find the One quite adequate". That was one of the high points of this episode centered around the petulant need for an extraterrestrial being to pretend he is a god because the last time he visited Earth during the ancient Greek empire, they worshiped him and called him Apollo. Similar to someone who once built tall buildings with his name in giant gold letters on top and had a TV show where he gleefully fired people pretending to be employees. In the end "Apollo" got what he deserved.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Ad Astra Per Aspera (2023)
Powerful on many levels
This episode has no new alien planetscapes, no Enterprise, no photon torpedoes and no phasers on stun. What it has is a symbiotic crew of the starship Enterprise, seeking to defend one of their beloved crew mates.
Yetide Badaki as Neera Ketoul performs an absolutely gut wrenching defense of her former friend and fellow Illyrian Una Chin-Riley played by Rebecca Romijn. The Illyrians are treated with prejudice by Starfleet even when they are merely born into the culture.
The episode is clearly a metaphor for racial discrimination and Yetide Badaki, a black actress, clearly portrayed that with the most intense emotional acting any actor playing a lawyer could display. I felt it clear and strong and it brought tears to my eyes.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach (2022)
HAIR!
Please tell me that the show's writers are going to have Pike grow out of that ridiculous 2011 poofed up to the sky hair style. It is really distracting. Ortegas is annoyingly and outrageously insubordinate, so her 1988 Punk Rock hair style works for her, but Pike really needs something just a tad more dignified (and less dated) for a Start Fleet Captain... good grief!
Having aired the entirety of my grievances above (yup, those are the only flaws I see in this great show) I must say that I haven't enjoyed any Star Trek iteration as much as this since TOS. One can only hope they keep up the good work.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
TOS and TNG set the bar high
It's always difficult to follow a standout cast and vision. TNG was good but didn't have the same feel (ducks from object thrown by Picard fan). The various other fractals even less so. But this Strange New Worlds series seems to do the impossible. It has captured the essence of the original series better than any other including TNG... with the possible exception of the Pine, Quinto, Urban, Pegg, Saldana, Yelchin (RIP) movies which are also excellent.
Perhaps this series leans a bit too much on glib comic relief, but in all honesty, I find that refreshing. All of the actors involved are bringing something to the table and that something captures the feel of the original series. The only criticism is that I'm not too keen on the Ortegas insubordination angle.
Noah (2014)
This should have been called "Book of Enoch" not Noah
Genesis 5-9 chronicles the account of Noah, his ancestors and the antediluvian world. There aren't a lot of details, but it is possible to fill in the blanks and read between the lines. However, this flick goes way beyond embellishment. That is not to say that all the embellishments are bad. So, I'm just going to list the bad ones here.
1. The Watchers - The watchers do not exist anywhere in the Scriptures inspired by the Creator. These beings only exist in the spurious "Book of Enoch" which has no connection to Methuselah's father Enoch, save for one singular saying, passed down through the generations which the Apostle Paul and Jude quote in their writing. If you scrub all of "the watchers" from the movie, there are still the following issues...
2. Noah's father Lamech died of the typical effects of sin 5 years before the flood, when Noah was 595 years old. He was not killed by the descendants of Cain when Noah was a child.
3. Part of the violence in the antediluvian world was caused by the giant and nasty offspring of angels who materialized and had relations with human women. Those are the real fallen angels. None of them helped Noah and his 3, hundred year old sons, build the ark.
4. Noah warned the people of the antediluvian world of the judgement against violence and told them that they needed to repent. He did not have to kill people who were trying to get on the ark. They refused to listen to his preaching and went about their lives as if there was nothing to worry about until the underwater springs burst forth and the intense storms began. Then it was too late because the Creator had sealed the door of the arc with the 8 people inside before the cataclysm began.
5. All 3 of Noah's sons were adults with wives and the 8 of them all built the arc together.
6. Your Creator informed Noah that he and his family would be saved and begin anew after the flood. Noah never thought that they were all supposed to die off and leave the earth with no humans. No humans were born on the arc.
7. There were no stowaways on the arc.
Other than those 7 points, I thought all of the other embellishments were well done, and Jennifer Connely's scene chewing scene was Oscar worthy!
Time Lapse (2014)
NOW I GET IT
I did not get it after the final shot. I was left wondering 'how can she think she's sending messages to herself when all she can ever see are pictures from the future?' She would need the machine to show pictures of the past in order to send herself messages about changing the future, right?
It turns out that there is a world we do not see. There are alternate universes/timelines which exist 24 hours apart. In effect, for the story's sake, there are 3 parallel timelines.
1. The only one we see, where the characters are seeing the future and copying it.
2. The future, which is always exactly what the pictures show.
3. The most important one to understanding the whole film, where they are actually sending messages to their past selves 24 hours ago.
The 3rd one explains how they can post the race results that already finished and somehow make money after the fact. The money is actually being made by the characters living in the past, not the present. The 3rd one also explains how Callie can manipulate events 24 hours in the future, but the 2nd one explains how nothing actually changes despite her thinking she can change it.