All four Gospels suggest Mary was the first witness of the resurrected Jesus (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-11, and John 20:1-18). Also the guy who plays Jesus is Catholic, which is kind of cool. As a general rule, the characters who follow Jesus aren't bad people; they're misunderstood and rejected and in need of love. They speak to different audiences & look good on screen), Can you think of characters or stories that the film left out? Narrative Ambiguity & Charitable Reading, The Chosen: 6 Good Friday & Easter Episodes, The Rings of Power, LOTR, and Bible Adaptation, Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power & The Challenges of Biblical Adaptation, In Defense of The Chosen and Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 1), In Defense of The Chosen and Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 2), Imagining Mary Magdalene (5 More Bible Adaptations While You Wait for The Chosen Season 2), The Chosen Season 3 Episode 6: Recap, Review, & Analysis, Intensity in Tent City (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 6 with Youth or Small Group), The Chosen Season 3 Episode 5: Recap, Review, & Analysis, Clean Part 2 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 5 with Youth or Small Group), The Chosen Season 3 Episode 4: Recap, Review, & Analysis, Clean Part 1 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 4 with Youth or Small Group), The Chosen Season 3 Episode 3: Recap, Review, & Analysis, Physician, Heal Thyself (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 3 with Youth or Small Group), Two by Two (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 2 with Youth or Small Group), Little James in The Chosen & Scripture (Adapting Biblical Characters), Homecoming (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 with Youth or Small Group), John the Baptist in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters), Lilith, Demons, & Evil Spirits in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters), 2022 BY THE BIBLE ARTIST. Thank you! I think the producer said he wanted to do eight seasons total. He attempts to heal her and exorcise the evil spirit in her, but he is unsuccessful and concludes that she is beyond hope. She is clearly sleeping with a man out of wedlock when the episode begins and they are sleeping together in "the Red Quarter" - a sleazy part of town. One challenge that film adaptations of Jesus' life need to overcome is the lack of significant female characters. For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits. The Hebrew word "lilit" only shows up in Isaiah 34:14, where most modern translations render it as something along the lines of "night bird." It's certainly not, Due to COVID restrictions, my youth group watched The Chosen online using Zoom. This allows the show to be more family friendly, but it also weakens the narrative that the show is telling about Jesus' compassion and pity. In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was raped. She becomes too perfect and seems to have no ongoing struggles in her faith like Peter or Andrew. The Bible never mentions "the Red Quarter." EDIT: To more specifically address your question about Mary Magdalene, my intuition is that they chose the name Lilith because few viewers are likely to know the name, and so therefore wont confuse her with another Bible character before her true identity is revealed. Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (, As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Jesus heals her evil spirit(s) at the end of Episode 1. Personally, I would have been much more interested in a subplot about Mary's former pimp trying to coerce her back into her former life than I am with the overly long fish taxation plot. Why do you think The Chosen depicted Mary as a prostitute? In the modern vernacular, a "red light district" is a term that refers to an area of the city known for prostitution, strip clubs, and other immoral establishments. I have Bible studies/discussion guides for each episode of The Chosen Seasons 1-3, blogs exploring how The Chosen adapts key biblical figures, and articles exploring the controversial nature of adaptation. Dallas Jenkins (Director) is not Catholic, but - in my mind - makes the best Christian films I have seen anywhere. She was a witness of Jesus' crucifixion and burial (Mark 15:40-47) and also the first person to discover the empty tomb, witness the resurrected Jesus, and share the good news with the disciples (John 20:1-18). I have not seen any anti Catholic scenes. Im not a person who cries during Jesus movies, but Ive cried several times during this series, because you can just feel the humanity of the scenes and everything is ten times more relatable. In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. The Chosen invents this story to illustrate biblical teachings about Jesus' grace and forgiveness. The Bible never suggests Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. The Chosen introduces a lot of characters and expects us to just keep up. Over time, there's been a growing awareness of how most women end up in prostitution: not because they are innately promiscuous but rather as a result of coercion, sexual trauma, and systemic inequities. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. Nicodemus was brought in to perform an exorcism on her but failed, making him question the fullness of the Law. I'm not saying we needed to see anything explicit, but the show certainly could have implied a bit more than it did. We need to remember the perspective is of east and west are different East is how it performs, what it does its function West they would describe what it is or made of. What do you think Mary's life was like before Jesus showed up? Enough said.). She is clearly sleeping with a man out of wedlock when the episode begins and they are sleeping together in "the Red Quarter" - a sleazy part of town. And to be fair, there isnt a whole lot of backstory for any of the disciples in the Bible, so its not a surprise the writers filled in the blanks with some artistic license. I offer my work for free and rely on the generous support of readers like you. Consider how the show depicts Jesus' first appearance. There is however a very clear disclaimer at the beginning of the series saying this isnt word-for-word and its no replacement for reading your Bible, etc. Do you believe Jesus knows you by name? The important role that Mary Magdalene plays in The Chosen is not nearly as surprising as that of Nicodemus. Yes, we see that Jesus had warm and empowering relationships with females. The Chosen isn't trying to mess with the Bible. They prompt us to consider how these two events, Mary's first encounter with Jesus and her first encounter with the risen Jesus, are connected in a deeper way. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. And just like one day Mary will initially fail to recognize the risen Jesus, confusing him for a gardener, she initially fails to recognize Jesus when he first comes to her, confusing him for one of the men who's been hassling her. He attempts to heal her and exorcise the evil spirit in her, but he is unsuccessful and concludes that she is beyond hope. Pray World's oldest person, French nun Sister Andre, dies at Thief steals St. Michael statue from church, trips, and A photo I took of our altar at Midnight Mass this Christmas, Mother on death bed, priest refused to see her. What distinguishes Mary from the other women, however, is her association with prostitution. we first meet her as a client flees her place in "the Red Quarter"), but it's relatively disinterested in depicting what her life as a prostitute was actually like. This version of Mary - not the one who needs moral reformation but the one who needs sympathy and belonging - fits perfectly with the kinds of stories that The Chosen has focused on. Expert Answers: The Gospels never refer to Mary as Lilith. (for LOTR: Arwen's bigger role, some action scenes. Interestingly, The King of Kings (1927) also uses Mary Magdalene to introduce us to Jesus for the first time. Episode 1 depicts how she got these demons cast out of her by Jesus. Why do you think The Chosen is trying to connect episode 1 to what will happen when Jesus is resurrected? Literally none of that is in Scripture or sacred tradition and that bothers me! The difference between its depiction of her life as a prostitute, with super-sexualized clothing and a zebra chariot, and The Chosen's depiction of her life is emblematic of changing views of prostitutes between the 1920's and today. I've condensed the lesson into an easily printable pdf below. Episode 8 Guide: The Woman at the Well, Eden, & Zohara, Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers, The Chosen Season 2 Controversy (Jesus, the Bible, & the Process of Inspiration), Should Nicodemus Kneel? An adaptation like The Chosen isn't meant to replace the Bible; it's meant to drive us deeper into the Bible and spiritual reflection. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. (Jesus), What about Jesus' identity does this hint at? . This is not a theologian or an apologist. Why do you think they were removed? (he is God). Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (Luke 8:1-3). As it was, we didn't really get a good sense of why Mary responded the way she did. More importantly, allowing some of the disciples to judge Mary a bit more would have added more tension and could have fueled future arcs. They were fully engaged by the show on the level of entertainment but also seemed solidify their understanding of important gospel events and figures, as well as the cultural context. This comes out powerfully in the first Episode like to show you why is mary magdalene called lilith in the chosen here. Episode 8 Guide: The Woman at the Well, Eden, & Zohara, Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers, The Chosen Season 2 Controversy (Jesus, the Bible, & the Process of Inspiration), Should Nicodemus Kneel? Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. There was just a hint of judgment in, Mary Magdalene was a female disciple who traveled with Jesus during his ministry (, All four Gospels suggest Mary was the first witness of the resurrected Jesus (, The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. By noting how Mary is in the "Red Quarter", The Chosen is implying that she is a prostitute. And we also just had fun chatting about random stuff, like how Quintus was totally fitting the stereotype of the evil bald guy. In The Chosen, when we first Mary Magdalene in Season 1 Episode 1, she has already been possessed by evil spirits for some time. In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her evil spirits. Later Jewish tradition described a demonic figure known as Lilith in a variety of ways. Thank you! What's disappointing is that it doesn't delve too far into the implications of this. The trauma of her rape is hinted at again in Season 2, Episode 5, and is the trigger that causes Mary to backslide. However, a post by the official Twitter account for The Chosen claims that Mary is not being portrayed as a prostitute. In the same way, we get our first glimpse of the pre-resurrected Jesus as we follow her struggles in the first episode. You can find episode one, The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. This shift in our societal understanding of the sex trade has changed the significance of Mary's supposed role as a prostitute. Just before Luke introduces us to Mary Magdalene, he tells a story about a prostitute that Jesus forgives (, Since I criticized Season 1 of The Chosen for making Mary too perfect, it's only fair that I acknowledge how Season 2 seeks to rectify that issue. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. These experiences cause Mary to flee back to her old life, drinking and gambling. In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. To the credit of the production team, you cant discern a denominational slant from the script. I can appreciate what theyre trying to do with the show: Theyre taking their time to build your relationship with the characters and to delve into some of the backstory so that everyone becomes a three-dimensional person, not just a mumbling zombie foil for Jesus. Starting around episode three I think is when it finds its groove. Why do you think the creators added them? In my opinion it works. After Jesus heals her evil spirit, she resumes calling herself "Mary," her birth name, and refuses to answer to the name associated with her spiritual oppression. By. 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