Jesus of Nazareth

So why do this? Yes, my podcasts focus on pop culture with Superman and suspense and the shadow dragnet and the countless documentary podcasts that I've done on some of your favorite classic television shows.

But somehow, as we head into the second quarter of the 21st century, Jesus... is pop culture all over again.

And I would guess this is the only time this has happened since the man actually walked the earth over 2,000 years ago.

The Chosen started as a crowdfunding series back in 2019 with series creator, co-writer, and director Dallas Jenkins, who is the son of author Jerry B. Jenkins, famous for the Left Behind novels.

Jenkins produced four episodes thinking that this would be a nice experiment.

But, you know, didn't think much to come from it as crowdfunding in our world is another word for pipe dream.

But, you know, this is the story of Jesus and miracles do happen.

And when Jenkins released the sizzles, I believe he released sizzles in that full episodes, I could be wrong, from the first four episodes shot, the response was beyond belief, which led him to go back into production and complete the remaining four episodes of the first season.

And so I got to see upfront the, uh, the.com boom and, and this sort of thing.

And in fact, uh, when I became Christian, I became Christian through watching Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth.

So I was always very, very interested in how people are framed, or I'm sorry, people are informed by media, especially about religion.

So I focused on that.

The very first director I ever worked with, his name was Franco Zeffirelli.

He made a movie, Jesus of Nazareth, and he was very abusive to me.

And so I had my father's religion but was convoluted and connected to this man who had this – deep secret with the catholic church and i just saw the things that were going in catholic church with um them moving priests around and you know the priest that i was grew up with you know he never tried anything with me but he definitely was on that list and i just Just, I couldn't, I couldn't, I just couldn't go there anymore.

And I, you know, I prayed on it and, and Nashville has been incredible.

God, gold, and glory motivated European nations to explore and create colonies in America.

Particularly in the strongly Catholic nations of Spain, Portugal, and France, religious zeal motivated the rulers to convert the native peoples and sanctify Christian global dominance in the name of Jesus.

The Bible is the most significant book in the Western canon.

It's also the book upon which the post-antiquity Western civilization was built upon, including the exploring and settlement of America by European nations.

This episode, we take a break from our regular historical narrative to highlight a few movies, series, programs, documentaries, and books that showcase American history and refer to topics covered so far in this series.

Let's start with a few biblical stories adapted for the big and small screen.

Paul, Apostle of Christ, is a 2018 American biblical drama film starring James Faulkner and Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus in the blockbuster 2004 Mel Gibson film, The Passion of the Christ.

The Bible is a 2013 television miniseries produced by Roma Downey and primetime hit reality show king Mark Burnett.

So taking modern British society and putting it in medieval times.

Taking modern British society and putting it at the time of Jesus of Nazareth.

And that's what their entire direction in terms of comedy is.

It's making fun of society today.

Or being up on a cross in the middle of Tunisia for nine hours.

Yeah, it's really incredible.

And they used a lot of, I read in researching this and also just, you know, hearing about it from the many years that I've watched this film is they used a lot of sets, repurposed a lot of sets from the film Jesus of Nazareth.

Yeah, of course.

And the angel said unto her, "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.

Thou shalt now conceive, and bear a son, and call his name Jesus.

This shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father.

And he shall rule over the house of Jacob for ever and to his kingdom there shall be no end." Mary said unto the angel, "How shall this be to me, when no man hath known me?" The angel answered and said unto her, "The Holy Spirit will come, and the power of the Most High shall rest upon thee and therefore shall he that is born of thee be pure, and shall be called the Son of God.

Thou shalt go forth before the face of the Lord to prepare his way, to give the knowledge of salvation unto his people for the forgiveness of their sins, through the mercy of the compassion of our God, with which he careth for us to appear from on high, to give light to them that sit in darkness and under the shadow of death, and to set straight our feet in the way of peace.

And the child grew, and became strong in the Spirit, and abode in the desert until the time of his appearing unto the children of Israel.

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was on this wise.

In the time when his mother was given in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

Okay.

Are we going back to The Longest Yard? Have you all seen that movie with Adam Sandler? And they have the prisoners and they're the cheerleaders? Yeah.

Yeah.

It's an all-male prison.

go to the local gentleman's club to get her new cheerleading team.

It

is a great movie.

Although I

a sort of pure, verdant landscape and also a place where the holy city, the very model of progress and promise, could indeed be built.

And that very much spoke to Blake's personal idea about religion and mythology and history and also reflected an old story about Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Now, you mentioned the lyrics, Chris.

Let's get into them now, OK? Are you aware what this story is that is...

captured in the story of Jerusalem, the story about Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Do you remember from the lyrics what the tale is?

Well, isn't this speculation, did Jesus come to England? That's basically it, no? I can't remember much more than that.

I did look it up once.

However— When I was 11, I had an experience that converted me to Christianity.

So I know it sounds ridiculous, but I saw Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth on Good Friday.

And I was just a kid, and I was doing Easter eggs at our tables.

And I just happened to watch it.

And he cried out with a loud voice, and said, Let me alone.

What have I to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come for our destruction? I know thee, who thou art, thou Holy One of God.

And Jesus rebuked him, and said, Stop up thy mouth, and come out of him.

And the demon threw him in the midst and came out of him, having done him no harm.