Sunday night was episode two of NBC’s A.D.: The Bible
Continues. I will admit that I was entertained. The episode was certainly dark
at times, but it was an appropriate darkness. Overall, I was entertained. Nevertheless,
if there was any doubt to the level of interpretive freedom that would, or
would not, be exercised by the writers and producers of the min-series, it was
laid to rest with this episode. Essentially, episode two can be described as a substantial
amount of filling-in-the-narrative-gaps around selected episodes documented in
the Bible.
One of the reasons why I enjoyed it was that, upon final
editing, it was used to provide a structure for the episode that effectively asked the
audience to ponder the different experiences caused by Jesus’
resurrection. By moving between the Jesus’ interaction with his disciples and
Pilate’s fight with Caiaphas (an interchange), a contrast was created. More
specifically, it was a contrast between those who enjoyed the relationship of
Jesus and the peace that it brought, versus the personal turmoil of those who
actively opposed Jesus. Caiaphas’ world began to crumble, including what had
been portrayed as a solid marriage with his wife. Pilate became more and more
ruthless, even flirting with the boundaries of sanity and control. I thought that this was
a great dynamic that really drove the episode.
Overall, I think that the writers and producers have done
a solid job in emphasizing the uncertainty that was a part of the disciples’
lives during those initial days after the death of Jesus. In the first episode,
the uncertainty was related to whether or not Jesus’ death was supposed to have
happened. In the second episode, the uncertainty was a political uncertainty.
What was going to happen in Jerusalem given that order existed on a knife’s
edge and the proclaimed resurrection threatened aspects of that shaky order? We
have to remember that the Gospel was paradigm shifting, and to have that
assault on the socio-religious power structures occur in such a turbulent
socio-political context was a recipe for skepticism, hesitancy, doubt, and drastic
measures. I am amazed how these fishermen were able to navigate it all and
become the pillars of the Church.
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