María Magdalena

I really enjoyed this series, the actors, the plot, the story line! I was not pleased with the constant violence, however. I know it was part of the times, but it hurt to see. I so enjoyed a glimpse into that period in time. such contrast between the violence and the gentle message of hope, healing and love of Jesus Maria Magdalena was a strong, passionate, intelligent woman who endured so very much. and yet still she forgave. Her forgiveness was inspiring for me.

there is another review here, that talks about Easter and Passover in the show. this person clearly does not understand Passover, saying a big error was made in the show, but it was that person that made the error, the show never mentions Easter, of course. and Passover is an event that began before the birth of Jesus. Quite funny, actually!

here is the real info on Passover, which i not actually connected to Jesus:

Passover, also called Pesach is a major Jewish holiday that occurs in the spring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. One of the biblically ordained Three Pilgrimage Festivals, Passover is traditionally celebrated in the Land of Israel for seven days and for eight days among many Jews in the Diaspora, based on the concept of yom tov sheni shel galuyot.

In the Bible, Passover marks the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egyptian slavery, when God "passed over" the houses of the Israelites during the last of the ten plagues. When the Temple in Jerusalem stood, the paschal lamb was offered and eaten on Passover eve, while the wave offering of barley was offered on the second day of the festival. Nowadays, in addition to the biblical prohibition of owning leavened foods for the duration of the holiday, the Passover seder is one of the most widely observed rituals in Judaism.

This is a good story, with excellent actors and scenery. Visually it rivals some of the classic Biblical epics. After an engaging start it slows down and is hard to keep interest.

There are a number of historical inaccuracies though. In one of the early episodes, villagers are celebrating Easter and Pentecost before the death and resurrection of Jesus. (The whole reason the Easter holiday exists is to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus). To get such a simple thing wrong makes one wonder how many other inaccuracies there are.

For example, the marriage customs and the harsh treatment of Jewsish women in the show seem like it would belong more to another middle Eastern religion that wasn't born until a number of centuries later. This did not seem correct for the Jewish tradition. So I went and read about the treatment of Jewish women which in reality turns out to be much more respectful. So this is another major error in the show as it drives much of the plot.

Even the portrayal of Jesus, while well-acted and interestingly conceived, has inaccuracies. There are a number of times when he deviates from the teachings of the Bible to teach modern New Age and Liberal philosophies. These are seamlessly tied together with Biblical re-enactments so it is hard to distinguish what is Biblical and what is made up if you did not grow up with thorough Biblical teachings.

With these errors it also makes you wonder how accurate the portrayal of the Roman empire itself is.

What is incredibly good though is the portrayal of the twelve disciples. They have their own lives, families, problems, and doubts. They literally come to life and make you think again about many of the things that you assumed about them. There are also a number of other strong characters in the narrative such as Herod, Herodias, Lazarus, and Barrabas. Mary Magdalene herself is written as an intriguing and engaging character.

But because of the inaccuracies I had to start seeing this show as taking place in a fantasy world such as that of The Lord of the Rings instead of as historical fiction. In other words, the show only makes sense if you realize that very little of it is history at all. This makes one lose interest in the show as what is the point of watching something that has so many errors. For a story set in a historical context, you would think that they would have made a better effort to get simple facts correct.

Excellent portrayal of the political tension of Palestine in the 1st Century. The turmoil between Jews and Romans is vivid. The problem lies with Jesus, with yet another White portrayal, a severe insult to the historical man. I find more intriguing the story of Magdalene and the obvious Feminist propaganda, than this Jesus full of Christian embellishments.

Although there is obvious artistic liberty with what we don't know about Maria Magdalena, the story is plausible. On the other hand when Jesus speaks and moves, he is completely believable and totally emotionally impactful. His words are biblically inerrant; his development as fully human enlightening. Bravo to the writer; bravo to the actors.

As the episodes went by, it caught my attention more and more.

The selection of the cast is incredibly accurate and the production really makes you feel in context. Everyone's acting is so convincing, transmiting to you as viewer all their emotions. Having the whole story of Jesus and his apostles in a motion representation is great, and the story of Magdalena, being a biblical character whom there is no much information about, is very well developed. The show really makes you reflect on what life was back then, and all the struggle they have to go through to achieve their mission, which sometimes can be hard to imagine by only reading biblical cites. The story of Jesus and Magdalena are very well linked to each other. At no time the series feels slow and at the end of each chapter they leave you with an eagerness to know what will happen next. They make the story very exciting and it is definitely something you have to watch no matter your age.