Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well-Produced, but flawed in some aspects, February 20, 2006
Overall, this series is well produced and provides some interesting things to think about. The actors and costumes used in the reenactments seem to reflect the time period of Jesus Christ accurately. It was refreshing to finally see Jesus and the Apostles pictured as the tan to dark skinned middle eastern Jews they are, rather than as white Greco-Roman persons that they are traditionally pictured as.
The series purports to discover evidence and compare parts of the Bible with modern science. It is presented from a mostly secular liberal point of view (I am sure conservative Christians will not like it). My impression is that it is trying to discuss new theories floating around in the academic world. I found the series interesting, but flawed in some respects.
I noticed that there are some factual inaccuracies in parts of the series, particularly in the DVD that deals with the Apostles. In the reenactments, the series shows Paul falling down a hill when Jesus appears to him on the road to Damascus. None of the Biblical texts (and to my knowledge the Christian Apocryphal texts) have a version like this.
In some parts of the DVD, the series is blatantly dishonest and tends to ignore the Biblical account of what they are supposed to be investigating. One episode explores the theory that Paul's vision of Jesus may have been epilepsy. But the series never mentions that according to the book of Acts, the people traveling with Paul saw the light as well (Acts 22). The series is selective in what Biblical texts that it uses and when.
Some artistic liberty is also taken in depicting some of the reenactments. One episode shows Paul breaking a statue of the goddess Diana (Diana is mentioned in Acts 19). This incident doesn't occur in the Bible or any of the Apocryphal texts.
Oddly enough, the series claims they have probably found the Hebrew Patriarch Joseph's tomb and house in Egypt. You might want to buy the series for that purpose (or just the one DVD, "Ancient Evidence - Mysteries of the Old Testament").
The topics discussed are way too involved to fully handle in 45 minute episodes. There is no substitute for studying history on your own. If you decide to buy this series, you should also look for an opposing viewpoint. Since one episode also references Apocryphal works. I would also read "The Acts of Peter" and "The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene" (even if you do not accept them as valid) to better understand what the episode is trying to argue. If you are a Christian, I would also read the Gospels and book of Acts before watching so you can catch the obvious errors in some of the episodes.
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24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, But Not Complete, May 21, 2004
I watched this series every week on the Discovery Channel and enjoyed it very much, although I disagree with some of its findings. If a thought-provoking (though at times controversial) set of documentaries on the Bible is your cup of tea, then this box is for you.I would give this set 5 stars, if it weren't for the fact that there was space on these discs for two more programs in the series. Discs 1 and 3 contain only three episodes, while disc 2 has four. The program "Who Was Moses?" would have fit rather nicely on the first DVD about the Old Testament. And if the episode on the second disc called "The Real Disciples" had been placed on the third disc, titled "Mysteries of the Apostles", there would have been room on disc 2 for perhaps the best documentary of the entire series, "Mary, the Mother of Jesus". I think the Discovery Channel and the BBC dropped the ball a bit on this set but, overall, it is still worth the purchase.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive, January 4, 2007
This is a wonderful addition to anyones video library. They approach the subjects in a non-religious, scientific manner. I like that. It's "OK, here's what the Bible says, here's what we know, here's what we can prove. Now go make up your mind." They don't set out to debunk the 'religiousity' of any of it, just to present the facts based on what we know. Plus, the visuals of the area are unbelievable. This is perfect for anyone with an interest in Christianity.
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