Thank you for your input. The Chosen invents this story to illustrate biblical teachings about Jesus' grace and forgiveness. As a result, adaptations of the Gospels from previous generations place a greater emphasis on how Jesus calls Mary to repent and brings about her moral transformation. Just long enough to make this point: Adaptations often add, change, and leave out details, because what works in a book isn't always the same as what works in television or film. He attempts to heal her and exorcise the evil spirit in her, but he is unsuccessful and concludes that she is beyond hope. Why do you think the creators added them? Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. We turned it into a bit of a game, where one of my youth would constantly ask "Is that Jesus?" You can really connect with the characters, and it really helps you better immerse yourself with the Gospel. 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. I hope I better can temper myself. That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. It's also strange that we never actually return back to the fact that Mary was having PTSD - Jesus forgives her fall but doesn't say anything about her ongoing suffering (perhaps that's a storyline for a future season). 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. In Episode 8, we see that Mary is still struggling a bit - her failure is driving her to be a bit too unrelenting in her work for Jesus- but other than that she seems to be back on track. 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. 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. As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. This passage is one of the few appearances of Mary Magdalene in the Gospels. 1 ) Kathleen McGowan Kindle Edition are three Christian Goddesses, making up a female.! Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? I love this series. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. (for LOTR: Tom Bombadil. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (Luke 8:1-3). According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus cleansed her of seven demons, and she financially aided him in Galilee. Catholic priest burned to death, another shot in north Press J to jump to the feed. (Jesus), What about Jesus' identity does this hint at? When they are engaged in sin, it's often a result of their difficult circumstances or their status as outsiders, and so what they primarily need is love and acceptance, not forgiveness and repentance. (for LOTR: Arwen's bigger role, some action scenes. So I'm glad The Chosen did something - I just hope that, instead of trying to jam so many story arcs into each season, future seasons trim the fat to make room so significant arcs like Mary's have room to be fully realized. However, a post by the official Twitter account for The Chosen claims that Mary is not being portrayed as a prostitute. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Because The Chosen seeks to be kid-friendly, it most likely uses the term "Red Quarter" in order to hint to older viewers that Mary is a prostitute without explicitly mentioning prostitution or sex. (the Lord), Who is it that says these words in the show? The Chosen isn't trying to mess with the Bible. To clarify why the creators would want to add new characters and stories and leave some stories out, you could ask the following questions: What are some other popular adaptations of books into film or television? The creators make changes in order to adapt the biblical stories to TV. Due to COVID restrictions, my youth group watched The Chosen online using Zoom. In The Chosen, we see a brief flashback during Season 1, Episode 1 that strongly implies that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. These experiences cause Mary to flee back to her old life, drinking and gambling. Your contributions mean so much. I would have introduced her PTSD much earlier in the season, giving her more space to try to struggle with it on her own before eventually falling back into her old life. One challenge that film adaptations of Jesus' life need to overcome is the lack of significant female characters. The Bible never mentions "the Red Quarter." East pencil writes or draws used for note taking West pencil is yellow has a eraser and lead. In The Chosen, we see a brief flashback during Season 1, Episode 1 that strongly implies that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (Luke 8:1-3) and a story about a prostitute (Luke 7:36-50). Lilith was close to committing suicide by walking off a cliff before a dove (Holy Spirit) caught her interest and she followed it back to town, where she had an emotional moment being healed by Jesus who quoted her trusted childhood Bible verse from Isaiah and exorcised her with a hug. Still, at the end of the day, the 12 disciples who get the most screen time in the Gospels are all males. 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. Normally I wouldn't care but this is a movie about Jesus, and if the people behind it are trying to do good, but it is a great disservice for me to bad-mouth it until the full plot is revealed. Below I'll share an outline describing how to do a Viewing Party for The Chosen Episode 1 (I Have Called You by Name). In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her evil spirits. . More importantly, allowing some of the disciples to judge Mary a bit more would have added more tension and could have fueled future arcs. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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), 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. Episode 7 Guide: Did Nicodemus Follow Jesus? There are also characters and stories from the Gospels that the creators have left out. 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. Although there's nothing in the Gospels that suggests that these two figures should be linked together, Mary mistakenly became identified with the forgiven prostitute in the interpretative tradition of the Western Church. The Gospels never refer to Mary as Lilith. 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. There was just a hint of judgment in Episode 7, but it gets brushed aside way too quickly, given the cultural expectations. The Bible never mentions "the Red Quarter." Can you think of moments when you may need to be reminded that God is with you? So you have to watch past the first couple episodes to get to the good ones. Jesus heals her evil spirit(s) at the end of Episode 1. Luke briefly describes how Mary Magdalene was exorcised by Jesus and became one of his traveling followers (Luke 8:1-3). 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. While watching the show, I made occasional comments through the chat but I tried to not do too much teaching - I wanted the youth to enjoy The Chosen and not just see it as an elaborate preaching illustration. It's a great comfort in the midst of the pandemic and other turmoil. I offer my work for free and rely on the generous support of readers like you. That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her evil spirits. 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. I found that my youth struggled to sort out the different characters, so you might want to do a quick slide show of the key characters using the character images I've included throughout this post. The ancient name Lilith derives from a Sumerian word for female demons or wind spirits. Consider how the show depicts Jesus' first appearance. In The Chosen, Nicodemus meets Mary Magdalene in Season 1, Episode 1. The assumption at that time was that women became prostitutes because they were inherently immoral and desirous. When making the Chosen, he is advised by a Catholic Priest, Rabbi, and Evangelical Pastor. every time a new character showed up. In The Chosen, Nicodemus meets Mary Magdalene in Season 1, Episode 1. Episode 1 depicts how she got these demons cast out of her by Jesus. 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