Christian Legacies
General Category => Christian Legacies Main Forum => Topic started by: Phidippides on July 18, 2018, 03:13:12 PM
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If you are interested in a very compelling series on the early Christian Church, I highly suggest watching "A.D. Kingdom and Empire" on Netflix. The series came out a few years ago but I only watched it this past Spring. The series begin with the Passion and Death of Christ, but Christ is only on screen for a small part. Most of the series is dedicated to what the Apostles did in the days, weeks, and years afterwards, as well as the Jewish and Roman response to the new emergence of Christianity in and around Jerusalem.
I really appreciated the attempts at explaining the political situation going on at this time in history. The Gospels do not always provide motives or details surrounding certain events, so the writers of "A.D." stepped in and provided a compelling storyline that is engaging to watch. Just as Caiapahas is trying to appease Roman authorities to protect the Jewish population, Pilate is under pressure from his superiors to prevent regional insurrection. Yes, this is a semi-fictionalized account, but it is an interesting storyline nonetheless.
I also really appreciated the portrayal of Paul. I had always had difficulty understanding Paul in his writings because he comes across as somewhat strange. This series shows him as a personality which was, for lack of better words, somewhat obsessive and full-throttle. The intensity which he brought in defense of the Jewish law and persecution of Christians as Saul was then utterly transformed after his conversion.
One last thing - when I first started watching the series, I was taken aback a bit by certain things. The Apostles are of different races - some white, some black. Several of the key figures have light or blue eyes, which seemed out of place. But I suppose the good thing was that this presented Christianity in its universality and not confined to one race or type of person. Even the angel depicted in the series is portrayed by a black man, which seemed strange at first, but then again, why not? Why would an angel need to be portrayed as white?
Overall, a great series with a good storyline and very nice production values. Too bad it lasted only one season.
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If I get a spare moment, I will definitely check this out. Thanks Phid.
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Just set aside your historian cap when you watch it. Or at least don't brush up on your Julian-Claudian Roman history before you watch it. ;)
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Understood. I will just enjoy it for the entertainment.