For example, there are numerous details that were changed in telling us how Jericho was conquered, what kind of person Samson was, or how Saul and David were chosen as Israel’s kings. In other instances, important parts of the Biblical story were left out, for example, were hear nothing about Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel and her faith, nor about David’s brothers, nor about how David spent the seven years between Saul’s death and Jerusalem’s accepting him as their king.
Some biases continue from the first installment of the miniseries, for example the flawless portrayal of the men and the fearful, doubting, or deceitful portrayal of the women. Secondly, the main characters all seemed to be living in modern nuclear families with one husband and one wife, whereas the heroes of the Bible has sometimes as many as hundreds of wives, concubines, and children. Thirdly, there are questionable attempts to spice up the action, such as the splitting of rock in Jericho. And finally, there’s the fact that every major Biblical character in the show is white and has a British/Scottish accent. Even God himself, apparently, was a white Brit. Instead, the only true ethnic diversity was a couple of black-Jews and God’s Angels who were of African and Asian descent. Who made that casting choice?
Possibly the most annoying part of this miniseries continue to be the commercials. Talk about overkill. From Christian Mingle, to The Bible App, to Catholics Come Home, the commercials were so blatantly catered to evangelical Christians that I wonder whether the History Channel even expects any non-Christians at all to watch the miniseries. Do not get me wrong: I like everyday low prices as much as the next guy, but it is disconcerting to hear that “The Bible is brought to you in part by Walmart.”
Yet, apart from all these things, there is a bigger issue that comes to my mind. As I imagine people watching this show–maybe people unfamiliar with the Bible–I wonder if they are asking themselves, “What kind of God is this, and do I really want anything to do with him?” As a tool for evangelism this miniseries is a complete failure; it mostly caters to insiders who know the overall storyline of the Bible and are able to fill in the many gaps in the story on TV.
The kind of chopping of the Biblical stories is hard to understand. Why leave out some very important stories (e.g., Jacob, Joseph, and Hannah) and include others, less important stories at great length, freely elaborating on the witness of the Bible?
Take, for example, the story of Samson, the strong hero whose strength resided in his long hair and who got captured once the Philippines found a way to cut off his hair. The film spent way too much time on this relatively insignificant Biblical hero, but it became clear why: the producers are making him into a Christ figure. Samson gave himself up for his people in accordance with God’s will; he is chained to cross of wood; Delilah betrays Samson to the authorities for money and then feels guilty about it; his mother grieves for him at his death. None of this in the Old Testament. I think the choice of focusing on Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jacob, and now portraying Samson as a Christ figure–and leaving out Jacob and Joseph–suggests that the producers are emphasizing OT figures commonly thought to prefigure Christ.
On the other hand, the parts of the Biblical story that the show gets right are those parts that show the Israelites as tribal zealots whose God kills their enemies. Take, for example, the scene showing the Philistine general praying to his god that he would deliver the Israelites into his hand so he could wipe them out? The Philistines and the Israelites are both characterized as warring tribes who want to rule by violent means with the approval and support of their god. Why this? Are we supposed to believe that if only we pray fervently enough, success will come to us? Is our God a tribal God who seeks to pitch us against non-Christians and their gods? I sincerely hope that this is not the intention of the makers of the miniseries.
I do plan on watching the rest to see how they handle Jesus, but my bar is set rather low after watching the first two episodes.
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