The Bible: The Epic Miniseries

When this highly rated miniseries first aired on the History Channel in spring 2013, I was unimpressed. I caught a few minutes of the first episode, watched at least one of the Jesus episodes, and concluded that it was mostly flash over substance. But after finally buying the DVD set in March 2014, and watching it all the way through, I'm surprised to say that it's actually quite an impressive series despite its flaws. As a scripture teacher at a Catholic high school, I can now say I highly recommend it as a good visual sampling of the sacred text. The best thing about this series is that it depicts the entire Bible, in 10 episodes, as one overarching theme of God's love for humanity. There is a continuity of style and theme in the filmmaking that is breathtaking to witness on film, as the video flies through the Hebrew Torah and New Testament with startling narrative drive. Rather than having to rent multiple videos with different actors and technical crews to follow the Bible on film, we've got it all -- well, the greatest hits -- here in one miniseries. The Old Testament episodes wisely depict God's relationship with humanity through God's five covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. Some of these episodes are quite good, particularly the deeply moving episode concerning Abraham, which captures his story -- a highlight is the climactic near-sacrifice of his son Isaac -- with poignancy and clarity. Each episode is organized by a theme that holds together disparate Biblical sources remarkably well. The Moses episode is excellent despite ending too abruptly as he returns from Sinai with the commandments, depriving us of the Golden Calf and many other memorable moments. The episodes on Joshua, Samson, King Saul, and King David do a fine job in depicting the rise of Israel's kingdom. But the episode featuring Israel's subjugation under Babylon and Persia carries perhaps the greatest power outside of the Abraham material, giving us iconic renditions of the fiery furnace and Lion's Den captivity stories from the Book of Daniel, with heartfelt performances by the actors playing Daniel and others. The New Testament episodes slow down quite a bit, minimizing the narration as we come to focus four full episodes on Jesus of Nazareth, with just the tenth and final episode used to squeeze in the Acts of the Apostles and a hint of Revelation. The Jesus episodes are so-so, but the Acts of the Apostles episode at the end of the series is particularly good, inasmuch as one feels the continuity of watching the same actors from the Jesus episodes. I would have liked to see more of the apostolic martyrdom traditions (particularly Peter) depicted rather than just described by the narrator, but it's really neat to see Acts and Revelation building to a climax with the same actors in the same series. By the end, you really feel like you've sampled the whole Bible, albeit the "greatest hits" version. It doesn't feel like 9 hours at all and the last disc of this four-disc set even includes a moving "Mary, Did You Know?" music video in addition to a helpful documentary feature. Presentation style is a plus here. The framing device with Noah relating Genesis 1-3 at the start of episode one is clever, reflecting the fact that this primeval history emerges from a symbolic oral storytelling tradition designed to impart religious truth rather than scientific facts. The Hans Zimmer-infused musical score, costumes, and filmmaking all create a theatrical unity to this material. The color-blind casting of the roles (i.e. a black Samson and many middle eastern actors mixed with the British thespians) make the series feel particularly representative of the Middle Eastern melting pot. And the narration by Keith David does a nice job of providing transitions between many stories. On the negative side, one often feels the absence in this show of what is left out from the Bible, wishing the filmmakers had gone for broke by filming a few more episodes. Cutting straight from Abraham to Moses overlooks the story of Jacob (Israel) and his 12 sons, ancestors of the 12 tribes, and of the particularly moving Joseph story of reconciliation among these brothers that concludes Genesis. Ending the Moses episode right when it was getting really exciting is a bummer. And the story of Solomon, or at least of the division of Israel into a northern and southern kingdom under Solomon's son, would have helped alleviate the narrative incoherence of the rushed effort to portray Babylon's conquest of Jerusalem and the story of the prophet Jeremiah. There's no hint here that the northern kingdom, including prophets like Isaiah and Jonah, ever existed. Finally, I wish the series would have at least acknowledged Alexander the Great and the revolt of the Maccabees (subject of Hanukkah) that re-established an independent Jewish kingdom prior to the Roman conquest in 63 BC. Although most Protestant and Jewish Bibles exile the two books of Maccabees to second-canon status, these events would still help us understand the Roman conquest better. This brings me to the only weakness of the series, which is its general unevenness. It tries to squeeze the 46 books of the Old Testament into 5 episodes while spreading out the 27 New Testament books over 5 episodes as well. As a result, the Old Testament episodes gradually feel rushed while the New Testament episodes linger over the gospel accounts of Jesus to the exclusion of much other material. Nevertheless, this series is contemporary enough (John the Baptist has dreds!) and breezy enough (episodes range from 40 to 54 minutes) to be a powerful teaching tool for group study or classroom use. While the excellent TNT Bible Series has richer miniseries teleplays, they tend to be three hours long and frequently padded with extra-biblical material, limiting their classroom use unless one has lots of time to spare. This History Channel series is more like a summary or paraphrase of the Bible, giving us (as the opening scrawl proclaims) the spirit of the text in digestible nuggets rather than word-for-word accuracy. I highly recommend it for teenagers, particularly younger ones, as an entree into the Bible. Older students will want more meat, but this series is more than enough to whet the appetite of spiritual seekers who normally avoid religious material. I revisited this miniseries after seeing "Son of God" in theaters and being favorably impressed with its 2 1/2 hour theatrical cut of the 4 hours of Jesus material from the series. To be candid, I found the Jesus material in "Son of God" far more compelling than it is in the miniseries, where it is chopped up over four episodes and dramatically weighed down by the omniscient narration. I found it helpful to purchase the full miniseries DVD set for this reason: The last episode on Acts and Revelation, titled "Courage," makes a great epilogue to watching "Son of God" on its own! It feels like a 50-minute sequel to the theatrical film, which is particularly valuable since there are no top-notch films on Acts of the Apostles (only miniseries and low-budget stuff) available to buy. The Bible Miniseries take on "Acts of the Apostles" is not comprehensive, but it hits the major plot points and grows organically out of the Jesus episodes. With so many creaky older Biblical TV films floating around, it's great to have one portable DVD package with visuals from the whole Bible that hold together well in one narrative. This four-disc DVD set in a thin clamshell case is definitely worth owning if you want a visual taste of scripture.

This is one awesome series! We don't have cable, so we where unable to view this series on the history channel. We pre ordered this series and could not wait to get this series. With a busy life, we also wanted the option to watch The Bible when we wanted to. What a treat we were in for! This series is full of excitement just like the word! Our children love this series and even know which stories are which! This drew their attention and kept them wanting more! The word is the best anytime any day! You will enjoy this series. You will learn so much. This series is quality, truth, anointed and so much more. I always did love Touched by an Angel and Highway to Heaven. We own all of the Highway to Heaven that have been released and only need one more season of Touched by an Angel to complete that series. The Bible will make a great addition to your library! Thank you to the producers and to the history channel for having the courage to air this much needed story! All we have is Abba, and we need series like this to humble ourselves and to turn back to our Abba. We don't have cable because of all the trash on T.V. now days, so this is a breath of fresh air! We want our children to see what real T.V. and good T.V. shows really are and because we love this T.V. series, its clean fun and inspiration! Great for family time! We cut the cord on cable and now view TV though our DVD collection or watch though Netflix on our Roku. We just grew tired of paying for paid TV with nothing good to watch. We could not find this show on Netflix and decided to purchase this set individually as it was more affordable to purchase that way. Which is okay for us as we like to take our DVD's with us while on the road as it makes for some fun times. This has also come in handy when we are out and have to wait for long periods of time.. So back to the reason we went ahead and purchased this collection. Due to the garbage on T.V. these days, looks like many people are looking for great T.V. shows and are turning to shows like this again. Many people are tired of paying for trash T.V. so they have found other ways to view T.V. the way they want to. Looks like this is the growing attitudes with paid for TV these days.. And I know many like this show so it is in demand! Anyway, our family loves this show and glad that we were still able to find this show for a decent price on pre paid order.. We don't want to spend too much money out of our budget. We are just glad to be able to watch T.V. the way we want to and not have to pay for crap TV. We are tired of today's T.V. shows.. It's really sad that such a good method of influence has turned into trash T.V with the exception of National Geo, Animal plant etc.. Any way, if you want clean T.V. this is it! I can say since we cut cable off we have a better free life.. seems like we have more family time and time to do the things that we want to do. Plus we pay for the shows that we want like The Cosby show and Touched by an Angel since it is not on Netflix. I am glad that this T.V. series is available on Amazon. This T.V. Series teaches a lot of great lessons and also entertains you.. Miss those days of shows like this. So if you are looking for clean great family fun, this show is for you.. You will not be disappointed. Our children love this show! If you are looking for more shows and T.V. like this, try Sky Angel Fave T.V. you will find so many great shows similar to High Way To Heaven and Touched By An Angel. Happy viewing! We need real T.V. to come back.. We will not pay for paid for T.V. with all of the trash that is on it. We educate and entertain ourselves on everything except the word.. We need to educate our selves on the Lord and stand on the word. Again, thank you for making this series! This is a blessing and for all who support this series, you will be blessed! To the producers, please make more series like this. It is needed and the demand is there for clean T.V. Enjoy and feast on the word of the Lord!

Hello all! I have enjoyed watching The Bible: The Epic Miniseries and believe that it is a great series that is definitely worth buying. I'm not going to give a substantial review of the miniseries at this time, instead, the only disappointment that I experienced when receiving the Blu-ray version of The Bible was that it didn't come with an insert listing which episodes are on each disk and what the episodes are about. It only lists this information at the main menu of each disc. I have copied the text describing each part (parts 1-5 as aired on television) from the History Channel's website along with each episodes' description as given at the menu of each disc. From this I was able to put together a contents insert to keep with the series so that I'll know which episodes are on each disc and what they are about. I listed all of this information here in case if anyone else is interested in having this as well. You may even want to just omit the part descriptions as the videos only come in episodes. Please note that all of the information pertaining to the part and episode descriptions were written by the creators of The Bible: The Epic Miniseries and all rights belong to them (Downey & Burnett, 2013). It is my hope that God will bless many lives through this series. Enjoy! THE BIBLE The Epic Miniseries Disc 1: Episodes 1, 2, and 3 Disc 2: Episodes 4, 5, and 6 Disc 3: Episodes 7, 8, and 9 Disc 4: Episode 10 and Extra Features Part 1: Beginnings (Episodes 1 & 2) Noah endures God's wrath; Abraham reaches the Promised Land but still must prove his faith in God; Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt, and his faith in God is rewarded when the Red Sea parts to allow the Israelites to escape Pharaoh's chariots; Moses delivers his final message from God-the Ten Commandments. Episode 1: In the Beginning After the Great Flood, a new chapter in God's relationship with man begins. Abraham is chosen by God to lead his people to the Promised Land and is assured descendants as numerous as the stars, but God tests his faith again and again. Generations later, famine drives Abraham's descendents - the Israelites - into Egypt where they are enslaved by the pharaoh. Episode 2: Exodus While in exile, Moses is told by God at the Burning Bush that he will free the Israelites from slavery. Moses returns to Egypt and, with the help of ten devastating plagues and the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, he leads the Israelites to freedom. At Mount Sinai, Moses receives laws from God that will prepare the Israelites for life in a new land. Part 2: Homeland (Episodes 3 & 4) Joshua conquers Jericho; Delilah betrays Samson as the Israelites battle the Philistines; Samuel anoints David as king, a move that could throw the nation into civil war; Saul is consumed with jealousy when David defeats Goliath; King David ushers in a golden age for Israel, but is soon seduced by power and lust for Bathsheba; God forgives David, and his son, Solomon, builds God's temple in Jerusalem. Episode 3: Homeland The Israelites are ready to begin a new life in a new land and, when the walls of Jericho miraculously collapse, they are finally able to gain a foothold in Canaan. At first, the Israelites face numerous foreign invaders when they disobey God. The Philistines eventually rule over them until God endows Samson with the physical strength to fight back. The Phillistines maintain the upper hand, so the Israelites demand a king to lead them in battle. Reluctantly, the prophet Samuel makes Saul king. Episode 4: Kingdom King Saul and the Israelite army face seemingly impossible odds against the Philistine army and their champion, Goliath. An unlikely hero, the young David, defeats Goliath and goes on to lead the Israelites to victory against the Philistines. Saul fears that David means to steal his throne and so betrays his loyal warrior. This is Saul's undoing, and David becomes king and later captures Jerusalem for the Israelites. Part 3: Hope (Episodes 5 & 6) The Jews are enslaved in Babylon; Daniel is thrown into the lions' den, but when his faith endures and God spares him, the Jews are allowed to return to Jerusalem; the Angel Gabriel tells Mary she will bear a child; Joseph takes Mary to Bethlehem for the census, where Jesus is born; the Holy family escapes Herod's order to kill Bethlehem's male babies; Judea comes under the ruthless rule of Pilate; John baptizes Jesus, who is now ready to take on his mission-and his revolution. Episode 5: Survival Nearly four hundred years after the rule of David, Babylonian hordes lay siege to Jerusalem and force the Jews into exile in Babylon, where their identity and faith are tested. Decades later, Cyrus, King of Persia, conquers Babylon. Fulfilling biblical prophecy, Cyrus begins to allow the Jews to return to their homeland. Episode 6: Hope Against a backdrop of Roman oppression, young Mary's faith is rewarded when the angel Gabriel tells her she will carry a special child from God. Jesus is born to Mary and Joseph and, from the outset, his life is in danger. But with guidance from his parents and his baptism by John, he is strong enough to take on even Satan. Part 4: Mission (Episodes 7 & 8) Jesus feeds the crowds in Galilee and brings a dead man, Lazarus, back to life; Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey-a declaration that he is the Messiah; Jesus turns on the money-changers in the Temple; Caiphas coaxes Judas into betraying Jesus; Jesus throws the disciples into turmoil at the Last Supper; Jesus is arrested and condemned to death as the disciples scatter. Episode 7: Mission Jesus and his disciples move from town to town preaching love and forgiveness, but this radical approach is not welcomed by everyone. Jesus' miracles grow increasingly wondrous until he conquers death itself, raising Lazarus from the tomb. Episode 8: Betrayal Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, openly declaring that he is the promised Messiah. High Priest Caiaphas fears that impassioned crowds will start a riot, so he finds a way to get to Jesus - through Judas. At the Last Supper, Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. They can only watch as Jesus is arrested and led away. Part 5: Passion (Episodes 9 & 10) Peter denies Jesus and Judas hangs himself; the crowd clamors for Jesus's death; Jesus is crucified, but when Mary Magdalene goes to his tomb, a figure walks towards her-he is back; Jesus commissions the disciples to "go and preach to all creation," but their godly mission meets with hatred and even death; Paul has a vision and experiences a miraculous change of faith on a journey to Damascus; John receives a revelation-Jesus is coming back, and all who keep the faith will be rewarded. Episode 9: Passion Jesus is sentenced to die by crucifixion. The crowds of Jerusalem wail as Jesus is forced to drag his cross to Golgotha, where he is crucified for all to see. As life leaves his body, the sky darkens and the earth quakes. His mother weeps. Episode 10: Courage Mary Magdalene thinks she has gone mad when she finds Jesus' tomb empty, but then Jesus appears. The resurrected Jesus delivers his final message to his disciples before he leaves them to continue without him, but promises that, in the Spirit, he will be with them always. Downey, R., & Burnett, M. (2013). History.com [The Bible Series Episodes]. Retrieved from [...]

This was, hands down the best movie/miniseries that I have ever watched on the Bible. The photography and scenery, visual effects, music, the characters and their personalities, the makeup, clothing and shoes, the places and events were all masterfully created. All the episodes were gems from the Bible and were presented in a realistic, dramatic and believable manner. This miniseries covered the most well-known stories in the Bible including: creation of the earth as well as Adam and Eve, the covenant of Noah and the ark, God's promises to Abraham as the father of Israel (His chosen people), and the miraculous birth of Abraham's son Isaac, Moses' demands of Pharaoh to release the Israelites and the plagues that came, the Israelites 40 year wandering through the desert and arrival in the promised land, Moses' parting of the Red Sea, David's conquer of Goliath, the conflicts between David and King Saul, David's rise to kingship and his adultery, Shadrach's, Meshach's and Abednego's triumph over the burning furnace that they were cast into, Daniel's triumph in the Lion's den, Samson and Delilah and the betrayal, Mary's conception of Jesus and his birth, the life and teachings of Jesus, the last supper with Jesus and all his apostles, Jesus' crucifixion, rise from heaven, the spread of Jesus's word through his disciples, Paul's (Saul's) encounter with Jesus on the way to Demascus, Paul's conversion and his missions after Jesus ascended into Heaven, and several other stories. Most of the time in the miniseries was spent on the New Testament and its characters. My favorite and the most notable characters in my opinion are as follows. Diogo Morgado was "Jesus" and he played this part extremely well. He really drew me in to the person of Jesus with his calm and gentle mannerisms. Roma Downey (one of the Executive Producers of the miniseries) played Jesus' "Mother Mary." Morgado and Downey had amazing chemistry on screen and portrayed the ultimate bond of love between mother and son. Amber Rose Revah played "Mary Magdalene", one of Jesus' apostles. Mary was not portrayed as a prostitute, but rather a follower and at times a guide. The producers put extra emphasis on the character of Mary Magdalene as she was shown center stage and with various apostles quite a bit. However, she did not have a lot of speaking lines. Con O'Neill played Saul, persecutor of Jesus' followers. Saul was converted to Christianity and became a follower of Jesus on the road to Damascus. When Saul began to provide Christian teachings to the Gentiles, he began to go by the Latin form of his name, which was Paul. O'Neill played the role of persecutor and saint convincingly well.

I have never been interested in religion before. I am not against it, I just don't follow or believe in it. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the miniseries. It was exciting, interesting, sad, yet happy all at the same time. As I watched, I found myself becoming increasingly more interested in what the differences are between this film and the actual Bible. I love that many stories that us non-followers know vaguely (Samson, Moses, Jesus, and the general concept of God) really come to life. Putting faces to the stories and the action that goes along with each of them truly made me excited to watch each next episode. By the end, I loved the story and the message that the film delivered. I am still not a believer, but this film did raise my curiosity to such a high level that I have since bought an actual copy of The Bible to read and if nothing else, compare the film to the book. I love that I can now speak confidently about many stories of The Bible with those who are religious. Also absorbing the spirit of what God represents can't be a bad thing. I feel that the stories and lessons set very good examples for children and communities. These lessons and examples are portrayed in a colorful, intruiging, and inspiring way in this film. I'm so very glad that I watched this and that I have followed up and read the The Bible itself. Like I said, it has not converted me, but it has caused a spark that raised my interest to levels I have never had before. Some reviews criticized the accents used by the actors. You have to put that behind you when you watch this (or any other foriegn baed film) because if it was realistic, it would have to be spoken in Hebrew, Italian, and Latin, et al. Just accept some of the more obvious discrepencies and enjoy the nature of the film. Criticisms: Casting was poor. Old Mary (who was the co-producer) has way too much plastic surgery to fit in with those times. Also, Paul didn't seem very appropriate. Due to the condensed nature, many things were forced and didn't make much sense. The best example was when Jesus talked to the little girl upon exiting the temple it really made no sense in the context of the film. Also, his first conversation with Peter was choppy, and didn't seem to explain much. Though these examples were obvious, they probably contributed to my interest in reading the actual Bible to learn what happened in the real version. Praise: Ease of understanding. Being at a beginner's level, I was able to follow the stories that were presented without getting lost or mixed up. Pace. The stories kept a good tempo to keep the viewer interested without too many slow parts. General lessons presented. The message of God still came through no matter what you like or don't like about the film.

I recently watched for the first time this biblical series. My pastor, who besides services gives bible studies every tuesday, offered a group of us an opportunity to watch parts of it after every study. There's about 10 episodes, so it lasted us about 10 weeks. I was so impressed with the the series I had to buy my own. Now I can watch it when I desire. Seems I always learn something that I didn't pick up before. The only thing that would have been nice is a listing of what's on each disk. But just like the bible, read or view it enough eventually I'll learn and remember the order of things and what each disc shows.

I have always enjoyed biblical drama, so when I heard about History Channel's The Bible: The Epic Miniseries (2013), I was anxious to watch it. I watched the first episode on YouTube, but it kept stopping, so when I found out that the story about Moses from Exodus was available to view around Passover, I wanted to see it. I ended up buying that episode for my Kindle Fire, but bought the whole series on DVD too. The story of Moses and the Exodus was excellent. It was very accurate and well done. Seeing the series reminds me of reading the Bible in comic book form. Many stories are covered and some scripture is said, and the stories are easy to understand. Most of the reviews I've read say that this series is very good. I agree, but there are some things I don't like: Many stories are skipped over, including the story of Joseph. All that is said is that "famine brought the Israelites to Egypt." To me that is "so weird." People that have never read the Bible will never know about Joseph since the series skipped over it. Everyone in the series speaks with a perfect "English accent." I guess British actors were used in the series, but it is again "just plain weird" to see biblical characters speaking "perfect English." The "Bad Guys" are really ugly and evil looking and life in biblical times appears to be very, very miserable. The "bad guys" in the series have greasy hair and dark dirty faces and look like they need baths. I guess the producers of this series wanted to be realistic about what life was like. Watching the series made me glad I was not born in biblical times. The "Devil" in the series seems to look a lot like President Barack Obama. That too, is just "plain weird" and seems a bit odd. Almost every scene takes place in the desert. The sets look similar to Tatooine, the desert planet, from the Stars Wars Episode One movie and the angels and the devil also seem to be dressed up as Jedi or Sith like in Star Wars. Not all of Israel is a desert and not all the stories from the Bible should resemble Star Wars. The actor who played Samson is black and one of the angels who went Sodom is Asian. Various races may have existed in biblical times, but I don't believe Samson was black. I guess angels could be Asian...but why does the angel look like he's ninja warrior fighting in a kids' fantasy movie? I am glad I bought the DVDs. I was surprised how many bible stories I do know. I will watch the series with my family again and again.

I always consider a mini-series to be a big movie rather than a TV show. Given the subject matter its not just a movie, its an epic. History Channel has always been a place for me because of its wonderful educational programs. In this, a miniseries based on the Bible's New and Old Testament is something worth looking at. I own a Bible, and to successfully adapt thousand pages of scripture into an epic miniseries would of course take hours. Thankfully this is a nice, fun thrill ride that doesn't get boring and at the same time respectful of the written word. The series is split down the middle with the first five parts being dedicated to the Old Testament with the books of Genesis, Exodus, Judges, Samuel, Kings and Daniel. With the last five dedicated to the New Testament Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and Revelation. Each of the episodes being one hour dedicated to a major premise. The first hour pretty much zips the creation of man, the rejection of God, the Great Flood, Abraham, etc. The key moment of the episode of course is the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, best scene of course being the Angels. The second hour which adapts the story of Moses. Basically its the Ten Commandments in one hour, but its pretty cool. The third hour the attack on Jericho and the story of Samson and Delilah. The fourth dedicated to the stories of Kings Saul and David. Great seeing David depicted as a child on toward his adulthood. Sad seeing his good and bad moments. The fifth episode dedicated to the final stories of the Old Testament seguing on to the Old Testament with the Daniel and the prophesied Messiah that segues into the New Testament. The final half of this series is... well call it what you like, Greatest Story Ever Told, King of Kings, Passion of the Christ and all the other great stories of the Life of Christ adapted into a five part miniseries. Diogo Morgado plays a wonderful rendition of Jesus of Nazareth. Not as grand as actors like Max Von Sydow or Jim Caviezel, but decent for television. I especially love how the show deal with Jesus' disciples after his resurrection. Stephen's martyrdom, Paul's Conversion, to John's exile on the isle of Patmos. The churches of Christendom spreading from the Middle-East to the Mediterranean to the whole civilized world. Truly a great series.