AD: The Bible Continues - Review of Episode Three

AD: The Bible Continues
Review of Episode Three

This review is continued from AD: The Bible Continues: Review of Episodes One and Two. This review is of Episode Three of AD: The Bible Continues, but I think the miniseries would better be called AD: The Biblical Novel Continues, as that is what it is, a fictional novel with just a smattering of Biblical events scattered in it.

The bulk of this episode was about three storylines. The first was a follow-up to the execution of the soldiers that guarded Jesus’ tomb that ended Episode Two. The widow of one of those soldiers comes to Caiaphas looking for answers as to why her husband was killed. She is brushed off, but Caiaphas’ wife later promises her that she will be taken care of. Of course, this whole storyline is fictional, as the soldiers were not really killed.

The second storyline concerned Pilate wanting to enter the temple during Pentecost. Yes, this was THE Pentecost in which the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles. But rather than focusing on that monumental event, AD spent much time covering Pilate’s entry into the temple area and the resulting assassination attempt by Jewish zealots. Whether such an event actually happened, I cannot say. But the Bible does not record it; and again, a very important Biblical event is about to happen.

The third storyline concerned Peter’s daughter Mya, who was depicted as being about 12 years old. The Bible does say Peter was married (Matt 8:1), so it is possible that he had a daughter, and a son, maybe even more than one of each. But such are never mentioned in the Bible. Most especially, Paul says Peter took his wife with him on his travels (1Cor 9:5). Such would not be likely if they had young children.

The Bible most definitely does not say Peter’s daughter was in the upper room at Pentecost. But in AD, not only was she there, but she was the one who encouraged the apostles to start praying. And when they prayed, they repeated the Lord’s Prayer over and over again, despite Jesus saying right before He gave us that prayer, “when you* pray, do not use vain repetitions” (Matt 6:7).

With all of the time devoted to these three storylines, the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost did not occur until over forty-five minutes into the episode, but that was the most important Biblical event to occur during this time! But at least it was very well done and even sent chills up my spine knowing how monumental it was. I was really looking forward to the apostles speaking in tongues to the large crowd gathered outside and to Peter’s dramatic Pentecost sermon and the conversion of 3,000 on that day (Acts 2).

However, none of that was depicted. When the apostles came outside, only a couple of dozen people were gathered outside, and the apostles basically ignored them and went straight to temple. While there, Peter and John heal a lame man. Such is depicted in the Bible, but so is the speech Peter gives afterwards, but that was not depicted (Acts 3). AD then jumps to the apostles being beaten and arrested. The Bible mentions the arrest at this time, but not about them being beaten until much later (Acts 4:1-4; 5:40).

Meanwhile, one of Pilate’s guards chases the zealot who tried to assassinate Pilate, but the zealot slashes the guard’s throat in graphic fashion; then the co-conspirators are executed by Pilate, again, rather graphically. And with those grisly scenes, the episode ends. Thus just as with Episode Two, this episode ends with the deaths of several people and with me feeling rather mournful, not uplifted like an accounting of the Day of Pentecost should have left me.

And finally, it must be mentioned how very much this episode and this miniseries so far is truncating Biblical events. In Episode Two, Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to the apostles and His ascension seemed to have occurred all in one day, not over forty days as the Bible has it (Acts 1:3). In this episode, the Day of Pentecost seems to have arrived right after Jesus’ resurrection, not fifty days later. And the coming of the Spirit, the healing of the lame man, and the arrest and beating of Peter and John were all depicted as occurring on the Day of Pentecost, not over a period of several days as the Bible seems to have it (see Acts 2:6).

Overall, this was a rather boring episode. I did not find the three fictitious storylines to be at all interesting, and most of what I was looking forward to was not depicted. I guess some might have found the fictional storylines interesting, but for this miniseries to be called “The Bible Continues” stretches credulity, as there is very little from the Bible in it. If you want to know what the Bible teaches, read the Bible.

AD: The Bible Continues - Review of Episode Four

Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament

The above article was posted on this website April 18, 2015.

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