I offer my work for free and rely on the generous support of readers like you. The Hebrew word "lilit" only shows up in Isaiah 34:14, where most modern translations render it as something along the lines of "night bird." 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 the same way, we get our first glimpse of the pre-resurrected Jesus as we follow her struggles in the first episode. 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. Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. 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. Thank you! I hope you enjoy them! The trauma of her rape is hinted at again in Season 2, Episode 5, and is the trigger that causes Mary to backslide. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. Yes, we see that Jesus had warm and empowering relationships with females. 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. So you have to watch past the first couple episodes to get to the good ones. It's odd? This is not a theologian or an apologist. Its not perfect, but its a pretty great start. She struggles to believe that she can be accepted after falling back into her old life but Jesus forgives her and the disciples embrace her. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. [SPOILERS] Is the Jon Snow spin-off really such a good idea? I will definitely continue watching it then, I just wanted to make sure! Click here for my affiliation policy. In The Chosen, during Season 2, Episodes 5-6, Mary Magdalene briefly leaves Jesus and falls back into sin, before being sought out, forgiven, and restored to ministry. In The Chosen, when we first Mary Magdalene in Season 1 Episode 1, she has already been possessed by an evil spirit, Lilith, for some time. Enough said.). (he is God). We need to remember the perspective is of east and west are different East is how it performs, what it does its function West they would describe what it is or made of. 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. Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (, As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. EDIT: To more specifically address your question about Mary Magdalene, my intuition is that they chose the name Lilith because few viewers are likely to know the name, and so therefore wont confuse her with another Bible character before her true identity is revealed. 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. In a previous era of Hollywood Mary's status as a prostitute made her exotic and intriguing. This is Tom My 3 month old son is battling an extremely rare and [Free Friday] after an early miscarriage 3 weeks ago, I Our new campus chapel is so close to being ready! If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. Episode 8 Guide: The Woman at the Well, Eden, & Zohara, Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers, The Chosen Season 2 Controversy (Jesus, the Bible, & the Process of Inspiration), Should Nicodemus Kneel? I hope I better can temper myself. Why do you think they were removed? In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her evil spirits. I have not seen any anti Catholic scenes. The Chosen seems to be hinting that Mary is a prostitute (e.g. Have my posts about Bible adaptation helped you learn more about the Bible and explore it with your ministry or family? For the most part, I just clarified who characters were (see my comment above) and occasionally I briefly explained a reference or allusion that was confusing to my youth. I've condensed the lesson into an easily printable pdf below. In The Chosen, Nicodemus meets Mary Magdalene in Season 1, Episode 1. She was a witness of Jesus' crucifixion and burial (Mark 15:40-47) and also the first person to discover the empty tomb, witness the resurrected Jesus, and share the good news with the disciples (John 20:1-18). 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. . Everything is very true to the Gospels, and theres no dialogue written to score theological points. In The Chosen, we see a brief flashback during Season 1, Episode 1 that strongly implies that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. This association with prostitution opens a variety of directions for adaptations to take in their portrayal of her, especially given the affection Jesus shows for her (John 20). Your contributions mean so much. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. By. The Chosen Season 3: What to Expect & How to Watch, The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 & Episode 2: Reaction and Analysis, The Chosen Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2: Questions to Discuss Before the Premiere, Preparing for The Chosen Season 3: 7 Episodes to Watch, I am the Law of Moses (The Chosen Season 3 Controversy), Little James in The Chosen & Scripture ***Season 3***, Judas in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Matthew in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Simon and Andrew in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Lilith, Demons, & Evil Spirits in The Chosen, Simon the Zealot & Nathanael in The Chosen, Quintus, Gaius, and the Romans in The Chosen. In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. However, Jesus knew her real name. 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? What do you think Mary's life was like before Jesus showed up? Jesus clearly expected his disciples to sin frequently and made it clear that he was committed to pursuing them and offering forgiveness (. And the parallels don't end there. Do you believe Jesus knows you by name? PROUDLY CREATED WITH WIX.COM, Mary Magdalene, Lilith, & the Redeemer (Exploring The Chosen with Youth), Elizabeth Tabish as Lilith/Mary Magdalene in The Chosen, Over the past year, we've been exploring how The Chosen adapts biblical characters like, You may want to warn students beforehand that this episode contains some demonic activity. In the modern vernacular, a "red light district" is a term that refers to an area of the city known for prostitution, strip clubs, and other immoral establishments. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. The important role that Mary Magdalene plays in The Chosen is not nearly as surprising as that of Nicodemus. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. [Spoilers] Did anyone else misinterpret the HotD Finale? LOTR, Harry Potter), In [adaptation], can you think of some characters or stories that were added by the film? Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (. 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. We turned it into a bit of a game, where one of my youth would constantly ask "Is that Jesus?" Consider how the show depicts Jesus' first appearance. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits. One other thing - the show could have allowed some of the disciples (like John) to go a bit further in being judgmental toward after her return. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. However, a post by the official Twitter account for The Chosen claims that Mary is not being portrayed as a prostitute. 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. When he encounters her again in Season 1 Episode 2, he is surprised to discover that she has been completely healed and is free of the evil spirits. They prompt us to consider how these two events, Mary's first encounter with Jesus and her first encounter with the risen Jesus, are connected in a deeper way. Also the guy who plays Jesus is Catholic, which is kind of cool. Although The Chosen is still a few seasons away from the Resurrection of Jesus, it is clearly beginning with the end in mind. Can you think of moments when you may need to be reminded that God is with you? However, some biblical interpreters mistakenly labeled her as such because the story before Luke 8 is about a prostitute being forgiven. EDIT: I still have my concerns, but I believe my rash judgment is sinful, so I'll keep it to myself. That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. As COVID drags on and winter sets in, if you're looking for a good activity to do online with your youth group, you might want to consider doing a series of The Chosen Viewing Parties like this. Dallas Jenkins (Director) is not Catholic, but - in my mind - makes the best Christian films I have seen anywhere. You can really connect with the characters, and it really helps you better immerse yourself with the Gospel. This shift in our societal understanding of the sex trade has changed the significance of Mary's supposed role as a prostitute. It's certainly not The Exorcist, but demonic stuff can really freak some people out. There are a few Bible passages that I thought were helpful to discuss the first episode of The Chosen. What's disappointing is that it doesn't delve too far into the implications of this. Until Jesus shows up, some youth may find the show a little slow. There was just a hint of judgment in Episode 7, but it gets brushed aside way too quickly, given the cultural expectations. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. But she was not possessed by one as the movie mentioned but by many. If you try it out, please let me know how it goes and if you have any feedback! (for LOTR: Tom Bombadil. 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. According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus cleansed her of seven demons, and she financially aided him in Galilee. Over time, the Western artistic tradition repeatedly depicted Mary as a prostitute and the mistaken association got stuck in the cultural consciousness. I admire your comment. Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus. The Chosen does the "misunderstood reject rather than sinner" quite a bit in Season 1, but I think it's a sensible direction for Mary's character. An adaptation like The Chosen isn't meant to replace the Bible; it's meant to drive us deeper into the Bible and spiritual reflection. Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. 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