Teddy James
AFA Journal staff writer
June 2013 – Growing up, I watched The Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston so many times I memorized it. I just knew that God wrote with lightning on the tablets and that Moses and Ramses fought over a woman. I also knew the events of Exodus happened in Technicolor with subpar special effects.
Actress Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel) and her husband, producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice), watched the 1956 classic but couldn’t get their children interested in it. That spawned inspiration in the parents’ minds to create an epic Bible film that would interest teens and be used by families for generations.
Families responded to that vision, as more than 10 million tuned in each night to view Downey and Burnett’s 10-part miniseries The Bible. It aired on the History Channel for five weeks from March 3-31.
The Bible miniseries has several strengths to note. Filmed in Morocco, the setting and costumes have an authentic look and feel. Beyond that, the makers of the series spared no expense on special effects.
But Downey noted one of the greatest strengths in saying, “Part of what we hoped to accomplish with the series was to show that the Bible is not simply a collection of unconnected stories which are often discussed and analyzed in snippets with chapter and verse numbers. Instead, we wanted to show how the Old Testament connects seamlessly to the New Testament. How they are one sweeping story with one grand, overriding message: God loves each one of us as if we were the only person in all the world to love.” That goal was fully realized.
As strong as it is, there are weaknesses. Throughout the airing of the series, Christian reviewers were quick to note the absence of important Scriptural storylines like Joseph bringing the Hebrew people into Egypt or the changing of Abram’s name to Abraham. In reality, it would be impossible to tell every pivotal story of the Bible in only 10 hours.
If the miniseries were a movie instead of a series, it would most likely have garnered a PG-13 rating for violence. Several Christian reviewers saw that as a large weakness. It must be noted, however, that the Bible doesn’t avoid the reality of violence in life. While the series’ depiction of Lot leaving Sodom and Gomorrah under the protection of “ninja angels” (as the two angels have been called by many who watched the series) may assume too much artistic license, battle scenes and the crucifixion are realistically violent.
While images and scenes throughout the series might make it lose a family friendly rating with some, it must be remembered that not all stories in the Bible are family friendly, and a holistic telling of Scripture must include those stories.
Overall, The Bible miniseries is a strong, but not perfect, depiction of Scripture. The producers were intent on showing what they called the scarlet thread, how the story of the Bible is actually the story of Jesus’ love and redemption of mankind. There is no question this series will find a place in the DVD collection of families and churches for generations to come.
The Bible miniseries is available on DVD and Blu-ray at retail and online stores. 
“The 30-Day Bible Experience,” a resource for churches, includes sermon outlines, clips from the series, PowerPoint slides, individual devotions and small group discussion guides. The kit can be purchased here.
Burnett and Downey also partnered with Glo Bible to help create the 360 Bible app. The app includes four translations, video clips and photos of Bible locations, provides space to journal and much more. A free app for Macs, iPhones, iPads and PCs can be downloaded online. A premium version is also available.
