402: Welcome to a holy week for Christians and Jews — Tune In Tonight!
. AND, we’re in the final week of “Our Lent: Things We Carry,” which includes Bible videos and wise comments from our partners.
“WHO REALLY KILLED JESUS?” — The third debut in this trio of films is the most important to watch.
There’s really nothing new in the historical research presented here — if you’ve been following books on this subject in recent years. But, most of us don’t have the time to read all the new literature, so this is a great 1-hour overview of current scholarly theories on the forces that condemned Jesus to death.
Not only do we get an intriguing biography of Pontius Pilate and visit some cool scenery in Rome and Israel, but the film winds up explaining why some passages in the Christian gospels want to shift the emphasis on what really happened to try to soften Pilate’s guilt.
(PLEASE NOTE: If you’re reading this story via RSS feed or our free Email service, please click here to jump to our actual Web site — where you can watch a couple of National Geographic preview clips below.)
OUR FIRST VIDEO CLIP comes from “In Search of Jesus’ Tomb.” You’ll see archaeologist Shimon Gibson in action. The clip provides a little background about this intriguing tomb found under a construction site.
OUR SECOND VIDEO CLIP comes from “Who Really Killed Jesus?” The short scene gives you a feel for the approach of the documentary. You’ll see the actor recreating what Pontius Pilate might have looked like. NOTE: Yes, this clip does include a brief scene of an actor, portraying Jesus as he is scourged and crucified — but — no, this is not a repeat of Mel Gibson’s gory cinematic style. Most of the National Geographic documentary is focused on Pilate’s life and includes some fascinating background on how such a Roman official likely wound up serving in Jerusalem in that era.
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(Originally published at https://readthespirit.com/)