Your contributions mean so much. 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. In my opinion it works. Yes, we see that Jesus had warm and empowering relationships with females. Episode 7 Guide: Did Nicodemus Follow Jesus? I agree with the Twitter post that the show clearly depicts Mary as a victim of rape/sexual assault, but prostitutes often are victims of rape and sexual assault. The ancient name Lilith derives from a Sumerian word for female demons or wind spirits. I thought Mary's storyline in Season 2 of The Chosen had a lot of potential but it was unfortunately not given enough room to breathe. I wouldn't take too long discussing these questions. I will definitely continue watching it then, I just wanted to make sure! Just like one day Mary Magdalene will be caught up in despair because she can't find Jesus' body, she's caught up in despair at her own situation. In The Chosen, Nicodemus meets Mary Magdalene in Season 1, Episode 1. This shift in our societal understanding of the sex trade has changed the significance of Mary's supposed role as a prostitute. Instead of being a femme fatale that Jesus needs to resist and tame, Mary Magdalene the prostitute is seen as an object of compassion and pity that Jesus needs to provide acceptance and safety. The Gospels never refer to Mary as Lilith. The Bible never mentions "the Red Quarter." As it was, we didn't really get a good sense of why Mary responded the way she did. [SPOILERS] Is the Jon Snow spin-off really such a good idea? In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her evil spirits. For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits.
That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. You can also purchase the DVDs of season 1 on Amazon if you're worried about trying to stream & do Zoom at the same time. Enough said.).
New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Hopefully though, season 2 will find more ways to develop her character in a manner that's dynamic and engaging, because there's still much that could be done. 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. She becomes too perfect and seems to have no ongoing struggles in her faith like Peter or Andrew. The creators of The Chosen probably chose this name because it is associated with demons in Jewish traditions. I love this series. Jesus heals her evil spirit(s) at the end of Episode 1. 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. Its not perfect, but its a pretty great start. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Be that as it may, the Gospel of Luke tells us that there were women who went Jesus and names Mary Magdalene among them (Luke 8:1-3). [SPOILERS] what is Jordan Peele's 'Nope' about? Just before Luke introduces us to Mary Magdalene, he tells a story about a prostitute that Jesus forgives (, Since I criticized Season 1 of The Chosen for making Mary too perfect, it's only fair that I acknowledge how Season 2 seeks to rectify that issue. After sharing that information, you can ask: What stuck out to you about Mary Magdalene's depiction in The Chosen? Her name always was Mary, but through her past of turmoil, mental illness, rape, or whatever else caused her to be mentally tortured, she led everyone to believe she was Lilith. East pencil writes or draws used for note taking West pencil is yellow has a eraser and lead. every time a new character showed up. I offer my work for free and rely on the generous support of readers like you. Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. Your contributions mean so much. 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!
Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. Since I criticized Season 1 of The Chosen for making Mary too perfect, it's only fair that I acknowledge how Season 2 seeks to rectify that issue. Under the influence of this tradition, many people see Mary as being emblematic of Jesus' compassion for lost and broken souls, and this makes her a perfect candidate for the kinds of stories that The Chosen wants to tell. 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. To recap: in, 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. 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. Why do you think The Chosen depicted Mary as a prostitute? Over time, there's been a growing awareness of how most women end up in prostitution: not because they are innately promiscuous but rather as a result of coercion, sexual trauma, and systemic inequities. Mary Magdalene was a female disciple who traveled with Jesus during his ministry (Luke 8:1-3). Click here for my affiliation policy. It hints at where the show is going: This passage takes place after Jesus' death and resurrection at the end of the Gospels. However, some scholars believe the word would be better translated as demoness and see it is a reference to a Mesopotamian spiritual being.
This passage is one of the few appearances of Mary Magdalene in the Gospels. 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. Have you seen other examples of how Jesus can show up suddenly and change someone's life in a big way? Matthew, Mark, and John also describe Mary as a witness of Jesus' crucifixion/burial (Matthew 27:55-61, Mark 15:40-47, and John 19:25). (for LOTR: Arwen's bigger role, some action scenes. EDIT: I still have my concerns, but I believe my rash judgment is sinful, so I'll keep it to myself. While watching the show, I made occasional comments through the chat but I tried to not do too much teaching - I wanted the youth to enjoy The Chosen and not just see it as an elaborate preaching illustration. Moreover, her biblical significance has been amplified even more by the attention that she's received from the interpretative and artistic traditions of the West. Lilith was close to committing suicide by walking off a cliff before a dove (Holy Spirit) caught her interest and she followed it back to town, where she had an emotional moment being healed by Jesus who quoted her trusted childhood Bible verse from Isaiah and exorcised her with a hug. Because The Chosen seeks to be kid-friendly, it most likely uses the term "Red Quarter" in order to hint to older viewers that Mary is a prostitute without explicitly mentioning prostitution or sex. (ex. Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus. Personally, I would have been much more interested in a subplot about Mary's former pimp trying to coerce her back into her former life than I am with the overly long fish taxation plot. 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. Over time, the Western artistic tradition repeatedly depicted Mary as a prostitute and the mistaken association got stuck in the cultural consciousness. I offer my work for free and rely on the generous support of readers like you. 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. Until Jesus shows up, some youth may find the show a little slow. To the credit of the production team, you cant discern a denominational slant from the script. Hopefully these questions will prove helpful as you watch episode 1 of The Chosen with your youth group. There is however a very clear disclaimer at the beginning of the series saying this isnt word-for-word and its no replacement for reading your Bible, etc. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. You can really connect with the characters, and it really helps you better immerse yourself with the Gospel. Literally none of that is in Scripture or sacred tradition and that bothers me! What's disappointing is that it doesn't delve too far into the implications of this. In a previous era of Hollywood Mary's status as a prostitute made her exotic and intriguing. 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. (Jesus), What about Jesus' identity does this hint at? In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. These experiences cause Mary to flee back to her old life, drinking and gambling. The first passage is regarding Mary Magdalene (Lilith): In case you didn't catch it, at the end of The Chosen episode 1 we discover that the character called Lilith for most of the episode is actually named Mary Magdalene. Everything is very true to the Gospels, and theres no dialogue written to score theological points. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. Dallas Jenkins (Director) is not Catholic, but - in my mind - makes the best Christian films I have seen anywhere. But she was not possessed by one as the movie mentioned but by many. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili.
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. After Jesus heals her evil spirit, she resumes calling herself "Mary," her birth name, and refuses to answer to the name associated with her spiritual oppression. If you try it out, please let me know how it goes and if you have any feedback!
See a Roman centurion fill Lilith/Mary s sight, a suggestion that the woman have. As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Lilith was close to committing suicide by walking off a cliff before a dove (Holy Spirit) caught her interest and she followed it back to town, where she had an emotional moment being healed by Jesus who quoted her trusted childhood Bible verse from Isaiah and exorcised her with a hug. But why does Mary Magdalene get all the attention and not Joanna or Susanna, who are also mentioned? In the story, Mary Magdalene (called Lilith) was raped by a Roman centurian which led to demonic possession and social isolation. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience.
In The Chosen, when we first Mary Magdalene in Season 1 Episode 1, she has already been possessed by evil spirits for some time. (for LOTR: Tom Bombadil. This allows the show to be more family friendly, but it also weakens the narrative that the show is telling about Jesus' compassion and pity. You may want to warn students beforehand that this episode contains some demonic activity. 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. And to be fair, there isnt a whole lot of backstory for any of the disciples in the Bible, so its not a surprise the writers filled in the blanks with some artistic license. **Update: I explore the origin of the name "Lilith" in my recent post **. I take comments made by The Chosen Twitter account with a grain of salt, especially since they are most likely made by digital marketers and not the actual creators of The Chosen. The difference between its depiction of her life as a prostitute, with super-sexualized clothing and a zebra chariot, and The Chosen's depiction of her life is emblematic of changing views of prostitutes between the 1920's and today. Because The Chosen seeks to be kid-friendly, it may use the term "Red Quarter" in order to hint to older viewers that Mary is either a prostitute or a sexually immoral woman without explicitly mentioning prostitution or sex. The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus.
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. Thats as far off-script as they go for the rest of the season, everything else is pretty true to a harmonized Gospel narrative. In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her evil spirits. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The Chosen introduces a lot of characters and expects us to just keep up. As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. When making the Chosen, he is advised by a Catholic Priest, Rabbi, and Evangelical Pastor. And just like one day the risen Jesus will reveal himself to Mary and free her from grief and fear by calling her name, Jesus first reveals himself to "Lilith" and frees her from her grief and fear and demons by calling her by her true name, Mary. Thank you! The Bible never mentions "the Red Quarter."
Interestingly, The King of Kings (1927) also uses Mary Magdalene to introduce us to Jesus for the first time. 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. 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. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Why do you think they were removed? We turned it into a bit of a game, where one of my youth would constantly ask "Is that Jesus?" Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? The last passage is an optional bonus for youth that like digging deeper. It's also strange that we never actually return back to the fact that Mary was having PTSD - Jesus forgives her fall but doesn't say anything about her ongoing suffering (perhaps that's a storyline for a future season). 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.
The creators make changes in order to adapt the biblical stories to TV. Over time, the Western artistic tradition repeatedly depicted Mary as a prostitute and the mistaken association got stuck in the cultural consciousness. However, I'll acknowledge that what the show is suggesting about Mary's past life is certainly open to interpretation.].
And just like one day Mary will initially fail to recognize the risen Jesus, confusing him for a gardener, she initially fails to recognize Jesus when he first comes to her, confusing him for one of the men who's been hassling her. Im not sure many people caught this, but when Jesus follows Mary outside, he calls to her saying, Mary of Magdala! Mary then turns around, dropping her jar and says to him, How do you know my name? I think one could make sense of the Mary/Lilith name in that scene alone. (the Lord), Who is it that says these words in the show? [Update: In the comments below, an astute reader pointed me to a post by the official Twitter for The Chosen, which claims Mary is not being portrayed as a prostitute. In the passage, who is it that says, "I have called you by name"? There was just a hint of judgment in, Mary Magdalene was a female disciple who traveled with Jesus during his ministry (, All four Gospels suggest Mary was the first witness of the resurrected Jesus (, The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. However, some biblical interpreters mistakenly labeled her as such because the story before Luke 8 is about a prostitute being forgiven. I hope you enjoy them! There was just a hint of judgment in Episode 7, but it gets brushed aside way too quickly, given the cultural expectations. 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." Consider how the show depicts Jesus' first appearance. ***Update: Learn more about the origin of "Lilith" in my recent post ***. Dallas mentioned how some viewers didn't like that Mary fell back into old ways, which seems ridiculous, but just goes to show how out of touch some people are with both real life and how stories work. There are also characters and stories from the Gospels that the creators have left out. Just before Luke introduces us to Mary Magdalene, he tells a story about a prostitute that Jesus forgives (Luke 7:36-50). Episode 7 Guide: Did Nicodemus Follow Jesus? By. [Spoilers] Did anyone else misinterpret the HotD Finale?
Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. I've condensed the lesson into an easily printable pdf below. Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? After Jesus heals her evil spirit, she resumes calling herself "Mary," her birth name, and refuses to answer to the name associated with her spiritual oppression. Without getting too detailed, I found it helpful to get my youth thinking about what adaptations are and how they work. LOTR, Harry Potter), In [adaptation], can you think of some characters or stories that were added by the film? In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. I think the producer said he wanted to do eight seasons total. Thank you! Having offered some criticism, I will say that the scene of Jesus forgiving Mary was moving. You can find episode one, The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. The Gospels don't tell us very much about what these women do, with the significant exception of the burial and resurrection, but this provides leeway for female characters to play a more significant role throughout the ministry of Jesus and not just when they are mentioned. Still, at the end of the day, the 12 disciples who get the most screen time in the Gospels are all males. 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. Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (. I'm not saying we needed to see anything explicit, but the show certainly could have implied a bit more than it did. Also the guy who plays Jesus is Catholic, which is kind of cool. Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (Luke 8:1-3) and a story about a prostitute (Luke 7:36-50). There are a few Bible passages that I thought were helpful to discuss the first episode of The Chosen. This version of Mary - not the one who needs moral reformation but the one who needs sympathy and belonging - fits perfectly with the kinds of stories that The Chosen has focused on. The creators of The Chosen have published interactive Bible Studies that are meant to explore some of the Scripture and biblical themes that inspired Season 1 and help viewers apply them to everyday life. One day (hopefully) we viewers will get our first glimpse of the resurrected Jesus as we follow Mary to the empty tomb. Jesus clearly expected his disciples to sin frequently and made it clear that he was committed to pursuing them and offering forgiveness (Matthew 18:10-35). And we also just had fun chatting about random stuff, like how Quintus was totally fitting the stereotype of the evil bald guy. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 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. This is not a theologian or an apologist. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. I hope I better can temper myself. /r/Catholicism is a place to present new developments in the world of Catholicism, discuss theological teachings of the Catholic Church, provide an avenue for reasonable dialogue amongst people of all beliefs, and grow in our own spirituality. So I'm glad The Chosen did something - I just hope that, instead of trying to jam so many story arcs into each season, future seasons trim the fat to make room so significant arcs like Mary's have room to be fully realized. However, a post by the official Twitter account for The Chosen claims that Mary is not being portrayed as a prostitute. Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? The second passage is the Scripture that Mary has written down: This passage that Mary's father taught her is from the Book of Isaiah. Over the past year, we've been exploring how The Chosen adapts biblical characters like Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, Peter, Andrew, Matthew, Jesus, and the Romans. Although The Chosen is still a few seasons away from the Resurrection of Jesus, it is clearly beginning with the end in mind. Many characters and stories are based on events in the Gospels, but there are also characters and events that the creators made up to tie things together. This story was invented by The Chosen for the purposes of the plot.
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? When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. Although, like Nicodemus, the account of Jesus' life in the Gospels tells us relatively little about her, the part that she plays as the first witness to the Resurrection is objectively much more significant. The specific demon is not named in Scripture. For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits. It's a great comfort in the midst of the pandemic and other turmoil. 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. (he calls her by name at the end when he heals her). 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." It's odd? If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. However, Jesus knew her real name. I also suggest setting expectations for the first episode. When they are engaged in sin, it's often a result of their difficult circumstances or their status as outsiders, and so what they primarily need is love and acceptance, not forgiveness and repentance. 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), The Chosen Season 3 Episode 3: Recap, Review, & Analysis, 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. Jesus heals her evil spirit(s) at the end of Episode 1. Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (Luke 8:1-3). What do you think Mary's life was like before Jesus showed up? Nicodemus was brought in to perform an exorcism on her but failed, making him question the fullness of the Law. How does that truth encourage you? Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (. In The Chosen, we see a brief flashback during Season 1, Episode 1 that strongly implies that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. Do you believe Jesus knows you by name? The creators of The Chosen probably chose this name because it is associated with demons in Jewish traditions. The important role that Mary Magdalene plays in The Chosen is not nearly as surprising as that of Nicodemus. Expert Answers: The Gospels never refer to Mary as Lilith. The trauma of her rape is hinted at again in Season 2, Episode 5, and is the trigger that causes Mary to backslide. 1 ) Kathleen McGowan Kindle Edition are three Christian Goddesses, making up a female.! PROUDLY CREATED WITH WIX.COM, Mary Magdalene in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters), Mary and Nicodemus in Season 1 of The Chosen, The important role that Mary Magdalene plays in The Chosen is not nearly as surprising as that of, Be that as it may, the Gospel of Luke tells us that there were women who went Jesus and names Mary Magdalene among them (, But why does Mary Magdalene get all the attention and not Joanna or Susanna, who are also mentioned? In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. The Chosen invents this story to illustrate biblical teachings about Jesus' grace and forgiveness.
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