Something I love the most about "Chosen" is that it doesn't give us Jesus who is enslaved by the Scripture, only quoting His most memoriable words. It gives us Jesus who is a human being, who feels, who thinks, and whose aforementioned "memoriable words" are actually pieces of real dialogue, not just inspirational quotes thrown out there.
Yes, I think that might be true, and I agree. However, there is a question of how literally one should take the directive not to add to words of God when making up dialog that an actor playing Jesus is going to say. Same thought I had with other movies I also like, such as the Shack and an Interview With God.
Agreed. I really liked the episode where Jesus was hanging out with the children. It felt very authentic and I really liked it because I could relate very well to these little kids asking Jesus random questions. xD
You are proving the issue some people have with the chosen.. People want a Jesus that is not totally scripture oriented. Taking verses you like just creates a new religion in your image.
The Chosen isn't perfect, and Dallas knows it. Dallas said multiple times that The Chosen is not intended to be a replacement for Scripture, but to make people WANT to read Scripture. As for the "backgrounds" of characters, Dallas is very well aware that no one actually knows what the character's backgrounds were. It's not a documentary. It's just what it MIGHT have been like. Also keep in mind that the team has a bunch of biblical scholars INCLUDING a Catholic priest (which I appreciate considering Dallas isn't Catholic). No, The Chosen is not a perfect show, and I don't agree with every choice Dallas has made, but I will watch it over any other Jesus movie or show any day (except The Passion of Christ, THAT is amazing).
Even Lee Strobel of Case For Christ spoke with and quoted Catholics many times in his books and documentaries, despite becoming a Protestant. Granted, Catholic doctrine says Lee is Separated Brethren, but going from atheist to separated brethren is a huge step.
I started reading the Bible too! I’m really trying to understand it now. Book of gospel Matthew. Reading it very slowly so I can grasp every concept. I’m understanding the Catholic faith more esp watching Father Casey, Father Patrick and Father Chris Alar ( from the divine mercy RU-vid). I’ve always wondered why No Catholic had thought of a show/series like this. Where people can relate, laugh, cry & learn… and bringing everyone together to learn Jesus’s teachings and purpose. Love the show. I finished season 2 yesterday and watched from the beginning again (s1) & I’m catching things I missed the first time. On to season 2 again. God bless you Father Casey and Father Patrick
@@diannebee The Catholic Church never encouraged lay people to read the Bible until Protestants started doing it. They don't really want you to know that all you need for salvation is to repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ, because it renders all their mechanisms of control useless.
This show has captivated me. At 29 years of age I am now properly discovering and reading the gospels for the first time in my life. As an amateur historian, I am also looking deeper into all the historical sources concerning Christ. The more I look, the clearer it becomes that something ‘big’ went down. As far as I am aware, there are more contemporary historical sources concerning Christ, a poor Jew from a backwater town on the edges of the Roman Empire, than there are for the Emperor of the very same period. His followers swear what they saw was real and went to their deaths doing so. It is difficult to truly analyse history from this period, but if it is true, the key message of Christ is the most beautiful thing I have come across in my life. It is renewing and hopeful. And the most powerful thing is that this message might have come from God himself in human form. At least according to his followers in these writings. I have more searching to do, but I know what I feel in my heart now. I can imagine Jesus in a genuine historical context, as a man who I could have a conversation with - and the Chosen has started my thinking and search on this!
Really happy for you. For various reasons, I live in Israel. It is the out of the way spots that are surprising. You can almost glimpse the man walking this desert terrain up into the flush fields of the Galilee.. whose words are so outside the box of human thinking.
If you’re still on this journey, I’d encourage you to check out C.S. Lewis’ seminal work ‘mere Christianity’ for rational/philosophical arguments for Christianity, and ‘The Evidence that demands a verdict’ by McDowell. Both were instrumental in my own life
As someone that loves film and cinematography, i absolutely love this show. I’m a catholic also, and I think the emotion that the actors/actresses portray really gets people into this show. My favorite scene is when Mary Magdalene first met Jesus, that scene is so beautifully and well done, because it shows emotion. May I add, that the chosen actually portrays us humans extremely well and realistic.
I agree. The Mary Magdalen scene stirs my heart every time I re-watch it. "You are mine" - just imagine having God in the flesh saying that to you. And then when Mary falls off the wagon, and Jesus forgives her telling her He knew it would not be easy for her. Just amazing, and yes it is not written in the Bible, but the bible tells us that not everything is written, only what is necessary was written
I'm an atheist and I loved the casting, dialogue, and I say it's way less "magical feeling" than other Jesus media - Oh there are miracles, but they are not fireworks. Even the huge big deal ones (water to wine, healing the lame, blinded, and lepers) are not flashy magical moments. I adore the apostles - their flaws are so apparent and everyone is flawed except Jesus and even Jesus's body was mortal so we see the toll it took the first day he went to heal everyone non stop.
Remembering even Jesus needed rest is important for ppl who give of themselves to injury or bad health. Even Jesus wept. He was fully human and fully divine after all.
All else aside, it is sad that Christian media is so bad across the board that a work being competent and entertaining is a pleasant surprise, and saying so is relatively high praise.
A big reason why, is that most Christian movies are produced by the same group....I forget whom, the point is, they try to use cinema as a medium to give Sermons so they always come off as heavy handed. Would be better if they just let the material speak for itself.
@@56pjr Cult of Rome. 🤣 You're living the legacy of a perverted heretic. We actually follow Jesus' command to eat and drink and obey his words. You Protestants just do whatever you like and ignore his commandment to eat and drink him.
I really enjoy The Chosen for those "back stories". When I tell RCIA candidates to imagine themselves IN the Gospel stories, they sometimes have a hard time doing so because they (and sometimes I) can't think of Jesus and Mary, the apostles...as REAL. The other day I watched the episode where Jesus left the apostles to accompany Mary, who was returning home. Sometimes the most important thing was to take his Mom home.
Comping from Sri Lanka, living by the sea and having fisherman all around and their boats, in a country where the ascetic lifestyle is elevated, I didn’t need much outside the gospel to imagine it. When you deal with life food, street markets , food from trees and plants and you observe the butchering of animals before you buy food and never set foot in a sterile supermarket, the rawness of life , its noise and realities does invade your imagination.
@@InventorKnight I've been thinking about your comment throughout the day. I haven't watched the second season yet, so possibly you are referring to things that happen in that season. I respect your opinion. This may not be the series for you to watch. I encourage you to continue your reading and reflection of the Gospels, the Word of God. And I will be mindful of what you said as I continue watching.
it was you and Father Patrick that lead me to watch The Chosen with your 1st review of the series... and yes, it was beautiful.. it draws you into the characters and their lives... that's why every call to follow Him is significant and impactful... and Jesus compassion and understanding are so evident... thank you for this Father Casey.. God bless and keep safe.. 😊
True! What i love about the chosen is that they showed the human side of jesus; that struggles, does things normally like we do, he laughs, he sleeps, he gets tired.. unlike the previous films where they made him word per word of in the scripture like it’s not even looked as a real person anymore.
Im a kurdish shia...I always enjoy your beautiful videos father🌺 I love catholicism! So much nearness to the God it has and I do believe in most of the teachings...may the God our father bless you and all of us by love of our mother holy virgin mary and his son holy jesus christ🤲🏻
It's true they may have made certain dialogue up, but they at least assumed going on the time period what might have been said. Most of the time Jesus's dialogue was minimal but very affective, even the subtle winks he would give, gave you the touch of humanity he had but most importantly the show has conveyed how Jesus managed to have all these devoted followers, follow him and be overwhelmed by him. Jesus was an extraordinary person for that time and wasn't afraid to take things head one with calm and humility. He would of had the most beautiful eyes that melted your heart to look into them and you would have almost been hypnotised.♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
I haven't seen the second season yet, but what I love, of what I have seen, is they show the humanity of Jesus. He was real and a person, and God. He had emotions, felt things, and had relationships.
I haven't watched all episodes, but the writers can develop characters stories so well..."What did you expect? Me to come down and say things are great?" (Paraphrased)...Hysterical...God has a sense of humor! And to 🤔 he Chose Us!
Jesus of Nazareth will always be my favorite movie of all time! I've watched it so many times I know almost every line. I tried the Chosen and only made it through the first episode.
I actually smiled when the back story of Matthew comes to the point when he is called because then it makes sense that he dropped everything and followed the Lord. It is one of my favorite "imagined narrative" to the call of a disciple. Matthew does not speak at all in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, most all the other disciples do. I agree that this series is not to take the place of Sacred Scripture and the study of Scripture. However, for one who has been blessed to have excellent teachers over the years, this series is a nice sharing of how the "behind the scenes" of each Gospel story might have been like. Looking forward to part 2, Father! Godspeed!
I have taught religious education for 13 years for various gade levels through the years. I liked getting the kids to imagine what things were like too. It made them much more interested. I remember asking the kids what they do if their mom or dad ask them to do something. And explain Jesus did the same for His Mother at the wedding at Cana. It is so nice to see this done in a TV series. It got me to open up my Bible to some of the passageway I was not familiar with.
I put off watching it for more than a year... i feared it would be very poorly done or that it would be heretical. I agree, it could be "confusing" or whatnot for someone who hasn't read the Bible, but what i'm hearing from friends and family who have read the Bible, it is drawing them in even more, as it did for me when i finally watched season 1. I actually saw the first episode as a "first reaction from a non-christian" youtuber i was following and trying to minister to during his coming to faith journey. I was captivated by the storyline depicted... I was excited to see plausible characteristics of the introduced characters. and when Jesus stepped into the scene.... my heart truly dropped. It was such a powerful moment for me. When my wife and I sat down to watch the series, we were often puddles, left sobbing having understood the feelings Dallas was portraying thru the characters. I agree with you, some of the artistic liberties are going to get scoffed at but the show is not intended to "teach" the scriptures, but the tell people about Jesus, His grace and mercy, and His last couple of years from different perspectives. I think they did that well.
I love when you talk about the Chosen the show has been life changing for me and upon friar review is how I found it. I love you guys and glad your back.
I truly enjoy The Chosen, what I really like are the Bloopers reels...kinda puts it all in perspective...The Chosen is entertainment with a blessing attached! ♡
That's why I love the Chosen. I just finished it yesterday and I'm not even a Christian but it captivated me. Nicodemus happens to be my favourite character and well I can relate to Matthew and Jesus too.
I really like The Chosen, the series had help me in my relationship with God, and also to look more in the Bible. I think that God is really using it to get to us, so...thats the point. 🤷🏻♀️
Thank you, Father! I don't watch TV and get very little EWTN and Raymond Arroyo/The World Over, and I'm okay with that, enjoying the time to develop a fuller prayer life, refine my prayers, and try harder to conform to Jesus' admonition to "…love them as I have loved you." Yet you have brought to my attention a resource that might inflame and inspire that desire, so I'm very interested…yet cautious, knowing of the wolves lurking all around. I eagerly anticipate your next revelation. Vivat Iesu!
Please, for the sake of your soul, don't watch that blasphemy... Stay in the state you are in : little tv, lot of prayer. Don't bring this catastrophe into your life.
The Chosen is outstanding. The best series, before this, was the 1970's Jesus of Nazareth Series by Zeffirelli. It still stands as the best presentation up until the Chosen.
Jesus of Nazareth is a favorite of mine too! Ash Wednesday I watch the Passion of the Christ and have wanted to learn Aramaic ever since. But first, I review my Latin and Koine Greek. :-) Godspeed!
@@CartmanMorisato Bishop Barron and Jonathan Roumie said that film was their favorite out of all the Jesus films. I remember King of Kings as a child but now it seems stiff and awkward in parts.
James Farentino as Peter from the 1977 Jesus of Nazareth is just amazing: impulsive, wounded and ultimately serene and childlike in his faith. One of the best performances ever in a Biblical film. The Chosen picks up that thread and carries it even further with strong and relatable characters all around. Great work to the whole team. One question though: what happened to John the Baptist?
Oh no.😥.why part2...Father Casey you are always on point and i love hearing your perspective on all the shows you and Father Pat review.Hopefully your part 2 vid will still be upbeat about The Chosen i look forward to hearing it i really appreciate your honesty.
The Chosen, to me, feels like they watched the best critically acclaimed TV series, figured out what the formula was that made these shows a success, applied it to the New Testament, and ACTUALLY pulled it off.
So another words, the chosen difference from other Jesus centered productions by not simply focusing on Jesus. So many other people around the Christ and influenced by him i’ve given their time to shine and explain themselves as to why they needed the son of God and how he spoke to them on a personal level.
Great work Father, I look forward to part 2....i completely agree with everything youve said 👍👍 great job loved your prespective..I praise God for your presence(being Catholic) on RU-vid.. Represent 🙌🙌
Thank you for this clear overview of why The Chosen, as an imaginative foray into the Gospels, works as a good piece of entertainment and cathechesis compared to the rest (and practically most Christian entertainment out there). I definitely agree. I also agree that it is not without its issues, but as you rightfully said, no viewer should expect perfection from these kind of productions. They just need to be aware of what is true of the Gospels and what is questionable. Peace and God bless.
I haven't finished the 1st season yet. I like the actor who portrays Nicodemus. He was in Star Gate and I fond of the show and he plays a wize elder. I like how truly human the deciples (sp? I'm sick and my brain is off) are shown. The sibling digs and friendly bickering between the men. Makes me recall that they were indeed simple people before Jesus called them. I find it very good. I don't expect any show or movie to always accurately depict the source material.
I've stated watching the series and so far enjoying it. My main concern is that those not familiar with the Bible might not be able to discern fact from fiction and the whole production could end up accused of being nothing more than 'fake news' spin which could do more damage than good. I'm looking forward to part two of you video.
They are very clear that it is a dramatization. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I am hypercritical and I haven’t found much which I would say is in conflict with the Catholic faith, much less the Bible itself.
@@stephenjohnson9632 I agree with you, it's so amusing to me the number of Catholics, myself included, that are in love with the series. I guess I should say instead that to really enjoy the series so far, one needs to have read at least the gospels...
@@judithgray3739 We have the witness of the Gospels and the early martyrs which, to be fair, the producers do encourage viewers to read. My concern is that detailed backstories whilst adding colour to the narrative do take a bit of poetic licence that might be misinterpreted if you haven't read the Gospel.
I've struggled with for exactly the reason you stated. After 10 years of Catholic school the artistic license the director takes is sometimes hard to get past. Question...what do you think of the 2002 movie Joshua?
As long as it is made clear that its not totally accurate to the Gospels or what might've happened, basically as long as it's not showing itself as a religious source, the expansions are fine.
I saw the first episode for the first time today and I loved the ending. I can totally see that as something that may have happened in that particular way. Can’t wait to see the rest and to see part two of this video to see what you think is “wrong” with it. God bless!
I loved season one of the chosen. Season two had beautiful moments, just stunning. But it had more than a few narrative and structural missteps and I found their big climax kinda “off”. But overall I still love it
Father Casey, thank you for the video! Have you watched the ten-hour miniseries called "The Bible"? It is a series as well. It has ten episodes (each 45 minutes) and Wikipedia says it is based on the Catholic Bible so I assume the whole series comes from a less evangelical point of view but I'm not too sure about it. I watched it years ago and remember that I quite liked it. Armenian-Apostolic greetings and God bless!
Summorum Pontificum vs. Traditionis Custodes. Whether you're a Trad or Novus Ordo Catholic, this is the hottest topic in the church right now. Maybe even since Francis became became pope. The only other thing that even comes close is Theodore McCarrick. We've got two popes with what appears to be two conflicting Motu Proprios. The Trad RU-vidrs have been very vocal about this and have not shied away at all. As a supporter of Francis, what is your view on this? Please make a video with your response.
I feel like The Chosen is sort of like the apocrypha (at least for protestants). It might not be completely accurate, and some of it is just stories, but it's valuable to understand what life was like at the time of the gospels.
I've been itching to find out more about The chosen, I've seen part two first, Impressive, I mean you nailed it I mean the whole thing. May I ask your thoughts on pure flix the streaming service I'm not going to watch that here are my thoughts the couple that started it is in every episode, no problem really but some of the stories seem a bit over is this me?
Wow like you I don't really go out of my way to watch Jesus films or religious films for that matter. Ben Hur, the Ten commandments been there done that. But you have diffinily peaked my interest in giving this a try. Now to find it.
You are obviously not familiar with "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" made in 1964 by director Pier Paulo Pasolini which follows faithfully the text of Matthew's Gospel. It was made in Italian and can be found subtitled in other languages. Watch this before you dismiss all cinematographic versions of the story of Jesus' journey to his death and resurrection. Also please note that the Vatican City newspaper "L 'Osservatore Romano" called it the best film on Christ ever made. It is a classic and was nominated for three Academy Awards. The film was dedicated to John XXIII.
I totally agree and I look forward to seeing if we have the same concerns about its flaws. Still, a great project, worth watching and, if one can, supporting. Having said that, I do think that this is a show best suited for people who have been evangelized already. Its approach makes much more sense if you know the basics of the story and are, in some way, part of it. As an introduction to Christianity, I am not sure it is effective, but I would love to be proven wrong.
If you come after the Chosen in your next video, I will come after you -- just kidding, but I love The Chosen so much, it will be interesting to see what you say.
I don feel "meh" about Jesus of Nazareth (1977) or The passion of the Christ (2004). And now Chosen (2018). The rest are meh, I agree. It seems every couple of decades there is some really good movie or series about Jesus. But it's some thing very rare, that happens every 15, 20 or 30 years so no wonder why all the rest just can't compare.
I would argue that no matter how many thousands of minutes of episodes and seasons are devoted to the pre-crucifixion narrative, the climax is still the crucifixion and it's always going to be the crucifixion because it's the necessary linchpin to the resurrection. Having said that, I find some spins to be interesting, like Matthew's story. Others I found too long and drawn out, like Peter's scheming, which took up a good chunk of the first three or four episodes. While I wouldn't call The Chosen revolutionary, I will agree that for the most part, the narrative is a refreshing change from the standard fare.
If I liked Simon's character more, I think I wouldn't have felt the same. I love Eden though, her beauty and facial expressions speak volumes and the way they did the "walk on water" later with her mikvah visit was beautiful and well done.
Now this makes me really want to see the show. That is one of the things I haven't thought about too until now on how there isn't much context of the people in the bibles development up to their point. For example (not related to the Chosen) . We may know the story of Noah but the story of Noah is more of how he built a ark but not the REAL story like who he is,relatives, background etc. So to know that something like the Chosen actually explains so much of the person's background story and how they became to be is amazing!
From the choice of your clips to your explanation, it sounds as if you don't know Zefirellis "Jesus of Nazareth". That's not a series, but about six hours long. It spends quite some time on details and development.
Fr Casey I'd be interested to see a review by you of the film Mary Magdalene. There are criticisms I could make of it but it did have that crucial imagination / backstory element. And a great bit of feminist theology too!
Its no secret that its not 100% accurate. The shows creators have said this. But it probably one of the biggest factors, among others" that helped me find my faith (i was a complete athiest before).
