''The Bible'' is a television

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

based on the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. It was produced by

Roma Downey Roma Burnett (née Downey) is an actress, producer, and author from Derry, Northern Ireland. She produced the mini-series ''The Bible'' for the History Channel and also appeared in it as Mary, mother of Jesus. For nine seasons she played Moni ...

and

Mark Burnett Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Television, MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows The Apprentice (American TV series), ''The Ap ...

and was broadcast weekly between March 3 and 31, 2013 on

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

channel. It has since been adapted for release to theaters as a feature film (138 minutes), the 2014 American epic biblical drama '' Son of God''. Burnett, best known for producing prime-time hit reality shows, considers the scripted 10-hour series to be the "most important" project he has undertaken. The project was conceived by Burnett and Downey after watching

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

's 1956 film ''

The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ� ...

'' for the first time since childhood. The series is Mark Burnett's first scripted project. In addition to Burnett and Downey, executive producers include Richard Bedser and History's Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs. The first episode of the mini-series was seen by 13.1 million viewers, the largest cable television audience of 2013 to date. The second installment continued "to deliver blockbuster ratings" for the network, attracting 10.8 million viewers. The third installment on March 17, 2013, was once again the No. 1 show on all of Sunday night television with 10.9 million total viewers. In addition, the series garnered 4.2 million adults 25–54 and 3.5 million adults 18–49. In total, with subsequent airings, ''The Bible'' has received more than 100 million cumulative views. The series received three

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominations for best miniseries, and sound editing and sound mixing on July 18, 2013. Parts of the telecast – including unaired footage – have been turned into a feature film about the life of Jesus entitled '' Son of God''. A sequel series with the title '' A.D. The Bible Continues'' aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Description

The series covers "Genesis to Revelation" in "one grand narrative," structured as ten hour-long episodes broadcast in five pairs, with each episode containing two or three biblical stories told through

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

and

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...

. According to Burnett, it included "obvious" stories such as

Noah's Ark Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in t ...

the Exodus The Exodus (Hebrew language, Hebrew: יציאת מצרים, ''Yeẓi’at Miẓrayim'': ) is the founding myth of the Israelites whose narrative is spread over four books of the Torah (or Pentateuch, corresponding to the first five books of the ...

, and the life of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. Five hours are taken from the Old Testament, five from the New. The series is based on the

New International Version The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...

and the

New Revised Standard Version The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches. Downey and Burnett said their "greatest hope" in making the series was that it would "affect a new generation of viewers and draw them back to the Bible." "Part of what we hoped to accomplish with the series was to show the Bible is not simply a collection of unconnected stories which are often discussed and analyzed in snippets with chapter and verse numbers," the couple wrote in an op-ed in ''The Huffington Post''. "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."

Development

In May 2011, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reported that Downey, Burnett and their production team were selecting stories for the series, with production scheduled to begin in 2012 for a 2013 broadcast. The budget for the series was under $22 million. Researchers and theologians were asked to verify accuracy. Academic consultants included

Craig A. Evans Craig Alan Evans (born January 21, 1952) is an American biblical scholar. He is a prolific writer with 70 books and over 600 journal articles and reviews to his name. Career He earned his Bachelor of Arts, B.A in history and philosophy from Cla ...

, Helen Bond,

Paula Gooder Paula Gooder (born 1969) is a British theologian and Anglican lay reader, who specialises in the New Testament. She is Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral. She has previously taught at two theological colleges, Ripon College Cuddesdon and ...

Mark Goodacre Mark S. Goodacre (born 1967 in Leicestershire, England) is a New Testament scholar and Professor at Duke University's Department of Religion. He has written extensively on the Synoptic Problem; that is, the origins of the gospels of Matthew, ...

and

Candida Moss Candida R. Moss (born 26 November 1978) is an English public intellectual, journalist, New Testament scholar and historian of Christianity, who is the Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology in the Department of Theology and Religion at the Univers ...

. Shooting took place in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

and elsewhere. Burnett and Downey consulted "a wide range of pastors and academics," including their friend

Joel Osteen Joel Scott Osteen (born March 5, 1963) is an American lay preacher, televangelist, businessman and author based in Houston, Texas. Known for his weekly televised services and several best-selling books, Osteen is one of the more prominent figu ...

, Joshua Garroway (a rabbi from

Hebrew Union College Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

), and a Catholic cardinal.

Geoff Tunnicliffe Geoff Tunnicliffe is a global strategist, advisor, peace activist and author, born in United Kingdom. He was the Secretary-General for the World Evangelical Alliance from 2005 - 2014. Biography He studied communications in British Columbia Institu ...

of the

World Evangelical Alliance The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an interdenominational organization of evangelical Christian churches, serving more than 600 million evangelicals, founded in 1846 in London, England, United Kingdom to unite evangelicals worldwide. WEA i ...

, read each episode's script and visited the set in Morocco: he "wanted to be sure that the final edits would hold together as a singular thematic message throughout the entire series" and "was not disappointed." Another consultant,

Focus on the Family Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations ...

President Jim Daly, applauded the couple's courage for making the series: "Let's face it, it takes some moxie to lift up the Bible in the middle of Hollywood. In fact, when they first proposed the project they were told to try and tell the story without mentioning Jesus. They refused." Other project advisors included: *

Rick Warren Richard Duane Warren (born January 28, 1954) is an American Southern Baptist evangelical Christian pastor and author. He is the founder of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention in Lake Fore ...

(pastor,

Saddleback Church Saddleback Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in Lake Forest, California. It is the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States of America ...

) *

Erwin McManus Erwin Raphael McManus (born August 28, 1958) is an author, futurist, filmmaker, and fashion designer. He is the lead pastor of Mosaic, a megachurch based in Los Angeles. Erwin is a speaker on issues related to postmodernism and postmodern Christ ...

(pastor,

Mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

) *Sam Rodriguez (National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference) *Paul Eshleman (

Campus Crusade for Christ Cru (until 2011 known as Campus Crusade for Christ—informally "Campus Crusade" or simply "crusade"—or CCC) is an interdenominational Christian parachurch organization. It was founded in 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles by B ...

) *Bobby Gruenewald (YouVersion Bible) *Brad Lomenick (Catalyst) *

Leith Anderson Leith Anderson (born 1944) is president emeritus of the National Association of Evangelicals and Baptist pastor emeritus of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, after serving as senior pastor from 1977 through 2011. Early life and education ...

(president,

National Association of Evangelicals The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an association of evangelical denominations, organizations, schools, churches and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches ...

) *Frank Wright (president,

National Religious Broadcasters National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) is an international association of evangelical communicators. While theologically diverse within the evangelical community, NRB members are linked through a Declaration of Unity that proclaims their joint comm ...

) *Tom Peterson (Catholics Come Home) * Gabe Lyons (founder of the Fermi Project) *

Luis Palau Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archai ...

(Christian evangelist) * George Wood (General Superintendent of the

General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America The Assemblies of God USA (AG), officially the General Council of the Assemblies of God, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in the United States founded in 1914 during a meeting of white Pentecostal ministers at Hot Springs, Arkansas (with ...

) *

Craig Groeschel Craig Groeschel (born December 2, 1967) is the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church, an American evangelical multi-site church with locations in 12 U.S. states. Early life and education Groeschel grew up in southern Oklahoma, attending Ar ...

( Life Church) *Denny Rydberg (

Young Life Young Life is an evangelical Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado which focuses on young people in middle school, high school, and college. Week-long Summer camps are a major focus, and these have a definite evangelizing asp ...

) *Andrew Benton (president,

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

) Days before the series premiere, Downey and Burnett authored an op-ed for ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' arguing that Bible teaching should be mandatory in U.S. public schools because "(t)he foundations of knowledge of the ancient world – which informs the understanding of the modern world – are biblical in origin."

Cast

Diogo Morgado Diogo Miguel Morgado Soares (born 17 January 1981), is a Portuguese actor who may be best known for his portrayal of Jesus in the History Channel epic mini-series ''The Bible'' and in the film '' Son of God''. Career Already a household name ...

–

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

Darwin Shaw Darwin Shaw is a British stage, film and television actor, and director. Formerly practicing as a medical doctor, he retrained as an actor at LAMDA in 2004 after studying theatre in New York City. Early life Shaw, the eldest of two boys, w ...

–

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

–

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

Leila Mimmack Leila Mimmack (born 5 November 1993) is an English actress. Early life Mimmack was born on 5 November 1993 in Leamington Spa to parents Maddy Kerr and Peter Mimmack, who run the Heartbreak Productions theatre company in Spencer Yard, Leamington. ...

– Mary (young) * Greg Hicks –

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of J ...

* Sebastian Knapp –

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Amber Rose Revah Amber Rose Revah (born 24 June 1986) is a British actress, writer, and voice artist. She is best known for playing the roles of Dinah Madani in Marvel's '' The Punisher'', Mika in MGM limited series Last Light and as Mary Magdalene in the box ...

–

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...

Adrian Schiller Adrian Schiller (born 21 February 1964) is an English actor. Selected filmography *''The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other'' (2008, theatre performance) *''Terry Pratchett's Going Postal'' (2010) (cast as the Banshee, Mr Gryle) *'' Being Hum ...

–

Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD), known simply as Caiaphas (; grc-x-koine, Καϊάφας, Kaïáphas ) in the New Testament, was the Jewish high priest who, according to the gospels, organized a plot to kill Jesus. He famous ...

* Joe Wredden –

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...

* Andrew Brooke –

Antonius Antonius is a masculine given name, as well as a surname. Antonius is a Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Latin, Norwegian, and Swedish name used in Greenland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, part of the Republic of Karelia, Estonia, Belgium, Netherlands, ...

Louise Delamere Louise Alexandra Delamere (born 17 June 1969) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Lia in the Channel 4 comedy drama ''No Angels'' and Colette Sheward in the BBC medical drama '' Holby City''. Career Delamere appeared in ''Agatha ...

– Claudia *

Matthew Gravelle Matthew Ian Gravelle (born 24 September 1976) is a Welsh screen actor. Career Gravelle was born in Porthcawl. In 2003, Gravelle appeared in the BBC One drama series '' Holby City'' and was a regular in the acclaimed BBC Wales show '' Belongin ...

–

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

Simon Kunz Simon Charles Kunz (born 15 October 1962) is an actor on stage and screen. Early life He attended Latymer Upper School, then completed a degree in Theatre Studies at the University of Warwick. Career He appeared in '' The Parent Trap'' as Ma ...

–

Nicodemus Nicodemus (; grc-gre, Νικόδημος, Nikódēmos) was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin mentioned in three places in the Gospel of John: * He first visits Jesus one night to discuss Jesus' teachings (). * The second time Nicodem ...

Paul Brightwell Paul Brightwell is an English actor and director. He has acted in many different plays, films and TV shows since the late 1980s. Theatre direction includes the British premieres of Heiner Muller's '' Hamletmachine'' at the Gate Notting Hill, and ...

–

Malchus Malchus (; grc-x-koine, Μάλχος, translit=Málkhos, ) was the servant of the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas who participated in the arrest of Jesus as written in the four gospels. According to the Bible, one of the disciples, Simon Peter, b ...

Fraser Ayres Fraser Stuart Ayres (born 1980) is an English actor, best known for his role as Clint in the BBC comedy series '' The Smoking Room''. Ayres first joined the youth core at the Haymarket Theatre in Leicester and has done other television includ ...

–

Barabbas Barabbas (; ) was, according to the New Testament, a prisoner who was chosen over Jesus by the crowd in Jerusalem to be pardoned and released by Roman governor Pontius Pilate at the Passover feast. Biblical account According to all four canoni ...

* Michael Legge –

Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

Paul Marc Davis Paul Marc Davis (born 16 April 1974) is a British actor who has appeared on ''Doctor Who'' (the episode "Utopia") and three of its spin-off series: ''Torchwood'' ("Exit Wounds"), ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' (as recurring villain " The Trickst ...

– Simon the Pharisee * Paul Freeman –

Samuel Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

Will Houston William Houston (born 19 July 1968), sometimes credited as Will Houston, is an English actor. Early life and career Born in Sussex, he grew up in Northern Ireland. Trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Houston has played many le ...

–

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

** Joe Forte – Moses (young) *

Melia Kreiling Melia Kreiling (born ) is an actress. She is known for her roles on television series such as ''Tyrant'' and ''The Last Tycoon'', and for her starring role as Alycia in the second season of the CBS summer series ''Salvation''. She also has a bri ...

–

Bathsheba Bathsheba ( or ; he, בַּת־שֶׁבַע, ''Baṯ-šeḇaʿ'', Bat-Sheva or Batsheva, "daughter of Sheba" or "daughter of the oath") was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, according to the Hebrew Bible. She was the mother of ...

Dhaffer L'Abidine Dhafer L'Abidine ( ar, ظافر العابدين, also spelt Dhaffer L'Abidine, Zafer El-Abedin and Dhafer El Abidine; born 26 November 1972) is a Tunisian actor and former professional football player. Biography Dhafer made his acting debut ...

– Uriah *

Francis Magee Francis Magee (born 7 June 1959) is an Irish actor. He portrayed Liam Tyler in British soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1993 to 1995. He has also appeared in numerous television shows and feature films, including ''Sahara'' (2005), ''Layer Cake'' ...

–

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered t ...

* Con O'Neill –

Paul the Apostle Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

* Joe Coen – Joseph, father of Jesus *

Stephanie Leonidas Stephanie Leonidas (born 14 February 1984) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the fantasy film ''MirrorMask'' (2005), the Syfy series ''Defiance (TV series), Defiance'' (2013–2015), and the Crackle (service), Cra ...

–

Rahab Rahab (; Arabic: راحاب, a vast space of a land) was, according to the Book of Joshua, a woman who lived in Jericho in the Promised Land and assisted the Israelites in capturing the city by hiding two men who had been sent to scout the city ...

* Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni –

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

Gary Oliver Gary Oliver (born 14 July 1995) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish League One side Falkirk. Oliver started his career at Heart of Midlothian, before a loan spell at Stenhousemuir, followed by one seaso ...

–

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...

* Josephine Butler –

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

Andrew Scarborough Andrew Scarborough (born 30 November 1973) is an English actor, most widely known for his starring role on screen as Tim Drewe in the multi BAFTA and Emmy award-winning ''Downton Abbey'' he also Co-starred as Colonel Fielding in the Film ‘� ...

–

Joshua Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...

** Sean Knopp – Joshua (young) *

Clive Wood Clive Wood (born 8 May 1954) is an English actor, known for his television roles in ''Press Gang'' (1989–93), ''The Bill'' (1990), '' London's Burning'' (1996–99), and as King Henry I in ''The Pillars of the Earth'' (2010). His stage roles inc ...

–

Nathan Nathan or Natan may refer to: People *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name *Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible * Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David an ...

* Hara Yannas –

Michal Michal (; he, מיכל , gr, Μιχάλ) was, according to the first Book of Samuel, a princess of the United Kingdom of Israel; the younger daughter of King Saul, she was the first wife of David (), who later became king, first of Judah, ...

* Langley Kirkwood –

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

Jassa Ahluwalia Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (born 12 September 1990) is a British actor, director and radio presenter. He acted in the BBC television series ''Some Girls'', the film ''The Whale'' and presented the Disney Junior TV show ''Art Attack''. Early life ...

– David (young) * Eddie Elks – Angel

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

Nonso Anozie Nonso Anozie (; born 17 November 1978) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Tank in '' RocknRolla'', Sergeant Dap in ''Ender's Game'', Abraham Kenyatta in ''Zoo'', Captain of the Guards in ''Cinderella'', Xaro Xhoan Daxos in t ...

–

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

Jake Canuso Jake Canuso is a Swiss actor, who is known for his role in the ITV (TV channel), ITV comedy series ''Benidorm (British TV series), Benidorm'', in which he played the Solana barman List of Benidorm cast and characters#Past characters, Mateo Cas ...

–

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

Sam Douglas Sam Douglas (born Douglas Samuel Waters; 17 June 1957) is a British actor best known for his role as private detective Scott Shelby in the PlayStation 3 video game ''Heavy Rain'', as King Herod in ''The Bible'' miniseries for the History Chan ...

–

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renov ...

Gerald Kyd Gerald Kyd (born Gerasimos Avvakoumides in 1973 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a half-Greek, half-Scottish actor. Kyd starred as Sean Maddox in the BBC medical drama ''Casualty'' from 1998 until 2000. He later reprised the role for a few episo ...

–

Cyrus the Great Cyrus II of Persia (; peo, 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 ), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Schmitt Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty) Under his rule, the empire embraced ...

* Peter Guinness –

Nebuchadnezzar II Nebuchadnezzar II (Babylonian cuneiform: ''Nabû-kudurri-uṣur'', meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir"; Biblical Hebrew: ''Nəḇūḵaḏneʾṣṣar''), also spelled Nebuchadrezzar II, was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling ...

Cristian Solimeno Cristian David Solimeno (born 27 April 1975) is a British actor, writer and director. Personal life Solimeno was born in Hammersmith, London, England. He grew up in Paris and is of English and Italian descent via his father Ambrogio. Career He ...

– Jonathan ** Laurie Calvert – Jonathan (young) * Paul Knops –

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

* Darcie Lincoln –

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

* Hugo Rossi –

Isaac Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...

Conan Stevens Mark "Conan" Stevens is an Australian actor and former professional wrestler. He is 213 cm (7’) tall.Goliath Goliath ( ) ''Goləyāṯ''; ar, جُليات ''Ǧulyāt'' (Christian term) or (Quranic term). is a character in the Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) a ...

Sharon Duncan-Brewster Sharon Duncan-Brewster (born 8 February 1976) is a British actress. She is known for her role as List of characters in Bad Girls#Prisoners, Crystal Gordon in ''Bad Girls (TV series), Bad Girls'' during the first four series; her role as Trina Jo ...

– Manoah's wife, Samson's mother * Kierston Wareing – Delilah * Lonyo – Guardian angel * David Rintoul – Noah * Aharon Ipalé – Pharaoh * Stewart Scudamore – Ramesses II, Ramesses ** Sean Teale – Ramesses (young) * Jalaal Hartley – Nahshon, Nashon * Shivani Ghai – Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus), Batya * Louis Hilyer – Aaron * Joanna Foster – Miriam * Soraya Radford – Hagar * Antonio Magro – Lot (biblical person), Lot * Rachel Edwards – Lot's wife * Raad Rawi – Jeremiah * Samuel Collings (actor), Samuel Collings – Zedekiah * Christopher Simon – Azariah (prophet), Azariah * David Freedman – Eleazar (2 Maccabees), Eleazar the Scribe * Jake Maskall – Baasha of Israel, Bashaa

Episodes

Reception

TV ratings

The opening episode of the series premiered to very high ratings.Collins, Scott.
'The Bible,' 'Vikings' premieres tell a ratings epic for History
''Los Angeles Times'', March 4, 2013. The miniseries was watched by 13.1 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. In Canada, the premiere was watched by 1.05 million viewers. The second installment saw a ratings slippage, but still brought in 10.8 million viewers, tops in all television for the 8–10 p.m. time period. Week three's installment, meanwhile, garnered 10.9 million total viewers.

Critical reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 14% of critics have given the series a positive review based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 4.63/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "An earnest but shallow take on the Greatest Story ever Told, ''The Bible'' suffers from leaden pacing and mediocre special effects." At Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Allan Yuhas of The Guardian compared the series to reality TV, as well as criticising the lack of ethnic minorities in major roles.

Distribution

On March 19, 2013, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett offered remarks on the viewership and its anticipated Diffusion (business), diffusion. He said: "We've realized, on the journey around the country to churches and all over the place, many people cannot afford cable TV. And those people need to see this Bible series. So we're rushing the DVD out April 2nd, also immediately with Spanish subtitles. This is very important. And this is only for America and Canada. Now we're about to start around the world. This will be in every country of the world. More people will see this series than everything we ever made; together, combined. Billions of people will see this series. Billions."

Differences from the Bible

In the introduction to each episode, the message is displayed "This program is an adaptation of Bible stories that changed our world. It endeavors to stay true to the spirit of the Book."

stated in an interview, "we had a great team of scholars and theologians helping us, making sure that we told these stories accurately and truthfully," However, many of the story elements in the series have been criticized as deviating from the events described in the traditional text, and using too many Artistic license, creative licenses. These are included below: * In the Bible, Noah's three sons are fully grown men, whereas in the TV series they are depicted as boys. * Abraham is depicted as begging his nephew Lot not to part ways with him, whereas in Genesis they part amicably and Abraham is encouraging of Lot's decision. * In the Book of Genesis, the angelic visitors were approached by Lot who insisted that they stay with him. Then they feasted with Lot in his home. The series shows the angels approaching Lot, begging for help with no hospitality extended to them. (Genesis 19:1-5) * The text describes a mob gathered outside of Lot (biblical person), Lot's home wanting to rape his two angelic visitors, and Lot offering his daughters instead. The series omits this. (Genesis 19:4-10) * The series shows Abraham traveling with Isaac, a very short distance to the place where he was to sacrifice his son. In the Bible it is a three-day journey and the two are accompanied by a donkey and two attendants. (Genesis 22:1-4) * The series shows

running after Abraham once she realizes he is going to sacrifice Isaac. This is not in the text. (Genesis 22:1-19) * In the Binding of Isaac, the text describes a ram (adult) caught by its horns in a thicket. The miniseries depicts a juvenile lamb caught by its leg. (Genesis 22:13) * Moses's sister Miriam is depicted as a slave and as younger than him, while in the biblical story she is significantly older and has been watching out for him since he was a baby. * When Moses appeared to Pharaoh years later, the text shows Moses' brother Aaron releasing his shepherd staff onto the ground which turns into a snake wherein Pharaoh's magicians copied the trick. The series omits this. *The Israelite leaders Deborah, Barack, and Gideon were also omitted from the series. *The Bible text says that Samson tied torches on 300 foxes' tails causing them to burn the Phillistines' crops and plants. This was because Samson was angry with his father-in-law for giving his wife to another man. When they heard this they burned Samson's wife and her father to death (Judges 15: 4–6). In the series the Philistine commander has Samson's wife and her father put to death as a consequence for marrying Samson, who was an Israelites, Israelite. *The incident in which Saul makes an unlawful sacrifice to God before the prophet Samuel arrives takes place before the famous Battle of Michmash. In the Bible, it was when he spared King Agag of the Amalekites that Saul was denounced as king by Samuel and the Lord, several years after King Saul's unlawful sacrifice. *During the disastrous battle of Mount Gilboa, King Saul was wounded by the Philistine archers while attempting to flee with his son Jonathan and their troops. The series omits this moment in the battle. *Upon hearing of Saul's and Jonathan's deaths at the battle of Mount Gilboa, a grief-stricken David vows vengeance on the Philistines and calls upon the Lord to help him defeat them. In the Bible, after he conquers Jerusalem and makes it his capital city, King David assembles his troops and destroys the armies of the Philistines. The series omitted this event. * After

's affair with

and the killing of Uriah the Hittite, he is confronted by

. The series depicts David as resistant or even indignant, whereas in the text, David is remorseful for his sin and admits his guilt, leading him to write Psalm 51 and beg forgiveness from God. (2 Samuel 12:13, Psalms 51) * When the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem, Jeremiah is depicted as escaping unnoticed by the invaders. In the text Jeremiah is captured, bound in chains and later released. (Jeremiah 39:11-40:6) * The show depicts

and his three compatriots being captured during the siege, when in fact, they were deported more than a decade before Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Jerusalem's destruction. (Daniel 1; 2 Kings 24:10-16) * When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue, the miniseries depicts them as being tied up, with a fire lit under them. In the text, the king orders the three to be thrown into a furnace that was heated seven times hotter than usual. In fact, the text describes the furnace as being so hot, that some of Nebuchadnezzar's "strongest soldiers" who threw them in there were killed by the flames while doing so.Daniel 3:19-23 (Daniel 3:19-23) * The miniseries depicts the prophet Isaiah as a contemporary of

, living during the time of the Babylonian exile. This is a major inconsistency with the text as Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus the Great, Cyrus the Persian would release the captives after a period of time. This prophecy occurred 150 years before Cyrus was born, 180 years before Cyrus performed any of these feats, and 80 years before the Jews were taken into exile. meaning that Isaiah could never have existed contemporaneously—that is, at the same time—as Daniel and Cyrus. (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; 45:13). * In the miniseries' depiction of the Temptation of Christ, the Devil in Christianity, Devil took Jesus to a high mountain when he tempted Jesus to throw himself down. In the text, the Devil tempted Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the Second Temple, temple. The high mountain was where the devil tempted Jesus to worship him. (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13) * In the Bible, Jesus had the mourners remove the stone, and then he called for Lazarus to come out. In the miniseries, Jesus enters Lazarus' tomb and kisses him on the head, while not even addressing Lazarus, and gives a brand-new monologue. (John 11:38-44) *During the Via Dolorosa, Way of The Cross scene, the actual scripture depicts Jesus meeting a group of women wailing for him and admonishes them to "not to weep for him; Rather for themselves and their children" (Luke 23:27-31). The miniseries omits this. However, they featured a scene where a woman (Saint Veronica) wipes his face. This is however taken from one of the Stations of the Cross, 14 Stations of the Cross of the Catholic Church.

Lookalike controversy

There have been claims of a resemblance of the actor in the role of

(Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni) to former U.S. President Barack Obama. The resemblance was first pointed out notably by Glenn Beck ahead of the episode's premiere. This led the History Channel to announce, Burnett and Downey responded in a joint statement, Downey added separately, However, in the film Son of God, all scenes with Satan were deleted. Speaking to the HollyWood Reporter, Roma Downey said,

Awards and nominations

''The Bible'' was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards; Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie. The 44th GMA Dove Awards gave a tribute to the miniseries in October 2013. In 2014, ''The Bible'' won the honor of Home Media Magazine's Best Miniseries or TV Movie on Disc for the year.

Other media

International broadcasts

* –

: March 3, 2013 – March 31, 2013 * – History (Canadian TV network), History: March 3, 2013 – March 31, 2013 * – Antena 3 (Spain), Antena 3: March 25, 2013 – April 2013 * - Alfa TV: Premiered December 1, 2013 * – Caracol Televisión, Caracol TV: March 28, 2013 – April 2013 * – Canal 13 (Chilean TV network), Canal 13: March 29, 2013 – April 2013 / March 30, 2018 * – Sociedade Independente de Comunicação, SIC: March 30, 2013 – March 31, 2013 * – ANT1: April 29, 2013 – May 4, 2013 * – ANT1: April 29, 2013 – May 4, 2013 * – Channel 5 (UK), Channel 5: November 30, 2013 – December 22, 2013 * – Nine Network: Premiered July 16, 2013 * – RecordTV, Rede Record: Premiered October 16, 2013 * – Polsat: Premiered October 19, 2013 * – TVB Pearl: Premiered November 6, 2013 * – Kenya Television Network, KTN: Premiered October 7, 2013 * – Paris Première: Premiered December 8, 2013 * – Virgin Media One, TV3 (Ireland): December 21, 2013 * – Slovenská televízia: Premiered December 23, 2013 * – TV-3 (Russia), TV-3: Premiered January 2014 * – Rete 4: Premiered March 23, 2014 * – Canal 5 (Mexico), Canal 5: April 14, 2014 – April 19, 2014 / March 26, 2018 – March 30, 2018 / April 15, 2019 – April 19, 2019 (Holy Week in Mexico, Holy Week special) * – Teletica Canal 7: April 17, 2014 – April 18, 2014 * – ABS-CBN: April 17, 2014 – April 19, 2014 / April 13–15, 2017 / March 29, 2018 – March 31, 2018 / April 18, 2019 - April 19, 2019 / April 9, 2020 - April 11, 2020 Cinema One: April 19, 2019 - April 20, 2019 / April 9, 2020 - April 11, 2020 Kapamilya Channel and A2Z (Philippine TV channel), A2Z: April 1, 2021 - April 3, 2021 / April 14, 2022 - April 16, 2022 (Holy Week in the Philippines, Holy Week special) * – América Televisión: April 6, 2014 – April –, 2014 * – Evangelische Omroep, EO: Premiered May 12, 2014 * – VOX (German TV channel), VOX: April 17, 2014 – April 19, 2014 * – Ecuavisa, Ecuavisa, Ecuavisa HD: April 5, 2014 – April 19, 2014 * - Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International, LBCI: April 10, 2014 – April 20, 2014. * – Telemundo: March 25, 2015 * – Australian Christian Channel

DVD release

The series became the biggest-selling miniseries on DVD in its first week of release, and biggest on Blu-ray and Digital HD of all time. In its first week on home video, 'The Bible' series sold 525,000 copies. It was the fastest selling television show on DVD since 2008. A Blu-ray version is also available via 20th Century Fox.

Novel

Roma Downey and Mark Burnett have also released a novelization of this miniseries, entitled ''A Story of God and All of Us: A Novel Based on the Epic TV Miniseries "The Bible."'' It debuted at No. 27 on the ''New York Times'' Best-Seller List.

Soundtrack

A CD was released on March 12, 2013, with Christian music singers performing songs inspired by the miniseries:

Score

Theatrical release

Mark Burnett announced in April 2013 that a three-hour version was being prepared for global theatrical release. He claimed that he has had no distribution arrangements yet, though he could possibly release it himself. In June 2013, Burnett elaborated that the film, which has already been edited, would focus exclusively on the life of Jesus, and would run at two hours and fifteen minutes. In September 2013, it was announced that 20th Century Fox would partner with Burnett on theatrical distribution, currently titled '' Son of God''. In October 2013, it was announced that ''Son of God'' would be released on February 28, 2014.

Sequel – ''A.D.''

On December 17, 2013, it was announced that there would be a follow-up miniseries in 2015, titled ''A.D. The Bible Continues'', also produced by Burnett, Downey, and Bedser. The limited series began airing on

on Easter Sunday, April 5. It airs in twelve weekly one-hour episodes. The story takes place immediately after the events of ''The Bible'', beginning with the Crucifixion and Resurrection, and continues with the first ten chapters of the Book of Acts. On July 3, 2015, NBC cancelled ''A.D. The Bible Continues'' after one season. However, producers Burnett and Downey plan future biblical productions on their OTT digital channel.

References

External links

*
The Bible Series
- full episodes on YouTube
''The Bible'' - History Channel
(official History Channel website) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bible, The 2010s American drama television miniseries 2013 American television series debuts 2013 American television series endings Cultural depictions of Bathsheba Christianity in popular culture controversies Cultural depictions of Abraham Cultural depictions of Adam and Eve Cultural depictions of Cyrus the Great Cultural depictions of David Cultural depictions of Esther Cultural depictions of Judas Iscariot Cultural depictions of Judith Cultural depictions of Mary, mother of Jesus Cultural depictions of Moses Cultural depictions of Nebuchadnezzar II Cultural depictions of Noah Cultural depictions of Pontius Pilate Cultural depictions of Ramesses II Cultural depictions of the Maccabees Films set in ancient Egypt English-language television shows Fiction about God History (American TV channel) original programming Portrayals of Jesus on television Television series based on the Bible Television series by MGM Television Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television series created by Mark Burnett Television series created by Roma Downey Television shows filmed in Morocco Television shows set in Egypt Television shows set in Israel Television shows set in Palestine Television shows set in Syria Portrayals of Saint Joseph in film Portrayals of Mary Magdalene in film Cultural depictions of Saint Peter Television series set in the 1st century Television shows scored by Hans Zimmer