The Bible

The Bible Information

The Bible is a television miniseries based on the Bible. It is produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett and was broadcast weekly between March 3 and March 31, 2013 on History. 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, who are married, after watching Cecil B. DeMille's version of The Ten Commandments 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 been seen by more than 100 million viewers.

The series received three Emmy Award nominations for best miniseries, and sound editing and sound mixing on July 18, 2013.

Burnett has said that a three-hour theatrical film version, focusing on the resurrection of Jesus, is in the works.

Description

The series covers "Genesis to Revelation" in "one grand narrative," within five two-hour parts, each containing two or three biblical stories told through live action and computer-generated imagery. According to Burnett, it included "obvious" stories such as Noah's Ark, the Exodus, and the life of Jesus Christ. Five hours are taken from the Old Testament, five from the New. The series is based on the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

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 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, Helen Bond, Paula Gooder, Mark Goodacre and Candida Moss. Shooting took place in Morocco and elsewhere.

Burnett and Downey consulted "a wide range of pastors and academics," including their friend Joel Osteen, Joshua Garroway (a rabbi from Hebrew Union College), and a Catholic cardinal. Geoff Tunnicliffe of the World Evangelical Alliance, 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 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 (pastor, Saddleback Church)
Erwin McManus (pastor, Mosaic)
Sam Rodriguez (National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference)
Paul Eshleman (Campus Crusade for Christ)
Bobby Gruenewald (YouVersion Bible)
Brad Lomenick (Catalyst)
Leith Anderson (president, National Association of Evangelicals)
Frank Wright (president, National Religious Broadcasters)
Tom Peterson (Catholics Come Home)
Gabe Lyons (founder of the Fermi Project)
Luis Palau (Christian evangelist)
George Wood (General Superintendent of the General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America)
Craig Groeschel (Life Church)
Denny Rydberg (Young Life)
Andrew Benton (president, Pepperdine University)

Days before the series premiere, Downey and Burnett authored an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal 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

The cast is an "international ensemble" chosen to avoid "distract[ing] the audience with recognizable celebrities"; "many" of the actors came from a background in London's theatre district. For the purposes of this list, each hour is a whole episode.

Diogo Morgado as Jesus Christ (5 episodes)
Darwin Shaw as Peter (5 episodes)
Paul Brightwell as Malchus (4 episodes)
Roma Downey as Mother Mary (4 episodes)
Greg Hicks as Pontius Pilate (4 episodes)
Sebastian Knapp as John (4 episodes)
Amber Rose Revah as Mary Magdalene (4 episodes)
Adrian Schiller as Caiaphas (4 episodes)
Andrew Brooke as Antonius (3 episodes)
Louise Delamere as Claudia (3 episodes)
Matthew Gravelle as Thomas (3 episodes)
Simon Kunz as Nicodemus (3 episodes)
Joe Wredden as Judas (3 episodes)
Fraser Ayres as Barabbas (2 episodes)
Paul Marc Davis as Simon (2 episodes)
Paul Freeman as Samuel (2 episodes)
Will Houston as Moses (2 episodes)
Melia Kreiling as Bathsheba (2 episodes)
Dhaffer L'Abidine as Uriah (2 episodes)
Francis Magee as Saul (2 episodes)
Con O'Neill as Paul the Apostle (1 episode)
Leila Mimmack as Young Mary (2 episodes)
Stephanie Leonidas as Rahab (1 episode)
Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni as Satan (2 episodes)
Gary Oliver as Abraham (2 episodes)
Andrew Scarborough as Joshua (2 episodes)
Clive Wood as Nathan (2 episodes)
Hara Yannas as Michal (2 episodes)
Jassa Ahluwalia as Young David (1 episode)
Nonso Anozie as Samson (1 episode)
Jake Canuso as Daniel (2 episodes)
Sam Douglas as King Herod (2 episodes)
Peter Guinness as King Nebuchadnezzar (1 episode)
Langley Kirkwood as Old David (1 episode)
Paul Knops as Adam (1 episode)
Darcie Lincoln as Eve (1 episode)
Hugo Rossi as Isaac (1 episode)
Conan Stevens as Goliath (1 episode)
Kierston Wareing as Delilah (1 episode)

Episodes

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	US Viewers (millions)
Aux4 = 13.10	ShortSummary = Noah tells of the Creation story and Fall while aboard the ark (Genesis 6-8); Abrahamic covenant; the Battle of the Vale of Siddim (Genesis 14); Hagar and Ismael (Genesis 16); birth of Isaac (Genesis 21); Abraham is tested (Genesis 22); Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19); Moses learns of his roots, kills a soldier, and flees Egypt (Exodus 2)	LineColor = B0C4DE }}	Aux4 = 13.10	ShortSummary = God speaks to Moses through the burning bush (Exodus 3); Moses returns to Egypt; ten Plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-11); Moses leads the Israelites in The Exodus; Moses parts the Red Sea (Exodus 14); Moses receives the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20); Joshua becomes the leader of the Israelites (Deuteronomy 31; Joshua 1); the Israelites camp outside of Jericho; Joshua sends spies into Jericho (Joshua 2)	LineColor = B0C4DE }}	Aux4 = 10.80	ShortSummary = Joshua invades and conquers Jericho (Joshua 6); Delilah betrays Samson, a hero of the Israelites who battled against the Philistines (Judges 16)	LineColor = B0C4DE }}	Aux4 = 10.80	ShortSummary = Samuel anoints Saul as king, a move that could throw the nation into civil war (1 Samuel 15); Saul is consumed with jealousy over the crown when David defeats Goliath (1 Samuel 17); King David ushers a golden age for Israel, but is soon seduced by power and lust for Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11); God forgives David, and Solomon builds God's temple in Jerusalem (1.Kings 6)	LineColor = B0C4DE }}	ShortSummary = The Jews are enslaved in Babylon (Jeremiah 39); the image of gold and the three Hebrews in the blazing furnace (Daniel 3); Daniel is thrown into the lions' den, but when his faith endures and God spares him (Daniel 6); the Jews are allowed to return to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36; Ezra 1)	LineColor = B0C4DE }}	ShortSummary = During the time of Roman occupation, the Angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will bear a child (Luke 1); Joseph takes Mary to Bethlehem for the census, where Jesus is born (Luke 2); the Holy family escapes Herod's order to kill Bethlehem's male babies (Matthew 2); Judea comes under the ruthless rule of Pilate; John baptizes Jesus (Matthew 3); Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4); Jesus calls his first disciple Peter (Matthew 4)	LineColor = B0C4DE }}	Aux4 = 10.30	ShortSummary = Jesus feeds crowds of thousands in Galilee (Matthew 14) and brings a dead man, Lazarus, back to life (John 11); Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey " a declaration that he is the Messiah; Jesus turns on the money-changers in the Temple (Mark 11)	LineColor = B0C4DE }}	Aux4 = 10.30	ShortSummary = Caiphas coaxes Judas into betraying Jesus; Jesus throws the disciples into turmoil at the Last Supper; Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14); Jesus is arrested and Malchus' ear is cut off by Peter and Jesus heals his ear; Jesus is confronted by the high priests at his Sanhedrin trial (Matthew 26)	LineColor = B0C4DE }}	Aux4 = 11.70	ShortSummary = Peter denies Jesus (Luke 22) and Judas hangs himself; Pilate's wife has a dream and warns Pilate not to crucify Jesus (Matthew 27); Pilate has Jesus whipped 40 times and the crown of thorns are placed on Jesus' head (John 19); Jesus is condemned to death (Matthew 27); Jesus is crucified; Jesus is buried (John 19)	LineColor = B0C4DE }}	Aux4 = 11.70	ShortSummary = Mary Magdalene goes to his tomb, a figure walks towards her " he is back (John 20); Jesus commissions the disciples to "go and preach to all" before he ascends (Acts 1). The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost (Acts 2); Stephen is stoned by the Pharisee Paul (Acts 7); Paul has a vision and experiences a miraculous change of faith on a journey to Damascus (Acts 9); martyrdom of the Disciples, John's survival and exile to Patmos, John receives a revelation " Jesus is coming back, and all who keep the faith will be rewarded	LineColor = B0C4DE }}

Reception

Reviews of The Bible have been mixed. It currently has a "mixed or average reviews" rating at Metacritic, having a score of 44 out of 100 based on 13 critical reviews. On March 19, 2013, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett offered remarks on the viewership and its anticipated 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."

TV ratings

The opening episode of the series premiered to very high ratings. 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.

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." Roma Downey 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 printed Bible and using too many creative licenses. These are included below:

Noah's sons are depicted as boys in the series instead of grown, married men. (Genesis 7:13)
In the miniseries, Noah's ark was shown with many windows. In the printed Bible, the ark had only one window. (Genesis 6:16, 8:6)
In the printed Bible, 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 printed Bible describes a male mob gathered outside of Lot's home wanting to have intercourse with his two angelic visitors. The series ignores this. (Genesis 19:4-10)
At the destruction of Sodom, the series inaccurately shows the angels slaughtering some of the city's inhabitants. Critics refer to these as "Ninja Angels". This is not in the Bible. (Genesis 19:1-17)
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 inaccurately shows Sarah running after Abraham once she realizes he is going to sacrifice Isaac. This is not in the Bible. (Genesis 22:1-19)
In the Binding of Isaac, the printed Bible describes a ram (adult) caught by its horns in a thicket. The miniseries depicts a juvenile lamb caught by its leg (Genesis 22:13)
After David's affair with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah the Hittite, he is confronted by Nathan. The series depicts David as resistant or even indignant, whereas in the printed Bible, David is remorseful for his sin and admits his guilt, leading him to write Psalm 51 and begs 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 printed Bible Jeremiah is captured, bound in chains and later released (Jeremiah 39:11-40:6)
The show depicts Daniel and his three compatriots being captured during the siege, when in fact, they were deported more than a decade before 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 printed Bible, the king orders the three to be thrown into a furnace that was heated seven times hotter than usual. In fact, the printed Bible describes the furnace as being so hot, that some of Nebuchadnezzar's "strongest soldiers" who threw them in there where killed by the flames while doing so. (Daniel 3:19-23)
The miniseries's depicts the prophet Isaiah as a contemporary of Daniel, living during the time of the Babylonian exile. This is a major inconsistency with the printed Bible as Isaiah prophesied that 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 he did, eventually, perform them all), and 80 years before the Jews were taken into exile meaning that Daniel, Cyrus and Isaiah could never had existed at the same. (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; and 45:13).
In the Nativity, the wise men are depicted as visiting the baby Jesus at the same time as the shepherds. In the printed Bible, the wise men and the shepherds visited at different times. (Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 2:8-20)
In the miniseries's depiction of the Temptation of Christ, the Devil took Jesus to a high mountain when he tempted Jesus to throw himself down. In the printed Bible, the Devil tempted Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. The high mountain was where the devil tempted Jesus to worship him. (Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13)
In the miniseries's account of the resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany, Jesus goes into the tomb where Lazarus is buried and breathes on him to bring him back to life. In the printed Bible, Jesus is outside of the tomb and calls for Lazarus to come out.

Look-a-like controversy

There have been claims of a resemblance of the character in the role of Satan (played by Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni) with U.S. President Barack Obama. The resemblance was first pointed out notably by Glenn Beck ahead of the episode's premiere.

This has led the History Channel to announce, </ref>}}

Burnett and Downey responded in a joint statement,

Downey added separately, </ref>}}

Awards and Nominations

The Bible has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards; Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie. Winners will be announced on September 22, 2013. The 44th GMA Dove Awards gave a tribute to the miniseries in October 2013.

Multimedia

Worldwide syndication

" History, March 3, 2013 " March 31, 2013
" History, March 3, 2013 " March 31, 2013
" Antena 3, March 25, 2013 " April -, 2013
" Caracol TV, March 28, 2013 " April -, 2013
" Canal 13, March 29, 2013 " April -, 2013
" SIC, March 30, 2013 " March 31, 2013
" ANT1, April 29, 2013 " May 4, 2013
" ANT1, April 29, 2013 " May 4, 2013
" Channel 5, autumn 2013
" Nine Network " Premiering July 16, 2013
" Rede Record " Premiering October 16, 2013
" Polsat - Premiering October 19, 2013
" TVB Pearl - Premiering November 6, 2013

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, which holds the home video rights due to its ties to its 1966 theatrical predecessor, The Bible: In the Beginning.

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.

The Bible: Music Inspired by the Epic Miniseries

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

In Your Eyes - Francesca Battistelli
Live Like That - Sidewalk Prophets
This Side of Heaven - Chris August
Starting Line - Jason Castro
Love Come To Life - Big Daddy Weave
Crave - for King & Country
Fearless - Group 1 Crew
What Love Means - Everfound
Home - Dara Maclean
Wash Me Away - Point of Grace
Not For a Moment (After All) - Meredith Andrews
Mary Did You Know - Kenny Rogers with Wynonna

Potential theatrical release

Mark Burnett announced in April 2013 that a three-hour version of The Bible is 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, will focus exclusively on the life of Jesus, and will run two hours and fifteen minutes. In September 2013, it was announced that 20th Century Fox will partner with Burnett on theatrical distribution, currently titled Son of God. In October 2013, it was announced that Son of God will be released on February 28, 2014.