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? 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. Describe a pencil. The implications of Mary living in the "Red Quarter" are still there. I also suggest setting expectations for the first episode. Yes, there are plenty of women who show up in the Gospels. 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. Later Jewish tradition described a demonic figure known as Lilith in a variety of ways. Many Christians still memorize this passage to remind them of how God is always with us, even in the most difficult trials. Why do you think they were removed? [SPOILERS] what is Jordan Peele's 'Nope' about? Dallas Jenkins (Director) is not Catholic, but - in my mind - makes the best Christian films I have seen anywhere. However, some scholars believe the word would be better translated as demoness and see it is a reference to a Mesopotamian spiritual being. In the modern vernacular, a "red light district" is a term that refers to an area of the city known for prostitution, strip clubs, and other immoral establishments. For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits. Why do you think The Chosen depicted Mary as a prostitute? In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. LOTR, Harry Potter), In [adaptation], can you think of some characters or stories that were added by the film? 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. Later Jewish tradition described a demonic figure known as Lilith in a variety of ways. But she was not possessed by one as the movie mentioned but by many. She was a witness of Jesus' crucifixion and burial (Mark 15:40-47) and also the first person to discover the empty tomb, witness the resurrected Jesus, and share the good news with the disciples (John 20:1-18). Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. 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. Thank you! 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." 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. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. For Mary's actual fall, it felt like the show was trying too hard to keep her character PG. To the credit of the production team, you cant discern a denominational slant from the script. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. In The Chosen, Nicodemus meets Mary Magdalene in Season 1, Episode 1. Until Jesus shows up, some youth may find the show a little slow. The episode with the woman at the well in the season finale could have been an interesting opportunity to bring her character into conflict with the other male disciples, but this opportunity was also missed. I will definitely continue watching it then, I just wanted to make sure! One challenge that film adaptations of Jesus' life need to overcome is the lack of significant female characters. What do you think Mary's life was like before Jesus showed up? Unfortunately, because Mary's change happens so quickly, her character goes from being pretty dynamic in episodes 1-2 to being a pretty flat in the remainder of the season. I think the producer said he wanted to do eight seasons total. 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. Meanwhile, in the youth ministry that I lead, I had the chance to view and discuss season one of The Chosen with several high schoolers and found it very fruitful. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. 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. (the Lord), Who is it that says these words in the show? **Update: I explore the origin of the name "Lilith" in my recent post **. (Jesus), What about Jesus' identity does this hint at? Although there's nothing in the Gospels that suggests that these two figures should be linked together, Mary mistakenly became identified with the forgiven prostitute in the interpretative tradition of the Western Church. (Plots & Theme), Episode 2 Guide: Philip, Nathanael, & Matthew, Episode 3 Guide: Life Among the Disciples of Jesus, Episode 4 Guide: Simon the Zealot & the Man at the Bethesda Pool, Episode 5 Guide: Mary's Demons & the Destiny of John the Baptist, Episode 8 Guide: Judas, Matthew, & the Sermon on the Mount, Episode 1 Guide: Mary Magdalene, Lilith, and the Redeemer, Episode 2 Guide: Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and Shabbat, Episode 3 Guide: Depicting Jesus in Art, Film, and TV, Episode 4 Guide: When Jesus Met Simon (Peter), Episode 6 Guide: Jesus, Shmuel, & the Pharisees. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. 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. (he calls her by her name), How does this connect to what happened in episode 1? All four Gospels suggest Mary was the first witness of the resurrected Jesus (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-11, and John 20:1-18). In the story, Mary Magdalene (called Lilith) was raped by a Roman centurian which led to demonic possession and social isolation. 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. This is symbolically tied to her encounter with another demon, Belial, who calls Mary Lilith, asserting the continued existence and power of her old identity. The important role that Mary Magdalene plays in The Chosen is not nearly as surprising as that of Nicodemus. 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. Lilith here could just mean demon possessed. Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. 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. 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. As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Why do you think the creators added them? As COVID drags on and winter sets in, if you're looking for a good activity to do online with your youth group, you might want to consider doing a series of The Chosen Viewing Parties like this. This passage is one of the few appearances of Mary Magdalene in the Gospels. To recap: in Episode 5 of Season 2, Mary begins to experience PTSD tied to the trauma of her rape by a Roman solider (implied very quickly in Episode 1 Season 1). I hope I better can temper myself. It's certainly not, Due to COVID restrictions, my youth group watched The Chosen online using Zoom. 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. Over time, the Western artistic tradition repeatedly depicted Mary as a prostitute and the mistaken association got stuck in the cultural consciousness. [SPOILERS] Is the Jon Snow spin-off really such a good idea? In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was raped. 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. The Gospels never refer to Mary as Lilith. What's disappointing is that it doesn't delve too far into the implications of this. I hope you enjoy them! There are also characters and stories from the Gospels that the creators have left out. Having offered some criticism, I will say that the scene of Jesus forgiving Mary was moving. There was just a hint of judgment in Episode 7, but it gets brushed aside way too quickly, given the cultural expectations. That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. The trauma of her rape is hinted at again in Season 2, Episode 5, and is the trigger that causes Mary to backslide. In The Chosen, when we first Mary Magdalene in Season 1 Episode 1, she has already been possessed by evil spirits for some time. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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). And we also just had fun chatting about random stuff, like how Quintus was totally fitting the stereotype of the evil bald guy. 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! More importantly, allowing some of the disciples to judge Mary a bit more would have added more tension and could have fueled future arcs. /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. Have my posts about Bible adaptation helped you learn more about the Bible and explore it with your ministry or family? In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. Mary Magdalene was a female disciple who traveled with Jesus during his ministry (Luke 8:1-3). Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. 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), 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. 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