The Bible miniseries big on action but totally lacking depth
Last Sunday night I watched The Bible on the History Channel. I felt I had a professional responsibility to form a considered opinion on the show in the likely event that my students or others might ask me what I thought. And indeed, I have a considered opinion. The show might be entertaining. It might be compelling cinema. But it is not the Bible. Future consumers of the show, especially those who refer to or rely on the Bible in a public or religious context, might best be warned.
This first of five two- hour episodes took the viewer from creation in Genesis to the beginning of the entrance into the Promised Land in the book of Joshua. The plot line is based in the biblical story, but plays freely with content. The script paraphrases the Bible, not using direct quotes so we never hear what the Bible itself says. This is a conspicuous loss in a miniseries entitled The Bible. Rather than helping the public appreciate the distinctive phrasing and lovely intonation of biblical storytelling, we got mediocre writing.
Biblical storytelling is succinct and structured to convey only the essentials of story and character in the service of deep reflections about God, human nature, the relationship between God and humans, and relationships among humans. In contrast, the show exaggerates emotion at the exact places where the Bible practices restraint. The show’s portrayal of the sacrifice of Isaac ( Genesis 22) seemed designed to exploit Abraham’s heart- wrenching suffering, even including a non- biblical scene of Sarah running, screaming to try to save her son. This depiction completely undermines the intensity of the biblical text that never lets us know what Abraham is thinking or feeling. Rather than helping the public appreciate the myriad of thoughtprovoking questions the Bible evokes, we are told exactly what to feel.
Of course, lots is left out — if you’re going to cover the whole Bible in 10 hours, you’ve got to cut something. But in scenes that are included, the show left out critical parts of the biblical story. The deliverance from slavery in Egypt ( Exodus 12- 15) was reduced to an exciting but one- sided focus on the contest between the Pharaoh and Moses and the escape. Nowhere did the scene hint at the festival of unleavened bread or a depiction of the people’s destination to worship God or the psalm- like singing that celebrated God’s victory. Rather than helping the audience understand the intricate ways memories were preserved in the traditions of ancient Israel, we got a CGI effects action movie.
What I found disconcerting is what the creators of the show found necessary to add to the storyline. People often think the Old Testament is very violent, but biblical storytellers never dwell on or give descriptions of violent actions. An entire war can be fought in a single sentence.
In contrast, this two- hour show contained three extended scenes of sword fighting and bloody body parts. For example, the biblical story of Sodom ( Genesis 19) recounts the city’s dramatic fiery destruction in one verse. The show invented a scene where God’s messengers enter the city to engage in ferocious street fighting, complete with a Samurai- like twohanded sword fighter. Rather than focus on biblical meditations on the motives, characters and events that feed human violence, we got moves reminiscent of the movie Kill Bill.
My fear is that this show demeans and undermines the deep richness of biblical storytelling and biblical faith while it misleads and exploits viewers into believing a story crafted for maximum emotion and minimal thought. That’s not the Bible.