The Story of the Twelve Apostles

Beginning with an exploration of the religious/political events surrounding the Roman occupation of Palestine in 63 B.C., this excellent A&E production briefly covers the birth of Jesus (sometime between 7 and 4 B.C.), the first century (ca. 27 A.D.) emergence of John the Baptist, and the selection of the Twelve Apostles (11 Galileans, 1 Judean), before taking a longer look at the Biblical accounts of Jesus' acts and his relationships with the apostles. The presentation really reaches its stride with its coverage of the post-Crucifixion period, during which Christianity began to coalesce and emerge from a post-Pentecostal Judaic movement called "The Way" into full-fledged Christianity. The video offers an exciting glimpse into the lives of the apostles--including the 'replacement' apostles--and their missionary works, and devotes significant time to the conversion of Paul, and his subsequent deeds and missions, as well as his role and influence in the institutionalization of the sect that became Christianity. Much of this information has been culled, by means of judicious analysis, from an important body of literature known as the "apocryphal acts of the apostles." Featuring characteristically superb narration by Martin Sheen and compelling live action re-enactments, the program also employs a wide range of art masterpieces to illustrate its story. Extremely informative, useful, and accessible to a wide variety of age groups, this is highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (M. Rechel)