History Channel // 2007 // 1034 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Judge David Johnson // November 8th, 2007
...it's the book for me!
A&E blows the lid off of the all-time bestselling publication in human history. No, I'm not talking about Captain Underpants. It's the Bible silly. This humongous set that would give Leviathan pause packs over 17 hours worth of Judeo-Christian exegesis into seven stuffed discs and will test the tensile strength of even the most well-read religious man's DVD storage unit.
Here's what awaits on this set:
Disc One
"Abraham: One Man, One God"
The story
of Abraham and the founding of the covenant with God.
"Herod the Great"
That bastard who killed all those kids
looking for the Messiah.
"The 10 Commandments"
You know them, you love them, The Top
10 Rules to Live By get the spotlight.
Bonus: "The Lost Ark"
A historical look at what Indy yearns
for.
Runtime: 141 minutes
Disc Two
"Jacob's Ladder"
The man who wrestled
with an angel in all of his birthright-stealing, fake-arm-hair-having glory.
"Joseph: Master of Dreams"
It sounds like a David
Copperfield special, but this program looks at the Technicolor dreamcoat Old
Testament figure.
"Cain and Abel"
Wow, they filled 4 5minutes with this? The
brothers who started the whole murder thing.
"Queen Esther: Far Away and Long Ago"
One of the female
heavy-hitters from the Old Testament and a major figure in Judaism gets the
History Channel treatment.
Runtime: 188 minutes
Disc Three
"King Solomon"
Wise and horny, one
of the great kings of Israel has his life put under the microscope.
"King David: Poet Warrior"
Philistine-slaughterer
extraordinaire, the stud king's life is set out on display, warts and all.
"The Last Revolt"
A look at the cataclysmic battle between
the Jews and the Romans in 70 A.D. that led to the complete destruction of the
temple.
"Archenemy: The Philistines"
So who were these guys, besides
the Stormtroopers of the Old Testament?
Runtime: 188 minutes
Disc Four
"Jesus: Holy Child"
A portrait of The
Man.
"The Execution of Jesus"
The most pivotal moment in
Christianity -- and arguably human history -- gets the treatment.
Bonus: "The Shroud of Turin"
Ugh.
Runtime: 94 minutes
Disc Five
"The Lost Years of Jesus"
Things get
speculative here when experts sniff around the missing parts of Jesus's
life.
"The Last Supper"
Judas, bread, wine, all of it gets the
expert rundown.
"Paul the Apostle"
The guy who helped propel Christianity
into the mainstream receives an exhaustive biography.
Runtime: 141 minutes
Disc Six
"The Bible's Greatest Secrets"
Finally
revealed!
"Biblical Angels"
More an Unsolved Mysteries episode
than a super-serious look at the chorus of Heavenly Hosts.
"Heaven and Hell"
The afterlife: and what it means for your
weekend! An examination of the claims of the eternal in Biblical orthodoxy.
"Apocalypse: The Puzzle of Revelation"
Experts hurt their
brains and yours dissecting the most confusing book in the Bible.
Runtime: 188 minutes
Disc Seven
"Magic and Miracles"
A juxtaposition
of Biblical miracles and references to magic in scripture.
"Prophets: Soul Catchers"
It sounds like the debut album of
an '80s hair band, but this program is in fact a study of the major Old
Testament conduits to God.
Bonus: "The Quest for the Holy Lance"
An interesting bit of
history about the spear that pierced Jesus's side.
Runtime: 94 minutes
Lots of stuff here, enough to keep anyone interested in diving into the history of the Bible busy for a long, long time. The programs are fairly dated, but the information is still solid. Any out-of-date knowledge, the Shroud of Turin bits for example, could easily be supplemented with a cursory Google search.
Each show is segmented into "Acts," tackling a different angle of the show's focus. Expert testimony, from all sides of the faith gamut, are culled and the contributions of the teachers/researchers/scientists are supplemented with dramatic recreations, archaeological and real-world locale footage and an amazing amount of classical artwork. It's a tried-and-true method and serves this presentation well.
My favorite program? "Heaven and Hell," a controversial and divisive topic and the filmmakers pit two ecclesiastical sides against each other, Evangelical Protestant and Roman Catholic. Oh yeah, it was a sweet smackdown.
Despite the age of the features, this is still a robust set featuring hours and hours and hours of Biblical grist to pore over. Recommended for budding Bible scholars.
The full frame video quality is lacking as the transfers certainly show their age; I can't imagine a VHS version of these shows being much worse in fact. Audio is 2.0 stereo. See the disc-by-disc breakdown for the list of bonus programs.
Review content copyright © 2007 David Johnson; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2013 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Judgment: 80
Perp Profile
Studio: History Channel
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
Subtitles:
* None
Running Time: 1034 Minutes
Release Year: 2007
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks
* Bonus Programs
Accomplices
* Official Site
http://www.aetv.com