[.ca] PBS: From Jesus to Christ - The First Christians

From Amazon.com:
Becoming a Christian at the beginning of the first millennium was a sure-fire way to get transplanted to the outer fringe of society and expose oneself to an unprecedented level of intolerance. Times were harsh and this rising renegade sect of Judaism had more then their share of obstacles to overcome. These men and women were forced to wrestle with their Jewish faith and traditions and confront the Romans and their "zero tolerance" policy during the Pax Romana, while facing infighting among the various Christian sects about how to interpret and understand the teachings of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Frontline's From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians is not a tale of joy, peace, and acceptance but of the perseverance of the early Christians, whose daily lives were shaded with conflict as they struggled to practice and spread their newfound faith. From Jesus to Christ recounts the life of Jesus Christ, the events that occurred after he died, and the hardships his first followers faced while teaching his message. The story is told not from a religious angle per se, but is effectively presented in a historical, sociological, and humanistic manner by today's leading New Testament academics. Drawing on the latest, and often controversial, historical evidence and interviews, the documentary vividly transports the viewer back to the times of the Christians whose belief, conviction, and martyrdom would create the movement that would turn the Roman Empire upside down in the next three centuries. --Rob Bracco

Necessary Viewing:
I thoroughly enjoyed this program and highly recommend it. I have watched this video no less than a dozen times. It is comprehensive and tells the story of how Christianity began and evolved. It is interesting to note that many of the "experts" are not Clergy. They are College Professors and researchers who have a unique insight into the factual and researched evidence that provide the basis for the Christian faith. This program presents facts in a perspective that coincides with the mindset in the times in which they took place. We figuratively travel back in time with some outstanding commentary and perspective from a bevy of well spoken, factually prepared intellectuals who not only tell the story itself but give perspective on the story tellers, what their interests were and also what was historically going on at that time. I found the perspectives given stregnthened my faith. I found this program devoid of an agenda and solely interested in telling a profound story that has transcended the ages. I recommend this program to anyone who is on a faith journed to understanding the roots of their faith. It will provide for compelling viewing.

Great Enlightening Video:
This is a truthful and enlightening video. Seemingly all people proclaiming to be Christians can learn so much from even "fundamentalist" if they open their mind to the historical research instead of only listening to their Church and their filtered interpretations of the bible. What other evidence is out there about Jesus besides what the bible tells us? Who really wrote the bible and why do the scholars think as they do. This video shares some of these insights and presents them in an easily understandable form. I wish there were more Jesus videos done in this type of presentation.

Dull and biased - but gets better as it progresses:
I found the first part of this documentary so aggravating and unrelievedly dull that it was a pain to watch. Here were a bunch of know-it-all scholars, all of whom seemed to slant to the left and who viewed Christianity as an engaging myth and Christ as a sort of socio-political hero. (Just take a look at the title - it is implied that Jesus was just a village carpenter who was deified after his death). But as I watched the later parts - particularly the one dealing with the Gospels, the Jewish revolts, and the early Church - my interest was captured and I learned quite a lot. Perhaps this video as a whole would have been better without the first part (dealing with Christ's life and death). Yes, this video is strictly from a historical-sociological point of view, and I don't think that any truly religious viewpoints are represented. But even if you are a believing Christian of any denomination (I happen to be a Catholic), you could learn something from this video. But I stand firm on the absolute DULLNESS and monotony of the background music.

Dull and biased - but gets better as it progresses:
I found the first part of this documentary so aggravating and unrelievedly dull that it was a pain to watch. Here were a bunch of know-it-all scholars, all of whom seemed to lean to the left and who viewed Christianity as an engaging myth and Christ as a sort of socio-political hero. (Just take a look at the title - it is implied that Christ was just a village carpenter who was deified after his death). But as I watched the later parts - particularly the one dealing with the Gospels, the Jewish revolts, and the early Church - my interest was captured and I learned quite a lot. Perhaps this video would have been better without the first part (dealing with Christ's life and death). Yes, this video is strictly from a historical-sociological point of view. But even if you are a believing Christian of any denomination (I happen to be a Catholic) you could learn something from this video. But I stand firm on the absolute DULLNESS and monotony of the background music.

Biased and dull - but gets better as it progresses:
I found the first part of this documentary so aggravating and unrelievedly dull that it was a pain to watch. Here were a bunch of know-it-all scholars, all of whom seemed to slant to the left and who viewed Christianity as an engaging myth and Christ as a sort of socio-political hero. But as I watched the later parts - particularly the one dealing with the Gospels, the Jewish revolts, and the early Church - my interest was captured and I learned quite a lot. Perhaps this video as a whole would have been better without the first part (dealing with Christ's life and death). Yes, this video is strictly from a historical-sociological point of view, and I don't think any truly religious viewpoints are represented. But even if you are a believing Christian of any denomination (I happen to be a Catholic) you could learn something from this video. But I stand firm on the absolute DULLNESS and monotony of the background music.