why is mary magdalene called lilith in the chosen

She struggles to believe that she can be accepted after falling back into her old life but Jesus forgives her and the disciples embrace her. I wouldn't take too long discussing these questions. Episode 1 depicts how she got these demons cast out of her by Jesus. Why do you think the creators added them? To the credit of the production team, you cant discern a denominational slant from the script. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. In The Chosen, Mary Magdalene is played by Elizabeth Tabish. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. However, a post by the official Twitter account for The Chosen claims that Mary is not being portrayed as a prostitute. The trauma of her rape is hinted at again in Season 2, Episode 5, and is the trigger that causes Mary to backslide. 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. Over time, the Western artistic tradition repeatedly depicted Mary as a prostitute and the mistaken association got stuck in the cultural consciousness. Her name always was Mary, but through her past of turmoil, mental illness, rape, or whatever else caused her to be mentally tortured, she led everyone to believe she was Lilith. Have my posts about Bible adaptation helped you learn more about the Bible and explore it with your ministry or family? Literally none of that is in Scripture or sacred tradition and that bothers me! In Episode 6, Jesus sends Peter and Matthew to find Mary and bring her back. I take comments made by The Chosen Twitter account with a grain of salt, especially since they are most likely made by digital marketers and not the actual creators of The Chosen. For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits. [Update: In the comments below, an astute reader pointed me to a post by the official Twitter for The Chosen, which claims Mary is not being portrayed as a prostitute. Its not perfect, but its a pretty great start. we first meet her as a client flees her place in "the Red Quarter"), but it's relatively disinterested in depicting what her life as a prostitute was actually like. Be that as it may, the Gospel of Luke tells us that there were women who went Jesus and names Mary Magdalene among them (Luke 8:1-3). Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (Luke 8:1-3) and a story about a prostitute (Luke 7:36-50). I also suggest setting expectations for the first episode. The Gospels don't tell us very much about what these women do, with the significant exception of the burial and resurrection, but this provides leeway for female characters to play a more significant role throughout the ministry of Jesus and not just when they are mentioned. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. ***Update: Learn more about the origin of "Lilith" in my recent post ***. Do you believe Jesus knows you by name? In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her evil spirits. I hope you enjoy them! In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was raped. Without getting too detailed, I found it helpful to get my youth thinking about what adaptations are and how they work. Click here for my affiliation policy. There are also characters and stories from the Gospels that the creators have left out. Jesus heals her evil spirit(s) at the end of Episode 1. (for LOTR: Arwen's bigger role, some action scenes. I think Mary went by Lilith when she came to Magdala, not scripturally speaking, but for the story line. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. 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). However, I'll acknowledge that what the show is suggesting about Mary's past life is certainly open to interpretation.]. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. 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), The Chosen Season 3 Episode 3: Recap, Review, & Analysis, 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. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. By. 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. As a result, adaptations of the Gospels from previous generations place a greater emphasis on how Jesus calls Mary to repent and brings about her moral transformation. I have Bible studies/discussion guides for each episode of The Chosen Seasons 1-3, blogs exploring how The Chosen adapts key biblical figures, and articles exploring the controversial nature of adaptation. More importantly, allowing some of the disciples to judge Mary a bit more would have added more tension and could have fueled future arcs. 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. I think the producer said he wanted to do eight seasons total. [SPOILERS] what is Jordan Peele's 'Nope' about? 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. To clarify why the creators would want to add new characters and stories and leave some stories out, you could ask the following questions: What are some other popular adaptations of books into film or television? Dallas Jenkins (Director) is not Catholic, but - in my mind - makes the best Christian films I have seen anywhere. This association with prostitution opens a variety of directions for adaptations to take in their portrayal of her, especially given the affection Jesus shows for her (John 20). The first passage is regarding Mary Magdalene (Lilith): In case you didn't catch it, at the end of The Chosen episode 1 we discover that the character called Lilith for most of the episode is actually named Mary Magdalene. Initially Mary doesn't recognize Jesus. An adaptation like The Chosen isn't meant to replace the Bible; it's meant to drive us deeper into the Bible and spiritual reflection. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. I offer my work for free and rely on the generous support of readers like you. Im not sure many people caught this, but when Jesus follows Mary outside, he calls to her saying, Mary of Magdala! Mary then turns around, dropping her jar and says to him, How do you know my name? I think one could make sense of the Mary/Lilith name in that scene alone. So you have to watch past the first couple episodes to get to the good ones. Catholic priest burned to death, another shot in north Press J to jump to the feed. But why does Mary Magdalene get all the attention and not Joanna or Susanna, who are also mentioned? It's a great comfort in the midst of the pandemic and other turmoil. /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. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. This comes out powerfully in the first Episode like to show you why is mary magdalene called lilith in the chosen here. To recap: in, One other thing - the show could have allowed some of the disciples (like John) to go a bit further in being judgmental toward after her return. every time a new character showed up. Over the past year, we've been exploring how The Chosen adapts biblical characters like Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, Peter, Andrew, Matthew, Jesus, and the Romans. It is an excellent form of Lectio Divina. 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. Later Jewish tradition described a demonic figure known as Lilith in a variety of ways. 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 Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. She becomes too perfect and seems to have no ongoing struggles in her faith like Peter or Andrew. Anyway, I love the series. We turned it into a bit of a game, where one of my youth would constantly ask "Is that Jesus?" I will definitely continue watching it then, I just wanted to make sure! In The Chosen, Nicodemus meets Mary Magdalene in Season 1, Episode 1. For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits. In The Chosen, we see a brief flashback during Season 1, Episode 1 that strongly implies that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. He attempts to heal her and exorcise the evil spirit in her, but he is unsuccessful and concludes that she is beyond hope. It's certainly not, Due to COVID restrictions, my youth group watched The Chosen online using Zoom. (he calls her by name at the end when he heals her). The Chosen isn't trying to mess with the Bible. When making the Chosen, he is advised by a Catholic Priest, Rabbi, and Evangelical Pastor. In my opinion it works. . In The Chosen, Nicodemus meets Mary Magdalene in Season 1, Episode 1. This passage is one of the few appearances of Mary Magdalene in the Gospels. And we also just had fun chatting about random stuff, like how Quintus was totally fitting the stereotype of the evil bald guy. One challenge that film adaptations of Jesus' life need to overcome is the lack of significant female characters. Although we'll have to wait in order to understand fully what the show wants us to conclude, this could be a subtle and effective way to show how Jesus' ability to heal and save is ultimately grounded in his willingness to die and rise again. Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. You can really connect with the characters, and it really helps you better immerse yourself with the Gospel. Just like one day Mary Magdalene will be caught up in despair because she can't find Jesus' body, she's caught up in despair at her own situation. The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. As it was, we didn't really get a good sense of why Mary responded the way she did. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. 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. 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. 1 ) Kathleen McGowan Kindle Edition are three Christian Goddesses, making up a female.! What distinguishes Mary from the other women, however, is her association with prostitution. This story was invented by The Chosen for the purposes of the plot. Nicodemus was brought in to perform an exorcism on her but failed, making him question the fullness of the Law. Describe a pencil. If you try it out, please let me know how it goes and if you have any feedback! Thank you! Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? What distinguishes Mary from the other women, however, is her association with prostitution. In a previous era of Hollywood Mary's status as a prostitute made her exotic and intriguing. 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." There you go! I can appreciate what theyre trying to do with the show: Theyre taking their time to build your relationship with the characters and to delve into some of the backstory so that everyone becomes a three-dimensional person, not just a mumbling zombie foil for Jesus. 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. (he calls her by her name), How does this connect to what happened in episode 1? This shift in our societal understanding of the sex trade has changed the significance of Mary's supposed role as a prostitute. The Chosen Season 3: What to Expect & How to Watch, The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 & Episode 2: Reaction and Analysis, The Chosen Season 3 Episode 3: Recap, Review, & Analysis, The Chosen Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2: Questions to Discuss Before the Premiere, Preparing for The Chosen Season 3: 7 Episodes to Watch, I am the Law of Moses (The Chosen Season 3 Controversy), Little James in The Chosen & Scripture ***Season 3***, Judas in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Matthew in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Simon and Andrew in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Lilith, Demons, & Evil Spirits in The Chosen, Simon the Zealot & Nathanael in The Chosen, Quintus, Gaius, and the Romans in The Chosen. Explain: The Chosen is a multi-season streaming series that's adapting the four Gospels. For Mary's actual fall, it felt like the show was trying too hard to keep her character PG. Having offered some criticism, I will say that the scene of Jesus forgiving Mary was moving. The ancient name Lilith derives from a Sumerian word for female demons or wind spirits. Im not a person who cries during Jesus movies, but Ive cried several times during this series, because you can just feel the humanity of the scenes and everything is ten times more relatable. I admire your comment. (the Lord), Who is it that says these words in the show? The important role that Mary Magdalene plays in The Chosen is not nearly as surprising as that of Nicodemus. While watching the show, I made occasional comments through the chat but I tried to not do too much teaching - I wanted the youth to enjoy The Chosen and not just see it as an elaborate preaching illustration. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. Your contributions mean so much. When they are engaged in sin, it's often a result of their difficult circumstances or their status as outsiders, and so what they primarily need is love and acceptance, not forgiveness and repentance. Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus. Yes, we see that Jesus had warm and empowering relationships with females. Your contributions mean so much. Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene fell back into sin, backslid, or left Jesus. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. See a Roman centurion fill Lilith/Mary s sight, a suggestion that the woman have. 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. The Chosen seems to be hinting that Mary is a prostitute (e.g. And to be fair, there isnt a whole lot of backstory for any of the disciples in the Bible, so its not a surprise the writers filled in the blanks with some artistic license. 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. There are a few Bible passages that I thought were helpful to discuss the first episode of The Chosen. (for LOTR: Tom Bombadil. [Spoilers] Did anyone else misinterpret the HotD Finale? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. And just like one day Mary Magdalene will be the first witness to the risen Jesus (perhaps to Nicodemus as well as the disciples), the show also makes her the first witness that we see in action. Dallas mentioned how some viewers didn't like that Mary fell back into old ways, which seems ridiculous, but just goes to show how out of touch some people are with both real life and how stories work. 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. (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. You can also purchase the DVDs of season 1 on Amazon if you're worried about trying to stream & do Zoom at the same time. In The Chosen, when we first Mary Magdalene in Season 1 Episode 1, she has already been possessed by evil spirits for some time. Click here for my affiliation policy. The specific demon is not named in Scripture. 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! Later Jewish tradition described a demonic figure known as Lilith in a variety of ways. The creators of The Chosen probably chose this name because it is associated with demons in Jewish traditions. She is clearly sleeping with a man out of wedlock when the episode begins and they are sleeping together in "the Red Quarter" - a sleazy part of town. Thats as far off-script as they go for the rest of the season, everything else is pretty true to a harmonized Gospel narrative. She is clearly sleeping with a man out of wedlock when the episode begins and they are sleeping together in "the Red Quarter" - a sleazy part of town. Until Jesus shows up, some youth may find the show a little slow. The Bible never mentions "the Red Quarter." Many characters and stories are based on events in the Gospels, but there are also characters and events that the creators made up to tie things together. There was just a hint of judgment in, Mary Magdalene was a female disciple who traveled with Jesus during his ministry (, All four Gospels suggest Mary was the first witness of the resurrected Jesus (, The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. Just before Luke introduces us to Mary Magdalene, he tells a story about a prostitute that Jesus forgives (, 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. Over time, the label stuck and now many adaptations depict her this way. If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. 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? It's odd? She is clearly sleeping with a man out of wedlock when the episode begins and they are sleeping together in "the Red Quarter" - a sleazy part of town. However, some scholars believe the word would be better translated as demoness and see it is a reference to a Mesopotamian spiritual being. Have my posts about Bible adaptation helped you learn more about the Bible and explore it with your ministry or family? If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. After sharing that information, you can ask: What stuck out to you about Mary Magdalene's depiction in The Chosen? Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? Yes, there are plenty of women who show up in the Gospels. I agree with the Twitter post that the show clearly depicts Mary as a victim of rape/sexual assault, but prostitutes often are victims of rape and sexual assault. It's also strange that we never actually return back to the fact that Mary was having PTSD - Jesus forgives her fall but doesn't say anything about her ongoing suffering (perhaps that's a storyline for a future season). I have Bible studies/discussion guides for each episode of The Chosen Seasons 1-3, blogs exploring how The Chosen adapts key biblical figures, and articles exploring the controversial nature of adaptation. 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. Hopefully these questions will prove helpful as you watch episode 1 of The Chosen with your youth group. Thank you! One day (hopefully) we viewers will get our first glimpse of the resurrected Jesus as we follow Mary to the empty tomb. I hope you enjoy them! The creators of The Chosen have published interactive Bible Studies that are meant to explore some of the Scripture and biblical themes that inspired Season 1 and help viewers apply them to everyday life. Still, at the end of the day, the 12 disciples who get the most screen time in the Gospels are all males. However, In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene fell back into sin, backslid, or left Jesus. The Chosen invents this story to illustrate biblical teachings about Jesus' grace and forgiveness. 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. Have you seen other examples of how Jesus can show up suddenly and change someone's life in a big way? The Chosen does the "misunderstood reject rather than sinner" quite a bit in Season 1, but I think it's a sensible direction for Mary's character. Episode 8 Guide: The Woman at the Well, Eden, & Zohara, Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers, The Chosen Season 2 Controversy (Jesus, the Bible, & the Process of Inspiration), Should Nicodemus Kneel? 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.
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