why is mary magdalene called lilith in the chosen

In the passage, who is it that says, "I have called you by name"? 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. 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. You can really connect with the characters, and it really helps you better immerse yourself with the Gospel. When making the Chosen, he is advised by a Catholic Priest, Rabbi, and Evangelical Pastor. In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was raped. Interestingly, The King of Kings (1927) also uses Mary Magdalene to introduce us to Jesus for the first time. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Luke briefly describes how Mary Magdalene was exorcised by Jesus and became one of his traveling followers (Luke 8:1-3). Anyway, I love the series. The creators of The Chosen probably chose this name because it is associated with demons in Jewish traditions. In Episode 6, Jesus sends Peter and Matthew to find Mary and bring her back. The important role that Mary Magdalene plays in The Chosen is not nearly as surprising as that of Nicodemus. The episode with the woman at the well in the season finale could have been an interesting opportunity to bring her character into conflict with the other male disciples, but this opportunity was also missed. Below I'll share an outline describing how to do a Viewing Party for The Chosen Episode 1 (I Have Called You by Name). 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 hope I better can temper myself. They speak to different audiences & look good on screen), Can you think of characters or stories that the film left out? The Chosen introduces a lot of characters and expects us to just keep up. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. You can find episode one, The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. 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. (he calls her by her name), How does this connect to what happened in episode 1? After Mary's encounter with Jesus, we never really get to see her deal with her former life. It is an excellent form of Lectio Divina. 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? Hopefully these questions will prove helpful as you watch episode 1 of The Chosen with your youth group. In the modern vernacular, a "red light district" is a term that refers to an area of the city known for prostitution, strip clubs, and other immoral establishments. 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. ***Update: Learn more about the origin of "Lilith" in my recent post ***. If you try it out, please let me know how it goes and if you have any feedback! Still, at the end of the day, the 12 disciples who get the most screen time in the Gospels are all males. In The Chosen, Mary Magdalene is played by Elizabeth Tabish. 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. 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). By noting how Mary is in the "Red Quarter", The Chosen is implying that she is a prostitute. Due to COVID restrictions, my youth group watched The Chosen online using Zoom. There you go! 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." This allows the show to be more family friendly, but it also weakens the narrative that the show is telling about Jesus' compassion and pity. However, Jesus knew her real name. 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. According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus cleansed her of seven demons, and she financially aided him in Galilee. Just long enough to make this point: Adaptations often add, change, and leave out details, because what works in a book isn't always the same as what works in television or film. 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. 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). The Bible never mentions "the Red Quarter." I would have introduced her PTSD much earlier in the season, giving her more space to try to struggle with it on her own before eventually falling back into her old life. Yes, there are plenty of women who show up in the Gospels. Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus. (he is God). There are also characters and stories from the Gospels that the creators have left out. [SPOILERS] what is Jordan Peele's 'Nope' about? The Bible never mentions "the Red Quarter." Just before Luke introduces us to Mary Magdalene, he tells a story about a prostitute that Jesus forgives (Luke 7:36-50). 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. Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. However, some scholars believe the word would be better translated as demoness and see it is a reference to a Mesopotamian spiritual being. 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. What distinguishes Mary from the other women, however, is her association with prostitution. The implications of Mary living in the "Red Quarter" are still there. In The Chosen, when we first Mary Magdalene in Season 1 Episode 1, she has already been possessed by an evil spirit, Lilith, for some time. EDIT: To more specifically address your question about Mary Magdalene, my intuition is that they chose the name Lilith because few viewers are likely to know the name, and so therefore wont confuse her with another Bible character before her true identity is revealed. Thus, when Jesus first encounters Mary, what he offers her isn't forgiveness for her life of prostitution; it's relief from the oppressive demons that drove her to the type of life that she's lived. The Chosen invents this story to illustrate biblical teachings about Jesus' grace and forgiveness. In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her 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. 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. 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). In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. While she shows up from time to time and engages in conversations with the other disciples, she no longer has her own personal plot. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Thats as far off-script as they go for the rest of the season, everything else is pretty true to a harmonized Gospel narrative. There are a few Bible passages that I thought were helpful to discuss the first episode of The Chosen. I will definitely continue watching it then, I just wanted to make sure! I think Mary went by Lilith when she came to Magdala, not scripturally speaking, but for the story line. 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 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. 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. 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. In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. I found that my youth struggled to sort out the different characters, so you might want to do a quick slide show of the key characters using the character images I've included throughout this post. Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (Luke 8:1-3). 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. Consider how the show depicts Jesus' first appearance. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. Normally I wouldn't care but this is a movie about Jesus, and if the people behind it are trying to do good, but it is a great disservice for me to bad-mouth it until the full plot is revealed. Also the guy who plays Jesus is Catholic, which is kind of cool. 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? Click here for my affiliation policy. We turned it into a bit of a game, where one of my youth would constantly ask "Is that Jesus?" You may want to warn students beforehand that this episode contains some demonic activity. One challenge that film adaptations of Jesus' life need to overcome is the lack of significant female characters. 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. (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. The creators of The Chosen have published a series of interactive Bible Studies that help viewers explore some of the Scripture and biblical themes that inspired the show. Later Jewish tradition described a demonic figure known as Lilith in a variety of ways. Nicodemus was brought in to perform an exorcism on her but failed, making him question the fullness of the Law. When he encounters her again in Season 1 Episode 2, he is surprised to discover that she has been completely healed and is free of the evil spirits. I've condensed the lesson into an easily printable pdf below. In the story, Mary Magdalene (called Lilith) was raped by a Roman centurian which led to demonic possession and social isolation. I love this series. 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. Explain: The Chosen is a multi-season streaming series that's adapting the four Gospels. As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. **Update: I explore the origin of the name "Lilith" in my recent post **. More importantly, allowing some of the disciples to judge Mary a bit more would have added more tension and could have fueled future arcs. Click here for my affiliation policy. That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits. 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. Until Jesus shows up, some youth may find the show a little slow. These parallels are more than a neat bit of foreshadowing. The second passage is the Scripture that Mary has written down: This passage that Mary's father taught her is from the Book of Isaiah. Catholic Christianity offers the world the fullness of the Christian Faith. The creators make changes in order to adapt the biblical stories to TV. Have you seen other examples of how Jesus can show up suddenly and change someone's life in a big way? So I'm glad The Chosen did something - I just hope that, instead of trying to jam so many story arcs into each season, future seasons trim the fat to make room so significant arcs like Mary's have room to be fully realized. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. Over time, the Western artistic tradition repeatedly depicted Mary as a prostitute and the mistaken association got stuck in the cultural consciousness. Many Christians still memorize this passage to remind them of how God is always with us, even in the most difficult trials. Episode 7 Guide: Did Nicodemus Follow Jesus? 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. 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. [SPOILERS] Is the Jon Snow spin-off really such a good idea? In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene fell back into sin, backslid, or left Jesus. However, In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene fell back into sin, backslid, or left Jesus. [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. In The Chosen, we see a brief flashback during Season 1, Episode 1 that strongly implies that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. The creators of The Chosen probably chose this name because it is associated with demons in Jewish traditions. I hope you enjoy them! 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. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. However, I'll acknowledge that what the show is suggesting about Mary's past life is certainly open to interpretation.]. Describe a pencil. 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. (Jesus), What about Jesus' identity does this hint at? They prompt us to consider how these two events, Mary's first encounter with Jesus and her first encounter with the risen Jesus, are connected in a deeper way. This story was invented by The Chosen for the purposes of the plot. Thank you! He attempts to heal her and exorcise the evil spirit in her, but he is unsuccessful and concludes that she is beyond hope. East pencil writes or draws used for note taking West pencil is yellow has a eraser and lead. (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. As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Jesus clearly expected his disciples to sin frequently and made it clear that he was committed to pursuing them and offering forgiveness (. Episode 1 depicts how she got these demons cast out of her by Jesus. And we also just had fun chatting about random stuff, like how Quintus was totally fitting the stereotype of the evil bald guy. After sharing that information, you can ask: What stuck out to you about Mary Magdalene's depiction in The Chosen? Why do you think the creators added them? Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. Dallas Jenkins (Director) is not Catholic, but - in my mind - makes the best Christian films I have seen anywhere. Everything is very true to the Gospels, and theres no dialogue written to score theological points. 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. 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. LOTR, Harry Potter), In [adaptation], can you think of some characters or stories that were added by the film? Later Jewish tradition described a demonic figure known as Lilith in a variety of ways. 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. See a Roman centurion fill Lilith/Mary s sight, a suggestion that the woman have. Did anyone notice what it was that made her recognize him? Literally none of that is in Scripture or sacred tradition and that bothers me! Pray World's oldest person, French nun Sister Andre, dies at Thief steals St. Michael statue from church, trips, and A photo I took of our altar at Midnight Mass this Christmas, Mother on death bed, priest refused to see her. Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (, As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. I think the producer said he wanted to do eight seasons total. That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. Over time, there's been a growing awareness of how most women end up in prostitution: not because they are innately promiscuous but rather as a result of coercion, sexual trauma, and systemic inequities. The Chosen isn't trying to mess with the Bible. And the parallels don't end there. It's a great comfort in the midst of the pandemic and other turmoil. 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). (the Lord), Who is it that says these words in the show? As a general rule, the characters who follow Jesus aren't bad people; they're misunderstood and rejected and in need of love. This story was invented by The Chosen for the purposes of the plot. This passage is one of the few appearances of Mary Magdalene in the Gospels. He attempts to heal her and exorcise the evil spirit in her, but he is unsuccessful and concludes that she is beyond hope.

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