why is mary magdalene called lilith in the chosen

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. The creators make changes in order to adapt the biblical stories to TV. That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. Later Jewish tradition described a demonic figure known as Lilith in a variety of ways. In a previous era of Hollywood Mary's status as a prostitute made her exotic and intriguing. 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? I thought Mary's storyline in Season 2 of The Chosen had a lot of potential but it was unfortunately not given enough room to breathe. LOTR, Harry Potter), In [adaptation], can you think of some characters or stories that were added by the film? The assumption at that time was that women became prostitutes because they were inherently immoral and desirous. EDIT: I still have my concerns, but I believe my rash judgment is sinful, so I'll keep it to myself. However, some scholars believe the word would be better translated as demoness and see it is a reference to a Mesopotamian spiritual being. This shift in our societal understanding of the sex trade has changed the significance of Mary's supposed role as a prostitute. You can really connect with the characters, and it really helps you better immerse yourself with the Gospel. Although there's nothing in the Gospels that suggests that these two figures should be linked together, Mary mistakenly became identified with the forgiven prostitute in the interpretative tradition of the Western Church. Jesus clearly expected his disciples to sin frequently and made it clear that he was committed to pursuing them and offering forgiveness (. 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. /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. These experiences cause Mary to flee back to her old life, drinking and gambling. What do you think Mary's life was like before Jesus showed up? 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. [Spoilers] Did anyone else misinterpret the HotD Finale? Many Christians still memorize this passage to remind them of how God is always with us, even in the most difficult trials. 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. 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. The last passage is an optional bonus for youth that like digging deeper. If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. 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. Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? I think the producer said he wanted to do eight seasons total. 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. She becomes too perfect and seems to have no ongoing struggles in her faith like Peter or Andrew. 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. Have you seen other examples of how Jesus can show up suddenly and change someone's life in a big way? I love this series. Catholic priest burned to death, another shot in north Press J to jump to the feed. While she shows up from time to time and engages in conversations with the other disciples, she no longer has her own personal plot. Episode 7 Guide: Did Nicodemus Follow Jesus? This comes out powerfully in the first Episode like to show you why is mary magdalene called lilith in the chosen here. 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. This version of Mary - not the one who needs moral reformation but the one who needs sympathy and belonging - fits perfectly with the kinds of stories that The Chosen has focused on. Below I'll share an outline describing how to do a Viewing Party for The Chosen Episode 1 (I Have Called You by Name). In my opinion it works. More importantly, allowing some of the disciples to judge Mary a bit more would have added more tension and could have fueled future arcs. 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. PROUDLY CREATED WITH WIX.COM, Mary Magdalene, Lilith, & the Redeemer (Exploring The Chosen with Youth), Elizabeth Tabish as Lilith/Mary Magdalene in The Chosen, Over the past year, we've been exploring how The Chosen adapts biblical characters like, You may want to warn students beforehand that this episode contains some demonic activity. 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. 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. 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 Gospels never refer to Mary as Lilith. I offer my work for free and rely on the generous support of readers like you. I hope I better can temper myself. 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). Jesus heals her evil spirit(s) at the end of Episode 1. 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. Still, at the end of the day, the 12 disciples who get the most screen time in the Gospels are all males. 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. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. The trauma of her rape is hinted at again in Season 2, Episode 5, and is the trigger that causes Mary to backslide. 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, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. You can find episode one free on YouTube here, although there are lots of ads. Can you think of moments when you may need to be reminded that God is with you? Over time, the Western artistic tradition repeatedly depicted Mary as a prostitute and the mistaken association got stuck in the cultural consciousness. There are a few Bible passages that I thought were helpful to discuss the first episode of The Chosen. (the Lord), Who is it that says these words in the show? In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was raped. Yes, there are plenty of women who show up 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. As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was 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. See a Roman centurion fill Lilith/Mary s sight, a suggestion that the woman have. Also the guy who plays Jesus is Catholic, which is kind of cool. 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." Did anyone notice what it was that made her recognize him? Jesus clearly expected his disciples to sin frequently and made it clear that he was committed to pursuing them and offering forgiveness (Matthew 18:10-35). 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'm not saying we needed to see anything explicit, but the show certainly could have implied a bit more than it did. We turned it into a bit of a game, where one of my youth would constantly ask "Is that Jesus?" 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, Mary Magdalene is played by Elizabeth Tabish. 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. He attempts to heal her and exorcise the evil spirit in her, but he is unsuccessful and concludes that she is beyond hope. Having offered some criticism, I will say that the scene of Jesus forgiving Mary was moving. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. By noting how Mary is in the "Red Quarter", The Chosen is implying that she is a prostitute. The ancient name Lilith derives from a Sumerian word for female demons or wind spirits. 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). It's a great comfort in the midst of the pandemic and other turmoil. In Episode 6, Jesus sends Peter and Matthew to find Mary and bring her back. Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? 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? You can find episode one, The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. 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. What distinguishes Mary from the other women, however, is her association with prostitution. Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? 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. (Jesus), What about Jesus' identity does this hint at? Luke briefly describes how Mary Magdalene was exorcised by Jesus and became one of his traveling followers (Luke 8:1-3). There you go! . 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. If you try it out, please let me know how it goes and if you have any feedback! Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus. That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. They speak to different audiences & look good on screen), Can you think of characters or stories that the film left out? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Why do you think the creators added them? Why do you think they were removed? Under the influence of this tradition, many people see Mary as being emblematic of Jesus' compassion for lost and broken souls, and this makes her a perfect candidate for the kinds of stories that The Chosen wants to tell. East pencil writes or draws used for note taking West pencil is yellow has a eraser and lead. 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. Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (Luke 8:1-3). When making the Chosen, he is advised by a Catholic Priest, Rabbi, and Evangelical Pastor. After Mary's encounter with Jesus, we never really get to see her deal with her former life. In the story, Mary Magdalene (called Lilith) was raped by a Roman centurian which led to demonic possession and social isolation. Due to COVID restrictions, my youth group watched The Chosen online using Zoom. 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. To the credit of the production team, you cant discern a denominational slant from the script. In Episode 8, we see that Mary is still struggling a bit - her failure is driving her to be a bit too unrelenting in her work for Jesus- but other than that she seems to be back on track. [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. The Chosen introduces a lot of characters and expects us to just keep up. I wouldn't take too long discussing these questions. However, a post by the official Twitter account for The Chosen claims that Mary is not being portrayed as a prostitute. I will definitely continue watching it then, I just wanted to make sure! This story was invented by The Chosen for the purposes of the plot. 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. 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. 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. 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. The mistaken association got stuck in the most screen time in the Chosen introduces a of! 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