Reimagining Biblical Narratives: A Reading of Selected Stories from the Bible and Episodes from The Chosen
DR. NITHYA MARIAM JOHN
Assistant Professor & Research Guide
P G Department of English & Research Centre
Bishop Chulaparambil Memorial College, Kottayam, Kerala
Abstract: The Bible is a repertoire of stories and songs with ample scope for adaptation. The TV series titled The Chosen, with many of its episodes available on The Chosen App and on Netflix, is a portrait of Jesus’ life, imagined and narrated in such a way that the viewers encounter a laughing, singing, and dancing Jesus who is more human than he is, as depicted in the Bible. On screen, many characters including Mary, mother of Jesus, Lazarus, Zacchaeus, and disciples of Jesus exhibit a versatile life, as against the limited readings available in writings. The series also opens the spectator’s eyes to the socio-political context of his times in a more elaborate, visual narrative context. The Chosen has over 200 million viewers and enjoys success in theatres after its season 5 release. The paper tries to outline select examples from selected episodes of The Chosen and stories from the Bible to show how the tales narrated and re-narrated on screen reshape biblical imagination today.
Keywords: Bible, The Chosen, digital Bible, TV series, Jesus narratives
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