The Visual Bible: Acts

I watch a lot of Bible-based movies, some loved, others loathed.

The three movies of the Visual Bible productions are faithful to the source, and this is second only to the Gospel of John, in my opinion. So, I'll address my problems with it first, then move to why I can still say I love this movie.

Billing Jennifer O'Neill as "starring" is more than misleading. She spends less than four minutes on screen in this 193 minute movie, hardly a starring role. James Brolin seems a bit disconnected from the impetuous, passionate, foot-in-mouth Peter we find in scripture, but his isn't a bad performance, just short of my expectations.

The real stars are Henry Arnold as Saul/Paul, and Dean Jones as the aged Luke, as he narrates his book to passengers on a ship, which we find in the end arrives Rome where Paul is now under house arrest.

A huge plus for me is Bruce Marchiano's very brief camera time; I didn't like his portrayal of Jesus in the Visual "Gospel of Matthew". If you didn't find his silliness unsettling in Matthew, then this won't be the same bonus for you.

When you're using the Bible as your script (I love that concept), the ensemble must be strong enough to make it believable, and this cast does exactly that. I watch for facial expressions and other nuances to know how well an actor is connecting with his character, and most do this with great ease and success. I don't find Francesco Quinn credited for his role as Stephen, the first Christian martyr described in the Bible, but his performance is outstanding.

Any flourishes added in this film are a definite plus, and they're all limited to physical events, and in no way detract from this story of nascent Christianity.

If you're Christian, you'll love the allegiance to the Bible. If you're a more casual watcher, it might encourage you to read the book of Acts. It's simply a worthy movie.

PROS

+ The movie is overall faithful to Scripture, although the translation is not very accurate and rather distracts from fully enjoying the movie. They used the liberal NIV translation, edited for screenplay by permission of the International Bible Society.

+ They developed a great idea, to show the plot, mixed with scenes where 'Luke' is narrating the plot.

+ Very beautiful scene with the healing of the lame beggar and many other powerful scenes.

CONS

• I did not appreciate the display of IESOUS - especially the scene where he was taken up into the smallest cloud one could imagine. It would have been wise to have not shown IESOUS at all, and to have 'Luke' narrate the first 11 verses of the book of Acts.

• Min 24: The Apostles are shown to pray with head coverings, which is a serious violation of Scripture. One of the signs of a Christian was his clear visual distinction from the Pharisees with their unbiblical head coverings.

• Min 47: It is a highly problematic scene when Simon the sorcerer is shown to pull an object from under Philipp's head covering. To make an Apostle an object of sorcery, is heretical, no matter if he is just used.

• Min 53: Baptism of the eunuch in a river instead of full immersion.

• Min 133, Paul is laughing while saying: "I served the Lord with great humility". Overall I agree that the dialogues have not always to be spoken in a very serious manner, but this movie sometimes goes into a problematic area, where common sense would expect more fear of Scripture.

• Min 140: The Apostles and other believers are once again shown to pray with head coverings. This is now after the Jerusalem council in 50 AD, when the New Covenant was well implemented. It is therefore a more serious transgression of Scripture than in minute 24.

• Min 153: IESOUS is shown in a room with Paul, taking the reading of Act 23:11 in an ultra-literal manner: "The following night KYRIOS stood by him". This is heretical, because IESOUS made it clear that He would come back at the end of our times, not sometime after 50 AD to Paul. The word 'stood' can also be translated with 'abide' and it would have been wise to either show a vision or to simply implement a voice.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

• It would have been great to show a simple map and the respective journey when the Apostles travelled to another city. Then the viewer could literally connect the dots and follow the journey.

Great film that depicts Saul/Paul in a satirical way as an insane man who thinks he is an apostle and who goes about preaching a mysterious Good News which we never know what it is he is preaching? He performs miracles by his own power without using the Name of Jesus, is mistaken for a god, accepts free gifts from folks believing him a god, and performs parallel miracles and actions which mimic those of Jesus and his 12 Apostles (11 + Matthias). It is evident that a LAW is a work: The LAW of THEO-DYNAMICS which I state as: "For every action of Jesus and his 12 Apostles, there is an unequal but similar reaction by Saul/Paul (Devil's cohort)".

A few choice PARALLEL events:

Jesus blesses and heals a man blind from birth, which no one has ever done. JOHN'S GOSPEL

Many believed in Jesus because of this miracle. Paul curses a man (a sorcerer) causing him to become blind. ACTS 13 (lucky 13)

The man was telling the Governor of Paphos not to listen to Paul's preaching.

(we don't know if Paul's preaching testified to the risen Jesus or not from the text.)

The text tells us that the Governor believed in Paul's message upon seeing Paul blind the man.

That's funny, Jesus always cured people of lameness and blindness and demons in order for

people to believe his message.

(Paul claims to have been blinded when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus)

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead after 4 days. Jesus brings great glory to God.

Jesus soon thereafter eats the Passover Supper with Lazarus and Jesus' Disciples. JOHN'S GOSPEL Paul talks on and on (big wind bag) until midnight to a group of people, one man falls asleep and

falls out the window 3 stories to the ground and dies. Paul brings him back to life without

using the Name of Jesus, nor mentioning Jesus, nor giving glory to both Jesus and God.

Then Paul preached again to them until morning. God only knows what Paul preached about all

evening and through the night until morning? (not mentioned in the text)

Paul eats the Lord's Supper with these people in the upstairs room the man fell from. ACTS 20.

Peter heals a man born lame, using the Name of Jesus, bringing great glory to the Father. ACTS 3 Paul heals a man born lame, NOT using the Name of Jesus, the people think Paul is a god

and they bring flowers and sacrifices to him, and finally they stone Paul almost to death. ACTS 14

Jesus compares himself to Moses' fiery snake-on-a-pole which Moses lifted up in the wilderness

for the sinning, poisonous snake bit Israelites to behold and be healed/live. GOSPEL JOHN Paul becomes bit by a snake which latches onto his hand, Paul shakes the snake off into the

fire. Paul does not die, and the people think he is a god. Paul doesn't deny it. ACTS 28

ACTS 26:24, "Paul, you are insane. Your long studying has broken your mind!" (Gov. Festus)

Jesus turned simple gifts (loaves/fishes) into enough to care for the needs of 1000's of people. GOSPELS Paul received gifts from those believing him to be a god (Jesus' Name not used). ACTS 28:10

Jesus was the perfect man, sinless, a Lamb without spot, ready to die for the sins of the world.

GOSPELS Paul portrayed himself to his followers as a perfect man, not guilty of the blood of anyone,

because he never failed to preach Jesus to them. Paul says he worked with his hands to

pay his own way, so as not to be a burden to anyone. Yet there is plenty of evidence from ACTS

that Paul failed to present Jesus as Savior, failed to give credit to Jesus (or Jesus' Name)

when preaching and performing miracles and when avoiding death and when predicting the future.

Paul received many gifts from the folks believing him to be a god. Paul didn't tell them otherwise,

that he wasn't a god, or, Paul told them this only when it was too late. ACTS 14:14,15; ACTS 28:6,10

Peter is arrested by Temple guards, put into prison and in chains, chained to 2 soldiers, then released by an angel

during the night before he was to be executed. Sixteen guards had guarded Peter. ACTS 12:6 Paul is arrested by Roman soldiers, put into prison and in chains, guarded by 1 jailer who disappears, then released by an angel causing an earthquake? ACTS

Jesus preached that, HUMAN POWER IS OF NO USE AT ALL. Believe I am the Son of God, sent by God. JOHN's GOSPEL. Paul preached that sinners must forsake their way and prove repentance by doing good deeds. ACTS 26:20.

Jesus was brought before Annas father-in-law to Caiaphas the high priest. "How dare you talk like that

to the high priest!", said the temple guard (referring to Jesus). And the temple guard slapped Jesus across

the mouth. Jesus answered, "If I have said anything wrong, tell everyone here what it was? But if I have

told the truth, why do you hit me?" GOSPEL OF JOHN Paul was brought before Ananias the high priest (and the Council). Paul was ordered slapped across the mouth.

Paul answered, "God shall slap you, you whitewashed pigpen. What kind of judge are you to break the law

yourself by ordering me struck like that?" ACTS 23

I have to say, I really applaud the effort to promote this text, which is summarily suppressed in modern theology. I appreciate the simplicity used, not trying to over-reach by replicating the actual scope of action as it probably happened. It's enough to just re-state the events and provide the essential document in its historical setting. Although the text is silent on the presence of the Pharisee Saul, we know that he is present and that he is a witness to the birth and growth of the Church. This lends all the more to his dramatic change from persecutor to promoter. His testimony before King Agrippa was transfixing for me as a believer. It's a just movie, but it does have a positive effect, unlike that ridiculous, lying production titled "Noah." "Acts" demonstrates that faith in Christ didn't occur in a bottle, that men and women of that era testified to the power of God to change their lives and many paid for their testimony at the hands of the enemies of this message.

It's an old film, I'm watching it in 2021, maybe that's why I find it so poor. Luke has an audience on the boat who smile knowingly, lovingly, fondly at strange times. And Paul...at the end, especially, seems arrogant. I hope not to think of Paul, in the future, in the memory of this Paul. I am appreciative of this effort, I love being able to follow the Bible, to have it enacted. But, the story is beautiful. It could have been done with better acting.