This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The backstory prologues gives us a thumbnail sketch of the pride and arrogance that Nathanael is prone to as a result of his great skill and intelligence. The connection between the two figures is invented in order to add depth to Simon's character and suggest thematic connections between their stories. If you're like me, watching The Chosen is about more than entertainment. In a smaller ensemble, it's common for character abilities to fall into basic archetypal patterns like the power trio (the logical brain, the emotional friend, and the balanced hero) or the five-man band (the charismatic leader, the edgy anti-hero, the brain, the tank, and the token girl). The first is that we simply haven't gotten to that point in the story. boat; cross and saw; fish (or two fish); lance; This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 02:53. To distinguish him from Simon Peter he is called Kananaios or Kananites, depending on the manuscript (Matthew 10:4 Mark 3:18), and in the list of apostles in Luke 6:15, repeated in Acts 1:13, Zelotes, the "Zealot". How could you relate to Simon the Zealot and/or Nathanael, as they were depicted in The Chosen? Only the first person to reach the stirring waters was healed. The Bible mentions Nathanael less frequently than Simon the Zealot; he only comes up twice in the Gospel of John [although he may correspond to Bartholomew, who is mentioned in the list of Jesus' disciples (e.g., Matthew 10:3)]. Fortunately, creating sympathetic and believable backstories for under-developed biblical characters is what The Chosen does best. After all, when we see a glaring vice in a character, most of us can either see it in ourselves or in other people we know. I offer my work for free and rely on the generous support of readers like you. [18] Nikephoros I of Constantinople writes:[18][19]. (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. In the gospels Simon the Zealot is not identified with Simon the brother of Jesus mentioned in Mark 6 :3: Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. This site uses cookies to analyze traffic and ensure you get the best experience. Or maybe he simply had a personality that resembled that of the Zealots. The Chosen introduces Simon the Zealot and Nathanael (as well as Judas) in similar ways, using teaser segments/prologues. (John 5:4, KJV). Matthew and Mark give him the title kananaios, which most scholars believe comes from the Aramaic word qanan, meaning zealous one.. In the sixteenth century, Justus Lipsius claimed he was sawed in half. He is buried in the same tomb as Jude Thaddeus, in the left transept of the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, under the altar of St. Joseph. Either "Zealot" is about the apostle's passionate faith, or his membership in a New Testament group called the "Zealots," or both. How does it affect your view of Jesse, to know that he had a brother who left him at the pool in order to go fight the Roman Empire? He was a member of the inner circle of Jesus, and he did his missionary and evangelistic work as far as Babylon. . Remember that, during the time of the New Testament, the land of Israel was occupied by the Roman Empire, which had conquered it several decades earlier. According to the Golden Legend, which is a collection of hagiographies, compiled by Jacobus de Voragine in the thirteenth century "Simon the Cananaean and Judas Thaddeus were brethren of James the Less and sons of Mary Cleophas, which was married to Alpheus. 334.] Simon the Zealot and Nathanael in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters), S3 still - Feeding the 5,000 - Jesus and Simon the Zealot feed the hungry crowd, The only biblical references to Simon the Zealot are found in listings of the 12 disciples (, The Bible itself never explains Simon's relationship to the Zealot movement. Invalids - people with debilitating sicknesses, injuries, or birth defects - would often congregate around these miraculous places like Bethesda in hopes of having their sicknesses healed. The Zealots were a group of Jews who believed that God had called them to overthrow the Roman Empire through physical force. The Bible does not give us his name or mention anyone to whom he was related. But the group known as the Zealots may not have existed at the time the gospels took placepossibly not even when they were written. In The Chosen, during Season 2 Episode 4, Simon the Zealot is depicted as being the brother of the paralyzed man Jesus heals by the Pool of Bethesda, who is named Jesse in the show. Nathanael's prologue establishes his aspiration to be a great architect. When he was a young boy, his father remarried. Some interpreters have seen it as an allusion to 1 Kings 4:25, which describes the reign of King Solomon, to whom "son of God" language is sometimes applied (e.g., Psalm 2). Robert Eisenman has argued that contemporary talmudic references to Zealots refer to them as kanna'im "but not really as a grouprather as avenging priests in the Temple". It includes sections for you to take notes on each episode's plot, your favorite quotes, personal connections, questions, and, of course, Scripture references. as members of a sect called the Zealots.. It was most likely an underground hot spring. "[14], In later tradition, Simon is often associated with Jude the Apostle as an evangelizing team; in Western Christianity, they share their feast day on 28 October. Before watching The Chosen, had you ever given much thought to Simon the Zealot or Nathanael? Simon's mother died in childbirth, so Simon was taken care of by his father and brother, Jesse, who was a paralytic. Simon the Zealot (died 65 AD) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. This draws our attention to something significant about the way The Chosen is adapting the figures of Simon the Zealot and Nathanael. Some Jewish people might have believed this was because God had blessed these places, but others believed that these healing centers were connected to pagan gods like Asclepius. Season 1 of The Chosen was able to unfold the pre-Jesus backstory of its primary characters gradually over the course of an episode (in the case of Mary) or more (in the case of Matthew, Simon Peter, Andrew, and Nicodemus). Menu. In The Chosen, during Season 2 Episode 4, Simon the Zealot is depicted as being the brother of the paralyzed man Jesus heals by the Pool of Bethesda, who is named Jesse in the show. English Standard Version Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. By the time the Gospels mention Simon (e.g. 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? Nevertheless, what John gives us about Nathanael is much more substantial and evocative than what we get concerning Simon. How does it affect your view of Simon the Zealot, to know that he went off to become a Zealot and fight for the freedom of the Jews while leaving his brother helplessly lying by the Pool of Bethesda? Simon the Zealot was a Jewish priest and a member of the early Christian community. Since Simon is commonly identified with the Jewish sect known as the Zealots, its worth unpacking who they were. There may have been a pagan association with the Pool of Bethesda and so it's also possible he was trying to cover it up. The Bible tells us only a couple things about the man that Jesus healed at the Pool of Bethesda: He went to the pool in order to be healed by its reported power. In the Bible there is no indication that Simon the Zealot was related to the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda. Statue of St. Simon in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran by Francesco Moratti. And he had a double name; he was said Simon Zelotes, and Simon Cananean of Cana a street that is in Galilee, there whereas our Lord converted the water into wine.. Many think that St. Simon was called the Zealot, before his coming to Christ, because he was one of that particular sect or party among the Jews called Zealots, from a singular zeal they possessed for the honor of God and the purity of religion. Bartholomew was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus (e.g.. We can connect Rufus with Rome because of Paul's letter to the Romans many years later. Muslim tradition says that Simon was sent to preach the faith of God to the Berbers, outside North Africa. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nathanael said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit! Nathanael said to him, How do you know me? Jesus answered him, Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God! By making Nathanael an architect, The Chosen has assigned his character a unique (albeit rarely needed) skill (building/design). In the Bible, when Jesus says he saw Nathanael under the fig tree (John 1:43-51), there is no indication what Jesus saw Nathanael doing under the fig tree or why this phrase was so significant. We know almost nothing about Simon the Zealot. Zeal is behavior motivated by the jealous desire to protect ones self, group, space, or time against violations. So The Chosen has made Nathanael an architect in order to make this image of Jesus as a stairway/ziggurat particularly relevant to his character. People often complain when a biblical adaptation adds to what the Bible says. This version is the one found in the Golden Legend. [13] However, Moses of Chorene writes that he was martyred at Weriosphora in Caucasian Iberia. For the most part, I just clarify who characters are and occasionally I briefly explained a reference or allusion that is confusing to my youth. Simeon of Jerusalem was a Jewish Christian leader and according to most Christian traditions the second Bishop of Jerusalem (63 or 70-107 or 117), succeeding James, brother of Jesus. In The Chosen, the man at the pool is given the name Jesse and is depicted as the brother of Simon the Zealot (see more above). And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. Matthew 10:1-4), he appears to have already been established as a disciple of Jesus. Simon the Zealot. Barbara Thiering identified Simon Zelotes with Simon Magus; however, this view has received no serious acceptance. This is what drives him to become so disciplined and formidable - because instead of handing his anger over to God, he's sought to turn himself into a destructive force who can take justice into his own hands. But what we do know is this: he passionately believed in . In Episode 6 of The Chosen Season 1, Jesus faced opposition from a Pharisee in Capnernaum. during the Roman-Judean War that one of the revolutionary factions came to identify itself formally as the Zealots. To some readers, this suggests that he may be identical with the "Judas not Iscariot" mentioned in John 14:22: "Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Our Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" This is why, in order to understand how The Chosen adapts the characters of Simon and Nathanael, its important for us to not just focus on the handful of facts that the Bible tells us about them. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 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