The 8-part TV mini-series Jesus, His Life part 1 boasts of a program that presents the life of Jesus in a unique way but fails history. The claim for uniqueness lies in its assertion that the story of Jesus is presented through a unique lens of the people closest to him, each episode from another perspective.

The series mixes dramatic reenactments of the story with commentary from a host of Bible scholars, historians, faith leaders and theologians. There are four areas that this series fails history.

Number 1 Fail

The scholars are mostly liberal and biblical criticism challenges the history presented in the Gospel accounts. While biblical criticism is a legitimate discipline, if one attempts to present a history of Jesus’ life to a lay audience, it ought to be accompanied by verifiable data. However, not all critical statements go unchallenged, thanks to Ben Witherington.

Fail Number 2

The History channel’s presentation often fails in biblical accuracy. When the angel appears to Mary, he says, “Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God. If you choose to accept His plan, you will conceive in your womb and give birth a son.” Mary becomes a pawn in God’s plan—we only hope she accepts God’s plan.

Number 3 Fail

Professor Robert Cargill, University of Iowa denies the possibility of the census taking place as New Testament history declaring rather the census took place a “decade after the birth of Jesus.” And certainly, the Roman census did not force people to their ancestral home. To the rescue again, Dr. Witherington attempts to rehabilitate the history failure.

Number 4 Fail

While “scholars” using biblical criticism dismisses New Testament history, the “history” mini-series portrays the 3 wisemen showing up at night at the time of birth, very much like traditional Christmas pageants and displays portray the story. In reality they came much later.

Final Note

My new historical/biblical novel: The Called Him Yeshua: The Story of the Young Jesus has more history than the History Channel’s story. Chapters 8-12 record a historical and realistic portrayal of Jesus’ birth and the events that surround it. Take a look.