Jesus of Nazareth: The Complete 40th Anniversary Edition Miniseries Blu-ray

Jesus of Nazareth: The Epic Portrayal of Jesus' Life.

For the first time ever, Jesus of Nazareth: The Complete Miniseries is available on Blu-ray in stunning remaster HD. Direct by Oscar nominee Franco Zeffirelli, this is a powerful Biblical drama that tells the whole story of Jesus' life from his birth to eventual death and resurrection. Featuring an all-star cast of seasoned veterans in the industry, this big-budget multi-episodic narrative is one of the very best film realizations of Jesus' life to date. Similar in style to other adaptations of Jesus life, such as The Bible: The Epic Miniseries or The Jesus Film, this 1977 made-for-television miniseries is a compelling a powerful version of the history of Jesus Christ.

This all-star cast comes together to create a powerful epic of Jesus' life showing His birth in a humble stable in Bethlehem, His calling of the 12 disciples, his ministry and teaching, and eventually his death on the cross. What would have been a good story of a historical figure turned into an amazing story when Jesus rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion on the cross. Spending forty days on the earth after His resurrection, he meets with His disciples and gives them a call that would change the face of the planet for millennia afterwards: to go and make disciples of all nations.

Jesus' Birth

Born to the Virgin Mary, Jesus has very humble beginnings and completely changed the way people imagined the Messiah would come into the world. While everyone was expecting for a Messiah to come, no one expected Him to be born into the world or to born in such a humble way. When Mary was far along into her pregnancy, Joseph was ordered by a roman census to go to his place of birth and report. Taking his pregnant wife with him, he made the journey to his hometown of Bethlehem. Soon after their arrival, they found that there was no place for them to stay that night. They searched tirelessly, but every inn they went to simply turned them away. When things seemed like they could not get any worse, Mary went into labor. Her child was fast approaching!

Finally finding a stable in which to rest, Mary gave birth to her son Jesus. This was certainly a humble beginning for the most important man who would ever live. In a way, it was significant of Jesus. He did not appear to be anything unusual or supernatural on the outside. He was simply a man, born onto the earth. Jesus of Nazareth chronicles Jesus' entrance into our world and includes the stories of those who came to worship Him, the shepherds and the magi.

Jesus' Ministry

After some wearying events in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph escaped the wrath of King Herod and were able to raise their son Jesus. He grew up and when He was 30 years old, He began His ministry of preaching to the people. Calling twelve men to come be His disciples, all of them left what they were doing and joined Him. This was the first sign that there was something incredible, even supernatural about Him. These men had absolutely no reason to follow Jesus, and yet they did it anyway. There was something unmistakably divine about this man named Jesus.

For the next three years, Jesus would travel around, preaching the good news of a way to have eternal life and peace with God. Jesus would preach about the old law, and rules that were found in them and then explain how His new law was different. He taught the people new rules and new ways in which to live. Certain laws that had been in place for thousands of years were erased and Jesus made a new way to life through Him. Performing great miracles, Jesus backed up His statements and teaching with supernatural acts. The crowd was generally split on their opinions. Half of them believe He was the Messiah and gave up everything to follow Him. The other half, however, thought he was a fraud, spouting false teachings and prophecies. Those who disagreed with His words began to grow worried by His growing number of followers.

And so, a short time after, they came together to put a stop to Jesus' teaching. Only three years into His ministry, Jesus was arrested and taken to King Herod to determine what to do with Him. Eventually, He was taken to Pontius Pilate, who then turned it over to the crowd to decide what to do with him. Pilate claimed he wanted no part in this matter and so he turned Jesus over to the mob. The mob quickly ordered that He be crucified, and so it was done that night.

Jesus was taunted, beaten, spit upon, laughed at, and tortured. He was hung on a wooden cross and was jeered at through the night. At some point then, Jesus gave up His life and ended His ministry on earth. He had paid the ultimate sacrifice: this sinless man had been wrongly killed. But, death could hold no power over Jesus and three days later, He rose from the grave alive and well. For the next 40 days, He would appear to people giving them hope and a purpose for continuing on. He told them that His ministry was not over, and in fact it had just begun. Finally, at the end, He ascended to Heaven, giving His disciples one last message: to go and share what they had heard to the masses. Jesus was the way to Heaven and belief in Him was the only way to find salvation!

Conclusion

Jesus of Nazareth: The Complete Miniseries Stars Robert Powell (Italian Job), Olivia Hussey (Romeo and Juliet), Ernest Borgnine (Marty), Laurence Olivier (Spartacus), James Mason (North by Northwest) Anthony Quinn (Lawrence of Arabia), Anne Bancroft (The Graduate), Ian McShane (Deadwood), Rod Steiger (On the Waterfront), Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music), and Michael York (Austin Powers movies). With a run-time of 6 hours and 22 minutes, this miniseries is divided up into multiple episodes for convenience and to emulate its original television run. This movie is a powerful adaptation of the story of Jesus' birth, life and death, and will continue to inspire a new generation even 40 years after its release.