Search - Mysteries of the Bible on DVD

Mysteries indeed... but of the Bible?

M. Ronteltap | Leiden, The Netherlands | 09/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Before starting with my review, let me make one important correction to Amazon's website: Unlike what Amazon states, this DVD box set is NOT region 1! These DVDs are all region-free (region 0), meaning you can play them anywhere around the world! However, they DO have an NTSC-format, so make sure that is not a problem with your TV-set. Most of the European TV-sets use PAL, but nowadays DVD-players usually are able to convert NTSC to PAL, so this should also not be a problem.



As an agnostic who still is interested in Christianity, Christian history, and the Holy Bible, I bought these DVDs about six weeks ago hoping to enrich my knowledge that I had of Christianity thus far. When I watched the documentaries, though, I found out that not all documentaries are directly linked to the Bible, though the topics are essentially Christian. That is why I think "Mysteries of the Bible" is not really the best title for this set. Read below to see what I mean.



The quality of the six documentaries in this package varies significantly. Let me give a short review for every documentary:



Disc 1: "The Exodus Revealed": This was quite an interesting documentary. In this documentary, an intriguing new theory is presented where Mount Sinai might actually be located. Also, an analysis is given concerning which road Moses and his people exactly took to Mount Sinai. Quite well made, with nice interviews with experts and good footage! Grade: 8/10



Disc 2: "Helena: First Pilgrim to the Holy Land": A slightly disappointing documentary. This movie gives an account of the pilgrimage of Helena, mother of the first Christian ruler of the Roman Empire, Constantine the Great. There is not a large pool of historical or archaeological evidence to support this documentary, so much of it is rather hazy. Grade: 5/10



Disc 3: "The Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls": In a way, I was most disappointed with this documentary. The topic by itself is highly intriguing, but the moviemakers managed to get only very little out of it. The documentary goes into some depth (could be more) concerning where it was kept, how it was preserved and how it is now restored. But the documentary does not describe at all on which points the content Dead Sea scrolls is in conflict with the current content of the Bible or how it could trigger a revision of the Christian doctrine. It is really all just about the finding of the Dead Sea scrolls themselves, rather than what is actually in them. Grade: 5/10



Disc 4: "Jesus and the Shroud of Turin": This was a really good documentary. This time, out of an intriguing topic they managed to quite a lot out of it. A detailed and convincing analysis is given of all the proof that can be found on the Shroud of Turin that leads to the conclusion that the shroud was once actually covering the body of Jesus Christ. Also an historical background is given, and even a comparison with the Sudarium of Oviedo (the second Shroud that purportedly covered Jesus Christ). Grade: 9/10



Disc 5: "Heaven: Our Eternal Home": Sorry, but this documentary was just a piece of crap. OK, some passages of the Bible are presented that give a description of what heaven looks like, but beyond that there is absolutely nothing useful about this documentary. There are just some interviews with women who are (literally) crying about how much they want to go to Heaven and how beautiful they imagine it to be. Boring! Grade: 3/10



Disc 6: "The Gates of Jerusalem": This documentary is downright amazing! In this 2-hour show, the narrator takes you through the history of Jerusalem while at the same time describing the structure of the city. This documentary is stuffed with interesting facts and beautiful footage of all the synagogues, churches and mosques as well as other sights to be seen in the city. This documentary is in my opinion the best of all six, and also one of the best documentaries I have ever seen! Grade: 10/10



Overall, I am quite pleased to have bought this set of documentaries.



Overall grade: 7/10"

Good, but not A & E

cc | Philly | 04/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a very interesting set of dvd's but it is not the Richard Kiley, Jean Simmons series that was on A & E"

The most comprehensive DVD set on Bible mysteries !!!

Deepak K. Singh | Delhi, India | 10/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This value-priced six DVD collection containing more than 10 hours of material is the best series on Biblical mysteries. This highly intriguing series unveils some Bible's most fascinating mysteries which, among others, include "The Exodus", "Shroud of Turin", "Dead Sea Scrolls" and "Gates of Jerusalem". "The Exodus Revealed" DVD truly shows the authentic location of Red Sea crossing site and Mount Sinai which were thought to be located somewhere else in the earlier centuries. However, this DVD is not the first one to record this amazing discovery. This discovery was made by Late Ron Wyatt of Nashville, USA who has also made significant discoveries on the Noah's Ark, Sodom & Gomorrah and Ark of the Covenant. These original startling discoveries are made available on a 5-DVD set at www.wyattmuseum.com and is definitely worth purchasing. Coming back to this review, "Shroud of Turin" DVD is perhaps the most shocking discovery included in this series which examines the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, easily the most celebrated and studied Christian artifact in human history. This DVD not only unveils many important facts about shroud but also draws incredible conclusions from its study like details of crucifixion and burial, blood analysis of Christ etc. The "Gates of Jerusalem" DVD is one of the most comprehensive studies on the Holy City Jerusalem I have ever seen. The "Dead Sea Scrolls" DVD is another exciting study of the scrolls containing Hebrew text found in the limestone caves carved out of cliffs along the wadis that descend through the Judean wilderness to the left bank of the Dead Sea. This series is definitely one which will help you gain understanding of some of the most important facts and truths of the Bible."

Thought provoking if nothing else

Josephus | Knoxville, TN United States | 06/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I show the Shroud of Turin video to my Bible History class as well as the Gates of Jerusalem (both are very good), The Exodus Revealed video attempts to make a case that the Red Sea crossing took place - not in the Gulf of Suez - but in the Gulf of Aqaba. I'm not convinced but there is `some' evidence - interesting to say the least. The Dead Sea Scrolls video is an outstanding overview. I've not seen the other two videos, yet."