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 Bible there is no indication that Simon the Zealot was related to the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda. Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? However, Josephus attempted to trace the groups origins back to a small uprising by a man named Judas of Galilee, who stirred up a rebellion due to a Roman census in 6 ADthe very same Roman census which Luke says led Mary and Joseph to Nazareth, where Jesus was born. As a teaser for the future, explain to your students: You might have noticed Shmuel, the Pharisee who opposed Jesus in The Chosen Season 1, was back and joined by a new group of Pharisees. Simon was born in Judea, and he was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Jesse initially hopes that the Pool of Bethesda will save him from his injury but ends up disappointed. Have my posts about Bible adaptation helped you learn more about the Bible and explore it with your ministry or family? How do you think the show will influence the way you read biblical stories about them going forward? Other church fathers made this error as well, and it was perpetuated throughout church tradition for so long that some modern translations still say, Simon the Cananite or Simon the Cananean in Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18. Certain Old Latin translations of the Gospel of Matthew substitute "Judas the Zealot" for Thaddeus/Lebbaeus in Matthew 10:3. Or maybe he simply had a personality that resembled that of the Zealots. Some of these Pharisees witnessed the healing of Jesse and saw how Jesus told him to get up and take his mat and walk. What is Simon the Zealot known for? One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. This is because this line is not found in the earliest Greek manuscripts of the passage and most scholars believe that it was not in the original Gospel of John. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some Bible translations preserve Jeromes mistake out of respect for tradition, calling Simon the Cananite or the Cananaean in Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18. Simon the Zealot can't simply be another name on a list - we want to have at least a basic understanding of where he came from and what he contributes as a disciple. He may have belonged to a Jewish sect known as the Zealots, who were bent on revolution and looking for a Messiah to violently overthrow Rome. Therefore, it is anachronistic to view people acting with zeal before 68 C.E. A party called Zealots were famous in the war of the Jews against the Romans. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the second explanation will prove true, but I would prefer the first - since there are plenty of other miracle healings that the show could have utilized instead of undermining a central feature of this specific story. We can't know for sure, but it's hard to imagine that someone could follow the peaceful way of Jesus and still participate in a violent insurrection. Professor David Rhoades elaborates in The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary: Judas and his followers opposed Jews who cooperated with the census, for they considered cooperation with Caesar to be an idolatrous transgression of the First Commandment to have no other lords before me. Judas small and unsuccessful revolt was carried out in the belief that if the Jews were faithful to the covenant, God would honor their cause by bringing victory in the struggle against Rome. In the description of the Pool of Bethesda in the King James Version, we are told: Readers of most modern translations will notice that this verse is not included in the main text of their translation (but it is typically found in the footnotes). Did you have any questions about what happened? Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. They said to him, We will go with you. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. The Zealots (as The Chosen shows) were a group of religious insurgents, who sought to push back against the oppressive practices of Rome through violence, terrorism, and assassination. [10], Simon, like the other Apostles, is regarded as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Catholic Churches, the churches of the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church. While the Chosen depicts Simon the Zealot as the brother of Jesse, the invalid Jesus heals by the Pool of Bethesda, this detail does not come from the Gospels. Such details are often quite instructive though if we pause and consider how they function. Generally speaking, a zealot is anyone who fervently supports a particular cause. Matthew and Mark give him the title kananaios, which most scholars believe comes from the Aramaic word qanan, meaning zealous one.. In the Bible, there is no indication that Nathanael was an architect. I was half-right. The sketchiness of the invalid is further highlighted by how his healing in John 5 is closely mirrored by the healing of the man born blind in. Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 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. You will see greater things than these. And he said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. (John 1:43-51 ESV), Commentators throughout history have puzzled over the significance of Jesus telling Nathanael that he saw him while he was sitting under the fig tree. Some have suggested that Jesus is cryptically alluding to the fig leaves of Genesis 3. He died after being crucified in Jerusalem during the First Revolt against Rome (also known as the Great Revolt). The Chosen follows this theory and portrays Simon as a Zealot who gives up his violent ways in order to follow Jesus. Or did he in fact find a way to straddle the two movements? The Bible does not tell us anything about Simon the Zealot before he met Jesus. I'm sure that's why The Chosen decided to make Simon a. Apparently the titles may have been an attempt to distinguish him from the apostle St. Simon Peter. "St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Simon the Zealot, Apostles", All appearances of "Simon" in the New Testament, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Simon_the_Zealot&oldid=1135512016. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, Do you want to be healed? The sick man answered him, Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me. Jesus said to him, Get up, take up your bed, and walk. And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Christian Ethiopians claim that he was crucified in Samaria, while Justus Lipsius writes that he was sawn in half at Suanir, Persia. Ethiopian Christians believe he was crucified in Samaria. Nathanael's prologue establishes his aspiration to be a great architect. In The Chosen, Nathanael is portrayed as an architect in order to give his character depth and perhaps because the biblical story that features him contains a reference to Jacob's ladder. Two of them are among Jesus Twelve ApostlesSimon the Zealot and Simon Peter. Reflecting on The Chosen Season 3 & Anticipating Season 4: What Worked & What to Fix, The Chosen Season 3: What to Expect & How to Watch, The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 & Episode 2: Reaction and Analysis, The Chosen Season 3 Episode 3: Recap, Review, & Analysis, The Chosen Season 3 Episode 4: Recap, Review, & Analysis, The Chosen Season 3 Episode 5: Recap, Review, & Analysis, The Chosen Season 3 Episode 6: Recap, Review, & Analysis, The Chosen Season 3 Episodes 7 & 8: Recap, Review, & Analysis, The Chosen Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2: Questions to Discuss Before the Premiere, Preparing for The Chosen Season 3: 7 Episodes to Watch, I am the Law of Moses (The Chosen Season 3 Controversy), Quintus, Gaius, Atticus, and the Romans in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Little James in The Chosen & Scripture ***Season 3***, Pontius Pilate & his Wife in The Chosen ***Season 3***, Judas in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Matthew in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Simon and Andrew in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Lilith, Demons, & Evil Spirits in The Chosen, Simon the Zealot & Nathanael in The Chosen, Episode 8 Guide: The Feeding of the 5,000. In what ways do these hopes end up disappointing us? . Birth of Jesus / call to ministry Then, the Lord takes Simon aside to discuss Simon's future with the group. The only special points in St. Luke's list are (1) that he gives Simon Zelotes, obviously as a translation, for Simon the Cananite, or Cananaean, of the other two lists, and gives James's Judas, leaving it uncertain whether he means that the latter was son or brother of the former. [21], In art, Simon has the identifying attribute of a saw because he was traditionally martyred by being sawn in half. We also need to think about how their characters are shaped by the structure of The Chosen and the demands of modern screen adaptation. In Season 2, Episode 5, Simon seeks out Jesus and joins the disciples. 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. 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). St. Simon the Zealot's (Simon Kananaios) cave in Abkhazia, Georgia, The Apostle Simon the Zealot by Georg Gsell, Simon Zelotes evangelische Kirche Leihgestern. Or he may have simply been zealous for the Mosaic Law. These cookies do not store any personal information. Simon the Zealot was a Jewish priest and a member of the early Christian community. By making Nathanael an architect, The Chosen has assigned his character a unique (albeit rarely needed) skill (building/design). I hope you enjoy them! In order to explain why, in the Gospel of John, the invalid tells Jesus that he has no one to put him in the water, this episode of The Chosen depicted him as having a brother who abandoned him in order to pursue life as a Jewish Zealot. If you're like me, watching The Chosen is about more than entertainment. Some have suggested that Jesus is cryptically alluding to the fig leaves of Genesis 3. But heres what we know. PROUDLY CREATED WITH WIX.COM. If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. The appearances of Nathanael (in John 1 and John 21) function as a kind of framing device for John's Gospel. When Simon joins the Zealots, we understand that he is being driven by his longing for justice. On the other hand, there also isn't strong evidence to the contrary. When his assassination attempt is thwarted, however, it seems like Simon's dream of justice will also be thwarted. Simon is mentioned occasionally in early church writings, but centuries after the gospels were written, Saint Jerome and others mistranslated Simons title, believing that Matthew and Mark referred to him as Simon the Cananite or Simon the Cananaean. Simon the Zealot (died 65 AD) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. The moniker the Zealot comes from the Greek word zlts, which the Apostle Luke used in both his gospel and Acts to distinguish this Simon from Simon Peter. Appearances Season Two The Perfect Opportunity Spirit Others like you also viewed Simon Z. Nathanael Thaddeus John Big James Andrew Simon Peter Judas Iscariot Philip Matthew Thomas Little James Gaius Tamar Categories 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". That being said, the show hasn't created Nathanael's vocation out of whole clothe. Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. But its unclear when exactly this group started going by this name. The Bible does not describe how Simon the Zealot met Jesus. Either "Zealot" is about the apostle's passionate faith, or his membership in a New Testament group called the "Zealots," or both. By the time the Gospels mention Simon (e.g. In some versions of the Bible, Matthew 10:4 and Mark 3:18 (NRSV) both mentioned him as "the Cananaean," while Luke tagged him as "the Zealot" (the Book of John totally left him out). Here are a few questions you might want to review (no need to take too long - just a quick recap): Who are the disciples that are following Jesus so far? Episode 7 Guide: Did Nicodemus Follow Jesus? He was the author of two books in the Bible, namely 1st Peter and 2nd Peter. Most scholars today believe kananaios comes from the Aramaic word qanan, meaning zealous one, which effectively makes Simons moniker the same in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts. In the context of the New Testament, the Zealots were a party zealous for Jewish independence and throwing off Roman rule. Bartholomew was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus (e.g., Matthew 10:3). 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. He is most likely a character invented by The Chosen to help advance the story and perform actions that we know must have happened but which are not described in detail in the Bible. Who Was Herod? [citation needed]. 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? [18] According to Caesar Baronius and Hippolytus of Rome, Simon's first arrival in Britain was in the year A.D.44, during the Roman conquest. Others have seen a connection to the description of the peaceful abundance of Solomon's reign, when every Israelite sat under his own fig tree (1 Kings 4:25). Who was he? The Bible itself never explains Simon's relationship to the Zealot movement. ad 10 Maij, t. vi. Click here for my affiliation policy. Some scholars believe Josephus exaggerated the Zealots to keep the peace, blaming the war on a small Jewish sect and some bad Roman leaders. 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., The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. The word translated "Canaanite" is of Hebrew origin and means "zealot". Again, I doubt that Simon the Zealot will be as central to The Chosen as Mary Magdalene or Matthew, but by establishing these key traits in his initial appearances, the show ensures that he can play a role and be recognized by audiences, even when he isn't driving the plot of the show. Even though the Book of Acts and the epistles never describe Simon the Zealots ministry, as one of the Twelve, he wouldve been one of the most important leaders of the early church. Only the first person to reach the stirring waters was healed. Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? I'm sure that's why The Chosen decided to make Simon a former Zealot who has repented and turned to Jesus. Jesus teachings (such as turning the other cheek and loving your enemies) were often the complete opposite of the ideology the Zealots embraced. In Episode 2 of The Chosen Season 2, Jesus encountered a man who had his career crumble all around him. We are exposed to the indignities and oppression he witnessed as a young man and sympathize with his desire to make things right. Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. If thats what the Zealot refers to, then like Matthew the Tax Collector, the Apostle Simons presence among the Twelve represents a powerful picture of the gospel. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. There are numerous accounts of Simon the Zealots death, but the earliest records come centuries after his death. Traditionally, it has been believed that Bartholomew was another name for Nathanael/Nathaniel. 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. In these lay a multitude of invalidsblind, lame, and paralyzed. In the Bible, when Jesus says he saw Nathanael under the fig tree (. Facts 1 and 2 are true of most of the disciples. Liberty, the Law, and/or the Lord. The sketchiness of the invalid is further highlighted by how his healing in John 5 is closely mirrored by the healing of the man born blind in John 9 and the much more faithful response of the blind man. Zeal is behavior motivated by the jealous desire to protect ones self, group, space, or time against violations. Heres how Josephus described the Fourth Philosophy which became known as the Zealots: These men agree in all other things with the Pharisaic notions; but they have an inviolable attachment to liberty, and say that God is to be their only Ruler and Lord. Carrying a mat around was forbidden on the Sabbath, so we can expect that their conflict with Jesus about this to come up in next episode of The Chosen Season 2. He suggests that the Zealots were a fourth which sprung up as a result of Judas influence and caused the problems which led to the First Jewish-Roman War: For Judas and Sadducus, who excited a fourth philosophick sect among us, and had a great many followers therein, filled our civil government with tumults at present, and laid the foundations of our future miseries, by this system of philosophy, which we before were unacquainted withal.. Simon was known for being (or once having been) a Zealot. Statue of St. Simon in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran by Francesco Moratti. Simon the Zealot. (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 cultural context of the time, the idea of a stairway between heaven and earth would have evoked the image of a Babylonian ziggurat - one of the architectural wonders of the ancient world. The Bible gives us very little information about Simon the Zealot and no information about his family. 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