Close to Jesus Collection

When Jesus is taken off the cross at Golgotha, THOMAS arrives there. Like most of the other disciples, he had worriedly taken refuge with friends in Jerusalem after Jesus's arrest. After Jesus's burial, the disciples decide to leave Jerusalem quickly, but Thomas refuses to leave Jesus' body behind, as he fears that the tomb may be desecrated. When MARY MAGDALENE tells the disciples that the resurrected Jesus has appeared to her, they are all convinced of his god-like nature apart from Thomas. He sets off to look for the corpse. Thomas still has his doubts even when the disciples tell him that Jesus appeared to them, too. Therefore, he meets a legionary who pretends to know where the body can be found. The man leads Thomas into the catacombs for money # but the corpse he shows him is someone else's. Thomas is told to announce to the others that he has seen Jesus's corpse, and put an end to the belief in resurrection once and for all. When Thomas refuses to do so, a life-or-death struggle ensues. Torches fall from the walls, transforming the underground labyrinth into a sea of flame, and Thomas saves the soldier's life. Out of gratitude, the man sends him to see his superior LONGINUS, who was rejected from the army as a "madman" and almost beaten to death. Longinus now tells Thomas how he witnessed the resurrection. This doesn't convince Thomas either. In despair he starts to reproach himself to Joanna, saying because of his doubts he can no longer be a worthy disciple of Jesus. But Joanna takes him back to the disciples. Then Jesus appears to all of them and convinces Thomas of the resurrection. Overjoyed, Thomas is now prepared to spread the Christian faith.

The people of Jerusalem are suffering under the reign of HEROD, and are hoping to be delivered from the Roman occupiers by the Messiah # whose arrival, it is rumored, is to take place very soon. Unlike his nephew JUDAS, who wants to join the zealots (freedom fighters), the 35-year-old widower JOSEPH is not interested in participating in any fighting against the Romans. He is well aware that such an uprising would be pointless, and Judas's death shortly afterwards confirms this. The other men in the village have to hide, and Joseph gets a visit from JOACHIM and ANNA, asking him to marry their unprotected 14-year-old daughter MARY. Joseph agrees, but promises to preserve her chastity. Nevertheless, one day Mary tells him, in Anna's presence, that she is pregnant. Believing in this immaculate conception is very difficult for Joseph, as is the message that her son JESUS will end the reign of Herod, which is announced to him in a vision. Their son is born in a Bethlehem cattle shed and heralded as the new Messiah by the Three Magi. King Herod also finds out about the rumor, and decides to kill all of Bethlehem's firstborn. Joseph and Mary escape to Egypt. It is only after the death of Herod # when Jesus is eleven years old # that Joseph and Mary return to Nazareth. The parents' relationship to their child is placed under strain by Jesus's insistence on recognizing God as his father, rather than Joseph. It is only on his deathbed that Joseph professes his faith in his son, whose divine nature he has now recognized, and asks him forgiveness.

PILATE and the Roman legate VETURIUS look on worriedly as JESUS is celebrated as the new messiah in Jerusalem, fearing an uprising. Veturius decides to have Jesus arrested as soon as a suitable opportunity presents itself. JUDAS is delighted by the reception Jesus is receiving, and quickly wants to win over the influential merchants to the cause # which would make him the king and the liberator of the Jews. When Judas meets his fiancé SARAH, she asks him for money, saying her brother has been arrested but that his freedom can be bought with cash. Sarah is lying, however: the money is to bribe the palace guards so that JESTA, her brother, and BARABBAS can assassinate the Roman governor. Judas doesn't give her any money as it belongs to the disciples. The next day Jesus drives all the moneylenders out of the temple and incurs the full wrath of the city's merchants and high priests. Judas looks on worriedly as Jesus' rash behavior makes him enemies. He now takes the 30 pieces of silver from the disciples and gives them to Sarah # little realizing that in so doing he is financing the assassination attempt on Pilate. When the attempt fails, the Romans arrest relatives of influential families in reprisal, including that of Judas, and threaten to kill them. It's only now that Sarah tells Judas the truth. Judas tells Jesus to free the families, but he merely replies that they will all be set free. Judas is beside himself with fury. During the Last Supper he thinks of a solution: if he delivers Jesus up to the Romans, his family will be freed and Jesus himself would have to prove that he really has divine power. But Judas' plan doesn't work: Although his family is freed, Judas waits in vain for Jesus to demonstrate his power. Instead he dies on the Cross. In utter despair, Judas commits suicide.