"JESUS: Countdown to Calvary" for Easter 2018 on Public Television

Hugh Bonneville Presents New Documentary

"JESUS: Countdown to Calvary" for Easter 2018 on Public Television

Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Paddington) travels to Jerusalem to examine the events leading up to the death of Jesus of Nazareth, in "Jesus: Countdown to Calvary," releasing on public television stations nationwide March 1, in time for the Easter holiday (check local listings). 

Bonneville, a theology graduate of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, explores the historical context of the last days of Jesus' life. With the help of noted academics and spiritual leaders, he investigates the complex factors that, in just six days, turned a popular preacher into a reviled victim of the Romans’ most brutal form of execution – crucifixion.

Hugh and his guides utilize ancient artifacts, Gospel texts, historical analysis and modern insight to provide a fresh perspective on the social, religious and political tensions at play in first century Jerusalem. The legacies of leading figures like Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas and Judas Iscariot are brought into focus; long-held assumptions, some of which formed the root of centuries of anti-Semitism, are challenged head on.

Featuring state-of-the-art production values, the documentary is framed as a high-stakes political thriller, a clock counting down each critical moment from Palm Sunday to Good Friday.

An enriching and engaging film available for the 2018 Easter season, the documentary offers a nuanced exploration of the questions that have existed for more than 2000 years, treating the subject with sensitivity, rigour and historical integrity.

Contributors include Prof. Helen Bond (University of Edinburgh); Prof. Paula Fredriksen (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), author of From Jesus to Christ (1988;2000); Dr. Zuleika Rodgers (Trinity College, Dublin); Prof. Ronny Reich (Hebrew University, Jerusalem); Amit Re’em (Israeli Institute of Archaeology); Fr. Gregory Tatum OP (École Biblique, Jerusalem) and Amos Oz, the acclaimed Israeli author of Judas.

Professor Bond (MTheol PhD) is the principal academic consultant on the project. She is Professor in Christian Origins with Specialization in New Testament and, since July 2011, Director of the Centre for the Study of Christian Origins (CSCO) which aims to promote research into the earliest period of Christianity. 

JESUS: COUNTDOWN TO CALVARY is a co-production of RTÉ (Ireland), APT and ARTE and will be available for Syndication to public television stations beginning March 1, 2018.