From Jesus To Christ

FRONTLINE explores the life and death of Jesus, and the men and women who created the religion we now know as Christianity. Drawing upon historical evidence, the series challenges familiar assumptions and conventional notions about Christian origins.

After initial input from the Producer and the Director, I made this one almost entirely on my own, checking in by phone every evening with the Academic Advisor  to hammer out narration.  I would write lines needed to fill gaps in the interviews or facilitate transitions, and Professor Michael White would rewrite to make them historically accurate.

Directed by William Cran, Produced by Marilyn Mellowes

Aired on PBS April 6, 1998
“The best television documentaries are usually about contemporary issues, but the Frontline program From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians comes as a splendid exception to this rule.”
–Boston Globe


“This absorbing series is a testament to scholarly fascination with the development of Christianity and awe for its triumph. There is nothing here of the televangelist appeal to miracles, but this work is a revelation of what television can be.”

–New York Times

“Television is not where one normally turns for an intelligent, informative portrayal of Jesus… All that makes the upcoming Frontline series From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians even more extraordinary. This brilliant four-hour documentary on the life of Jesus and the early church airs over two evenings, a prelude to Easter and Passover.”

–San Francisco Chronicle