Empires - Peter & Paul and the Christian Revolution

The ninth release in the EMPIRES strand, Peter and Paul and the Christian Revolution will bring to life events that changed the world forever. Combining the words of Paul and other ancient writers with contemporary scholars, modern archaeology, and dramatic re-enactments filmed in Europe and the Middle East.

The execution of the Jewish radical called Jesus should have stopped the rabble-rousing cult. But two remarkable men would transform the story of Jesus’ life and crucifixion into an earth-shaking event that would slowly transform the ancient world. This special will explore how two men were able to weather crippling disagreements and political persecution to lead one of history's most astonishing religious movements. The two men could not have been more different. Paul began as a bounty hunter paid to kill the followers of Jesus; Peter as one of Jesus’ original disciples – but at the end of their adventure-filled lives, both would meet the same fate: execution during the great “Christian Purges” under the Roman emperor Nero. Ironically, the new faith they forged would ultimately engulf the empire, and much of the world.