NOVA, the PBS science television show is going to have an episode called "The Bible's Buried Secrets". It is to premiere on November 18, 2008 at 8pm on PBS. This show will no doubt be from a secular humanist point of view. This quote is from the NOVA website: "Near the airdate, we will launch an extensive Web site for you to explore. You will have a chance to hear more from our experts, learn about the making of the film, ask questions, enter into a dialogue with others, and much more. We look forward to hearing your feedback." Participating in the NOVA forum could be an excellent opportunity to get the word out about YY. Any thoughts? There is a preview here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bible/ From the NOVA website:
The Bible's Buried Secrets
Premieres November 18, 2008 at 8pm on PBS
Program Overview
In this landmark two-hour special, NOVA takes viewers on a fascinating scientific journey to the beginnings of modern religion. "The Bible's Buried Secrets" vividly recounts the saga of the ancient Israelites and digs deeply into both the Bible and the history of the Israelites through the archeological artifacts they left behind. The documentary focuses on the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament, as the foundation for the great monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. NOVA's producers worked with an international team of scholars and researchers who studied stories, examined artifacts, deciphered ancient manuscripts, and hypothesized how—in a time of human sacrifice, idolatry, and slavery—the concept of one God emerged.
A powerful exploration of science, scripture, and scholarship, "The Bible's Buried Secrets" examines the most pressing issues in biblical archeology: Who actually wrote the Hebrew Bible? Is there a real historical core to stories of Abraham, Moses and the Exodus, and King David, a warrior and writer of psalms, and his son, Solomon, who built the great temple in Jerusalem? And beyond the question of historical authenticity, what is the deeper meaning of these stories and why do they resonate today? Provocative new answers emerge from the program's investigation of decades of literary research and archeological investigation in the Near East.
A letter from NOVA's Senior Executive Producer, Paula S. Apsell
Dear NOVA Audience,
"The Bible's Buried Secrets" is a comprehensive archeological and literary investigation that traces the origins of the ancient Israelites, explores the evolution of their belief in one God, and reveals how the manifestation of their faith, the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament, was written. The two-hour film features in-depth discussions with leading biblical scholars and archeologists, along with historic works of art, ancient artifacts, animations of biblical passages and scenes, and evocative reenactments of past events. Together they help tell the story of the ancient Israelites and how they found their one God—the God not only of modern Judaism, but also of Christianity and Islam.
This two-hour NOVA special follows a tradition of PBS filmmaking that explores the intersection of archeology, history, and religion, as was done with the acclaimed documentary series From Jesus to Christ, produced by FRONTLINE. "The Bible's Buried Secrets" has been in production for more than four years. Following the approach we apply to all NOVA documentaries, we took painstaking measures to consult with the foremost experts in archeology and biblical scholarship in order to provide you with the most up-to-date and in-depth information.
"The Bible's Buried Secrets" represents a mainstream academic perspective on the Hebrew Bible. It brings together more than a century of meticulous literary research and decades of archeological exploration in the Near East, and we are excited to share this scholarly work with you, our audience.
I encourage you to tune in to the program when it airs on November 18, 2008 on your local PBS station. Near the airdate, we will launch an extensive Web site for you to explore. You will have a chance to hear more from our experts, learn about the making of the film, ask questions, enter into a dialogue with others, and much more. We look forward to hearing your feedback.
Sincerely,
Paula S. Apsell
Senior Executive Producer, NOVA