Matthew in series about Jesus written in Autistic

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The Chosen Makes Jesus 'Relatable,' Filmmaker Andrew Erwin Says: 'I Adore the Show'

I know of the series and have heard some conversation about it but since I don't watch TV and movies I don't know enough about it to comment other than to wonder Why the character was written to be autistic.

Article does not address that matter.

Hmm, point of interest, "Photo courtesy: ©Ronald Pollard for K-LOVE Fan Awards, used with permission.", I have the local station from that network on the radio right now.

also a point of interest, this article in link at side of page,

https://www.christianheadlines.com/colu ... adult.html

Why Didn't Jesus Come into Our World as an Adult?
Jim Denison | Denison Forum on Truth and Culture | Friday, December 23, 2022

I have watched it. I really really like Matthew as portrayed. I read one of the directors has a daughter on the spectrum and saw that it could fit with what is evident In Matthew’s gospel and would make sense as an interpretation of Matthew as a character.

So it was a combination of Biblical textual study, personal experience and artistic interpretation.

I have also read that Matthew is one of the most popular and talked about characters in the show.

As an actor and a Christian I really like what they are doing with the show.

It probably wouldn't affect me one way or the other. I never had any problem relating to Jesus as depicted in the New Testament, except that I don't like martyrdom or sacrifice. But the basic message, yes it would be great if people were kind to each other. There's very little known about the historical Jesus, but I strongly suspect the Gospels captured something of his philosophy.

There's a lot of this trying to bring traditional things up to date these days. They notice the kids are into hip-hop so they start writing hip-hop hymns. Everybody's trying to put an autistic character into their films. It looks kind of contrived to me, but I don't suppose it does any harm.

Here is an article about the series with quotes from the director:

https://dove.org/the-chosens-dallas-jen ... different/

If you google “The Chosen” you can watch on-line for free. (The whole series is crowd funded.). It is available online.
You can also stream it from some of streaming sources.
I just connect my laptop to a HDMI cable and we watch from the source as a family.

You can form your own opinions after you watch it.

I think there may have been several levels of “Tax Collectors” in Biblical times, but I am no expert. I had always heard that tax collectors could collect any amount they could get as long as they payed Caesar what he wanted and keep the difference. But there may have been the equivalent to clerks or worker bees. Not my area of expertise.
Another reason tax collectors were disliked is that the Jewish people were occupied by Roman forces. So the taxes were to the occupying government.

Matthew is played as a keen observer who records only what he sees or is told. I think this is consistent with Matthew’s gospel as compared to the other gospels.

For me, who isn’t fluent in Greek or Hebrew, all the Bible is usually translated into a language more familiar to me. Any film will be the same - it is a kind of translation to the familiar.
Much religious art combines the familiar with the historical (with the spiritual).

None of the Gospels were actually written by the disciples they are named after. Matthew included. They were written decades after the life of Christ by scribes literate in Greek (Christ's disciples were not literate even in their own native tongue of Aramaic). The posthumous naming of the anonymous authors was a medieval PR stunt.

Point: there are people who look at the Gospel of Matthew as being written by Matthew. There are people who do not. The makers of “The Chosen” are in the first group.

If Science and Scholarship is what you worship, you are likely to accept some sources and reject others.

If God is who you worship you are also likely to accept some sources and reject others.

I don’t expect NPR to be non-biased with respect to Christianity. That would not be consistent with my experience.

I worship God. I identify as Christian. I am only interested in Science with respect to what it can teach me about the Maker.

Scholarship which starts with the idea that there is no God and no supernatural is likely to “prove” just that, but it is circular reasoning.

At any rate: Matthew as depicted in “The Chosen” is based on Matthew in the Bible, and treated as the author of the book of Matthew. The character traits are based on that point-of-view.

NPR has a different point-of-view.

There is alway a point-of-view. All people have a point-of-view. All media has a point-of-view.

If you want to argue and “debate” please post in PPR.

Actually, Bart Ehrman, who I cited above, was a believer until in-depth research into the Bible made him change his stance. I fall into this demographic as well.

I'm 50-50 on this. I think art should be made as broad as possible, so there isn't a need to specify if a person whose dealing with autistic interests and issues is autistic, because neurotypicals also deal with them to some degree. On the other hand, autism wasn't invented in the 20th century, and people with autism certainly can leave their mark on history (I'm one of those people who thinks most retroactive diagnosis of autism are valid, at least more autistic than the general population).

What would happen if Jesus Himself was portrayed as a “high-functioning” autistic person?