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by George Evans Pierson III (hendryshannon2009@yahoo)

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Family User Review: NOT YET
RATED
This screenplay is a compilation of all four gospels with direct quotes from the Old and New Testaments. (This is all new to me. Therefore, your help will be much appreciated. I still have to format parts two and three. Have a nice day.)

AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM: LAUS DEO

FADE IN:

INT. PROLOGUE I - NIGHT

NARRATOR (VO)
Seeing that many others have
undertaken to draw up accounts of
the events that have reached their
fulfillment among us, as these
were handed down to us by those
who from the outset were
eyewitnesses and ministers of the
word, I in my turn, after
carefully going over the whole
story from the beginning, have
decided to write an ordered
account for you, Theophilus, so
that your Excellency may learn how
well founded the teaching is that
you have received.

NARRATOR (VO)
In the beginning was the Word: the
Word was with God and the Word was
God. He was with God in the
beginning. Through him all things
came into being, not one thing
came into being except through
him. What has come into being in
him was life, life that was the
light of men; and light shines in
darkness, and darkness could not
overpower it.

A man came, sent by God. His name
was John. He came as a witness, to
bear witness to the light, so that
everyone might believe through
him. He was not the light; he was
to bear witness to the light.

The Word was the real light that
gives light to everyone; he was
coming into the world. He was in
the world that had come into being
through him, and the world did not
recognize him. He came to his own
and his own people did not accept
him. However, to those who did
accept him he gave power to become
children of God, to those who
(MORE)

NARRATOR (cont'd)
believed in his name who was born
not from human stock or human
desire or human will but from God
himself.

The Word became flesh, he lived
among us, and we saw his glory,
the glory that he has from the
Father, as only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth.

John witnesses to him. He
proclaims, "This is the one of
whom I said: He whom comes after
me has passed ahead of me because
he existed before me."

Indeed, from his fullness we have,
all of us, received - one gift
replacing another, for the Law was
given through Moses, grace and
truth have come through Jesus
Christ. No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son, who is close
to the Father's heart, who has
made him known.

INT. THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST FORETOLD - DAY

NARRATOR (VO)
In the days of King Herod of
Judea, there lived a priest called
Zechariah. He belonged to the
Abijah section of the priesthood.
He had a wife, Elizabeth by name,
who was a descendant of Aaron.
Both were upright in the sight of
God and impeccably carried out all
the commandments and observances
of the Lord. However, they were
childless: Elizabeth was barren
and they were both advanced in
years. Now, it happened that it
was the turn of his section to
serve, and he was exorcising his
priestly office before God when it
fell to him by lot, as the
priestly custom was, to enter the
Lord's sanctuary and burn incense
there. At the hour of incense, all
the people were outside, praying.
Then there appeared to him the
(MORE)

NARRATOR (cont'd)
angel of the Lord, standing on the
right of the altar of incense. The
sight disturbed Zechariah and he
was overcome with fear.

ANGEL
"Zechariah, do not be afraid, for
your prayer has been heard. Your
wife, Elizabeth is to bare you a
son and you shall name him John.
He will be your joy and delight
and many will rejoice at his
birth. He will be great in the
sight of the Lord. He must drink
no wine, no strong drink. Even
from his mother's womb he will be
filled with the Holy Spirit, and
he will bring back many of the
Israelites to the Lord their God.
With the spirit and power of
Elijah, he will go before him to
reconcile parents to there
children and the disobedient to
the good sense of the upright,
preparing for the Lord a people
fit for him."

ZECHARIAH
"How can I know this? I am an old
man and my wife is getting on in
years."

ANGEL
"I am Gabriel, who stands in God's
presence, and I have been sent to
speak to you and bring you this
good news. Look! Since you did not
believe my words, which will come
true at their appointed time, you
will be silenced and have no power
of speech until this has
happened."

NARRATOR (VO)
Meanwhile, the people were waiting
for Zechariah. They were surprised
that he stayed in the sanctuary so
long.

NARRATOR (VO)
When he came out he could not
speak to them, and they realize
that he had seen a vision in the
(MORE)

NARRATOR (cont'd)
sanctuary. However, he could only
make signs to them and remained
dumb. When his time of service
came to and end he returned home.

NARRATOR (VO)
Some time later his wife Elizabeth
conceived and for five months she
kept to herself, saying,

ELIZABETH
"The Lord has done this for me,
now that it has pleased him to
take away the humiliation I
suffered in public."

INT. THE ANNUNCIATION - DAY

NARRATOR (VO)
In the sixth month, God sent the
angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee
called Nazareth, to a virgin
betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the House of David; and the
virgin's name was Mary. He went in
and said to her,

ANGEL
"Rejoice, you who enjoy God's
favor! The Lord is with you."

NARRATOR (VO)
She was deeply disturbed by these
words and asked herself what this
greeting could mean, but the angel
said to her,

ANGEL
"Mary, do not be afraid; you have
won God's favor. Look! You are to
conceive in your womb and bear a
son, and you must name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be
called Son of the Most High. The
Lord God will give him the throne
of his ancestor David; he will
rule over the house of Jacob for
ever and his reign will have no
end."

MARY
"But how can this come about,
since I have no knowledge of man?"

ANGEL
"The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Most
High will cover you with its
shadow. Therefore, the child will
be holy and will be called Son of
God. I tell you this too: your
cousin Elizabeth also, in her old
age, has conceived a son, and she
whom people called barren is now
in her sixth month, for nothing is
impossible for Yahweh."

MARY
"You see before you the Lord's
servant, let it happen to me as
you have said."

NARRATOR (VO)
The Angel then left her.

EXT. THE VISITATION - DAY

NARRATOR
Mary set out at that time and went
as quickly as she could into the
hill country to a town in Judah.
She went into Zechariah's house
and greeted Elizabeth. Now it
happened that as soon as Elizabeth
heard Mary's greeting, the child
leapt in her womb and Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Spirit.
She gave a loud cry and said,

ELIZABETH
"Of all women you are the most
blessed, and blessed is the fruit
of your womb. Why should I be
honored with a visit from the
mother of my Lord? Look, the
moment your greeting reached my
ears, the child in my womb leapt
for joy. Yes, blessed is she who
believed that the promise made her
by the Lord would be fulfilled."

EXT. THE MAGNIFICAT - DAY

MARY
"My soul proclaims the greatness
of the Lord and my spirit rejoices
in God my Savior; because he has
looked upon the humiliation of his
servant. Yes, from now onwards all
generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great
things for me. Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age
after age to those who fear him.
He has used the power of his arm;
he has routed the arrogant of
heart. He has pulled down princes
from their thrones and raised high
the lowly. He has filled the
starving with good things, and
sent the rich away empty. He has
come to the help of Israel his
servant, mindful of his faithful
love - according to the promise he
made to our ancestors - of his
mercy to Abraham and to his
descendants forever."

NARRATOR (VO)
Mary stayed with her some three
months and then went home.

INT. THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THE VISIT OF - DAY

NARRATOR
The time came for Elizabeth to
have her child, and she gave birth
to a son; and when her neighbors
and relations heard that the Lord
had lavished on her his faithful
love, they shared her joy.

INT. THE CIRCUMCISION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST - DAY

NARRATOR (VO)
Now it happened that on the eighth
day they came to circumcise the
child, they were going to call him
Zechariah after his father, but
his mother spoke up.

ELIZABETH
"No,"

MARY
"he is to be called John."

UNKNOWN SPEAKER
"But no one in your family has
that name,"

NARRATOR (VO)
and made signs to his father to
find out what he wanted him
called.

NARRATOR (VO)
The father asked for a writing
tablet and wrote,

UNKNOWN RELATIVE
"His name is John."

NARRATOR (VO)
In addition, they were all
astonished. At that instant, his
power of speech returned and he
spoke and praised God.

NARRATOR (VO)
His father Zechariah, filled with
the Holy Spirit, spoke this
prophecy:

ZECHARIAH
Blessed be Yahweh, the God of
Israel. He has visited his people;
he has set them free. He has
established for us a saving power
in the House of his servant David.
Just as he proclaimed, by the
mouth of his holy prophets from
ancient times, that he would save
us from our enemies and from the
hands of all those who hate us,
show faithful love to our
ancestors, and so keep in mind his
holy covenant. This was the oath
he swore to our father Abraham,
that he would grant us, free from
fear, to be delivered from the
hands of our enemies, to serve him
in holiness and uprightness in his
presence, all our days. You,
little child, you shall be called,
(MORE)

ZECHARIAH (cont'd)
Prophet of the Most High. You will
go before the Lord to prepare a
way for him: to give his people
knowledge of salvation through the
forgiveness of their sins, because
of the faithful love of our God in
which the rising Sun has come from
on high to visit us. You are to
give light to those who live in
darkness and the shadow dark as
death and guide our feet into the
way of peace.

NARRATOR (VO)
All their neighbors were filled
with awe and the whole affair was
talked about throughout the hill
country of Judea. All those who
heard of it treasured it in their
hearts.

UNKNOWN SPEAKER
"What will this child turn out to
be?"

NARRATOR (VO)
they wondered. Indeed, the hand of
the Lord was with him.

NARRATOR
Meanwhile the child grew up and
his spirit grew strong. He lived
in the desert until the day he
appeared openly to Israel.

INT. JOSEPH ADOPTS JESUS AS HIS SON - NIGHT

NARRATOR (VO)
This is how Jesus Christ came to
be born. His mother Mary was
betrothed to Joseph; but before
they came to live together, she
was found to be with child through
the Holy Spirit. Her husband
Joseph, being an upright man and
wanting to spare her disgrace,
decided to divorce her informally.
He had made up his mind to do this
when suddenly the angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream
and said,

ANGEL
"Joseph son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary home as your
wife, because she has conceived
what is in her by the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son and
you must name him Jesus, because
he is the one who is to save his
people from their sins."

NARRATOR (VO)
Now all this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had spoken through
the prophet: the young woman is
with child. She will give birth to
a son whom she will call Immanuel,
a name, which means, "God is with
us".

NARRATOR (VO)
When Joseph woke up, he did what
the angel of the Lord had told him
to do: he took his wife to his
home; he had not had intercourse
with her when she gave birth to a
son; and he named him Jesus.

EXT. THE BIRTH OF JESUS AND VISIT OF THE SHEPHERDS - NIGHT

NARRATOR (VO)
Now it happened that at this time
Caesar Augustus issued a decree
that a census should be made of
the completely inhabited world.
This census - the first - took
place while Quirinius was governor
of Syria, and everyone was to be
registered, each to his own town.

NARRATOR (VO)
Therefore, Joseph set out from the
town of Nazareth in Galilee for
Judea, to David's town called
Bethlehem, since he was of David's
House and line, in order to be
registered together with Mary, his
betrothed, who was with child.

NARRATOR (VO)
Now it happened that, while they
were there, the time came for her
to have her child, and she gave
birth to a son, her first-born.
(MORE)

10.

NARRATOR (cont'd)
She wrapped him in swaddling
cloths and laid him in a manger
because there was no room for them
in the living space.

NARRATOR (VO)
In the countryside close by there
were shepherds out in the fields
keeping guard over their sheep
during the watches of the night.
An angel of the Lord stood over
them and the glory of the Lord
shone around them. They were
terrified, but the angel said,

ANGEL
"Do not be afraid. Look, I bring
you news of great joy, a joy to be
shared by the whole people. Today
in the town of David a Savior has
been born to you; he is Christ the
Lord. Here is a sign for you: you
will find a baby wrapped in
swaddling clothes and lying in a
manger."

NARRATOR (VO)
All at once with the angel, there
was a great throng of the hosts of
heaven, praising God with the
words:

ANGELS
"Glory to God in the highest
heaven, and on earth peace for
those he favors."

NARRATOR (VO)
Now it happened that when the
angels had gone from them into
heaven, the shepherds said to one
another,

SHEPHERD
"Let us go to Bethlehem and see
this event which the Lord has made
known to us."

NARRATOR (VO)
Therefore, they hurried away and
found Mary and Joseph, and the
baby lying in the manger. When
they saw the child they repeated
(MORE)

11.

NARRATOR (cont'd)
what they had been told about him,
and everyone who heard it was
astonished at what the shepherds
said to them.

NARRATOR (VO)
As for Mary, she treasured all
these things and pondered them in
her heart.

NARRATOR (VO)
The shepherds went back glorifying
and praising God for all they had
heard and seen, just as they had
been told.

EXT. JESUS IS PRESENTED IN THE TEMPLE - DAY

NARRATOR (VO)
When the day came for them to be
purified in keeping with the Law
of Moses, they took him up to
Jerusalem to present him to the
Lord - observing what is written
in the Law of the Lord: Consecrate
all the first-born to me, the
first birth from every womb, among
the Israelites. Whether it is man
or beast, it is mine. and also to
offer in sacrifice, in accordance
with what is prescribed in the Law
of the Lord, two turtledoves or
two young pigeons.

NARRATOR (VO)
Now in Jerusalem there was a man
named Simeon. He was an upright
and devout man; he looked forward
to the restoration of Israel and
the Holy Spirit rested on him. The
Holy Spirit revealed to him that
he would not see death until he
had set eyes on the Christ of the
Lord.

NARRATOR (VO)
Prompted by the Spirit he came to
the Temple; and when the parents
brought in the child Jesus to do
for him what the Law required, he
took him into his arms and blessed
(MORE)

12.

NARRATOR (cont'd)
God; and he said,

SIMEON
"Now, Master, you are letting your
servant go in peace as you
promised; for my eyes have seen
the salvation which you have made
ready in the sight of the nations;
a light of revelation for the
gentiles and glory for your people
Israel."

EXT. THE PROPHECY OF SIMEON. - DAY

NARRATOR (VO)
As the child's father and mother
were wondering at the things that
were being said about him, Simeon
blessed them and said to Mary his
mother,

SIMEON
"Look, he is destined for the fall
and for the rise of many in
Israel, and destined to be a sign
that is opposed. A sword shall
pierce your soul too - so that the
secret thoughts of many may be
laid bare."

EXT. THE PROPHECY OF ANNA - DAY

NARRATOR (VO)
There was a prophetess, too, Anna
the daughter of Phanuel, of the
tribe of Asher. She was well on in
years. Her days of
girlhood over, she had been
married for seven years before
becoming a widow. She was now
eighty-four years old and never
left the Temple. She continued
serving God night and day with
fasting and prayer. She came up
just at that moment and began to
praise God; and she spoke of the
child to all who looked forward to
the deliverance of Jerusalem.

13.

INT. THE VISIT OF THE MAGI - NIGHT

NARRATOR (VO)
After Jesus had been born at
Bethlehem in Judea during the
reign of King Herod, suddenly some
wise men came to Jerusalem from
the east asking,

GASPAR
"Where is the infant king of the
Jews? We saw his star as it rose
and have come to do him homage."

NARRATOR (VO)
When King Herod heard this he was
perturbed, and so was the whole of
Jerusalem. He called together all
the chief priests and the scribes
of the people, and enquired of
them where the Christ was to be
born. They told him,

SCRIBE
"At Bethlehem in Judea, for this
is what the prophet wrote: But you
Bethlehem Ephratha, the least
among the clans of Judah, from you
will come for me a future ruler of
Israel whose origins go back to
the distant past, to the days of
old."

NARRATOR (VO)
Then Herod summoned the wise men
to see him privately. He asked
them the exact date on which the
star had appeared and sent them on
to Bethlehem with the words,

HEROD
"Go and find out all about the
child, and when you have found
him, let me know, so that I too
may go and do him homage."

NARRATOR (VO)
Having listened to what the king
had to say, they set out.

NARRATOR (VO)
Suddenly the star they had seen
rising went forward and halted
over the place where the child
(MORE)

14.

NARRATOR (cont'd)
was. The sight of the star filled
them with delight, and going into
the house they saw the child with
his mother Mary, and falling on
their knees they did him homage.
Then, opening their treasures,
they offered him gifts of gold and
frankincense, and myrrh. However,
they were given a warning in a
dream not to go back to Herod.
They returned to their own country
by a different way.

INT. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT - NIGHT

NARRATOR (VO)
After they had left, suddenly an
angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream and said,

ANGEL (VO)
"Get up, take the child and his
mother with you, and escape into
Egypt, and stay there until I tell
you, because Herod intends to
search for the child and do away
with him."

NARRATOR (VO)
Therefore, Joseph got up and,
taking the child and his mother
with him, left that night for
Egypt, where he stayed until Herod
was dead. This was to fulfill what
the Lord had spoken through the
prophet: I called my son out of
Egypt.

NARRATOR (VO)
Herod was furious on realizing
that he had been fooled by the
wise men, and in Bethlehem and its
surrounding district he had all
the male children killed who were
two years old or less, reckoning
by the date he had been careful to
ask the wise men. Then were
fulfilled the words spoken through
the prophet Jeremiah: A voice is
heard in Ramah, lamenting and
weeping bitterly: it is Rachel
weeping for her children, refusing
(MORE)

15.

NARRATOR (cont'd)
to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.

INT. FROM EGYPT TO NAZARETH - NIGHT

NARRATOR (VO)
After Herod's death, suddenly the
angel of the Lord appeared
in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and
said,

ANGEL (VO)
"Get up, take the child and his
mother with you and go back to the
land of Israel, for those who
wanted to kill the child are
dead."

NARRATOR (VO)
Therefore, Joseph got up and,
taking the child and his mother
with him, went back to the land of
Israel. However, when he learned
that Archelaus had succeeded his
father Herod as ruler of Judea he
was afraid to go there, and being
warned in a dream he withdrew to
the region of Galilee. There he
settled in a town called Nazareth.
In this way, the words spoken
through the prophet were to be
fulfilled, "He will be called a
Nazorean."

EXT. THE HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS AT NAZARETH - DAY

NARRATOR (VO)
When they had done everything the
Law of the Lord required, they
went back to Galilee, to their own
town of Nazareth. As the child
grew in maturity, he was filled
with wisdom; and God's favor was
with him.

16.

EXT. JESUS AMONG THE DOCTORS OF THE LAW - DAY

NARRATOR (VO)
Every year his parents used to go
to Jerusalem for the feast of
Passover.

NARRATOR (VO)
When he was twelve years old, they
went up for the feast as usual.

NARRATOR (VO)
When the days of the feast were
over and they set off for home,
the boy Jesus stayed behind in
Jerusalem without his parents
knowing it.

NARRATOR (VO)
They assumed he was somewhere in
the party, and it was only after a
day's journey that they went to
look for him among their relations
and acquaintances.

NARRATOR (VO)
When they failed to find him, they
went back to Jerusalem looking for
him everywhere.

NARRATOR (VO)
It happened that, three days
later, they found him in the
Temple, sitting among the
teachers, listening to them, and
asking them questions; and all
those who heard him were astounded
at his intelligence and his
replies. They were overcome when
they saw him, and his mother said
to him,

MARY
"My child, why have you done this
to us? See how worried your father
and I have been, looking for you?"

JESUS
(He replied,)
"Why were you looking for me? Did
you not know that I must be in my
Father's house?"

17.

NARRATOR (VO)
However, they did not understand
what he meant.

EXT. THE HIDDEN LIFE AT NAZARETH RESUMED - DAY

NARRATOR (VO)
He went down with them then, came
to Nazareth, and lived under their
authority. His mother stored up
all these things in her heart.
Jesus increased in wisdom, in
stature, and in favor with God and
with people.

INT. THE ANCESTRY OF JESUS - NIGHT

NARRATOR (VO)
Roll of the genealogy of Jesus
Christ, son of David, son of
Abraham:
Abraham fathered Isaac.
Isaac fathered Jacob.
Jacob fathered Judah and his
brothers.
Judah fathered Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez fathered Hezron.
Hezron fathered Ram.
Ram fathered Amminadab.
Amminadab fathered Nahshon.
Nahshon fathered Salmon.
Salmon fathered Boaz, whose mother
was Rahab.
Boaz fathered Obed, whose mother
was Ruth.
Obed fathered Jesse,
In addition, Jesse fathered King
David.

David fathered Solomon, whose
mother had been Uriah's wife.
Solomon fathered Rehoboam.
Rehoboam fathered Abijah.
Abijah fathered Asa.
Asa fathered Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat fathered Joram.
Joram fathered Uzziah.
Uzziah fathered Jotham.
Jotham fathered Ahaz.
Ahaz fathered Hezekiah.
Hezekiah fathered Manasseh.
(MORE)

18.

NARRATOR (cont'd)
Manasseh fathered Amon.
Amon fathered Josiah.
In addition, Josiah fathered
Jechoniah and his brothers.
Then the deportation to Babylon
took place.

After the deportation to Babylon:
Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel.
Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel fathered Abiud.
Abiud fathered Eliakim.
Eliakim fathered Azor.
Azor fathered Zadok.
Zadok fathered Achim.
Achim fathered Eliud.
Eliud fathered Eleazar.
Eleazar fathered Matthan.
Matthan fathered Jacob.

In addition, Jacob fathered
Joseph, the husband of Mary, of
whom was born Jesus, who is called
Christ.

Thus, the sum of generations is
therefore:
Fourteen from Abraham to David;
Fourteen from David to the
Babylonian deportation;
In addition, fourteen from the
Babylonian deportation to Christ.

FADE OUT.

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