St. Peter.
I give you a new commandment.
I want you to love one another,
as I have loved you.
This way, you will be recognized as My disciples--
if you love one another.
Where are You going, Lord?
Peter,
where I am going, you cannot follow Me,
You will follow Me later.
And not follow You now?
Why? I would give my life for You.
You would give your life for Me?
I say to you, before the rooster crows,
you will turn against Me three times.
I would rather die with You, Lord, than deny You.
He's dead. He's dead!
What happened? What are you talking about?
- You're too late. He's already dead. - Who's dead?
Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah.
If He's dead, He can't have been the Messiah.
Make way, make way!
Peter! Peter! It's me. It's me, your brother.
Come. Don't be afraid.
- Andrew. - I looked for you everywhere.
I was afraid that they'd caught you.
Perhaps I deserve to be caught.
What do you mean?
Soldiers! Peter, come!
Peter, the soldiers are searching
the whole city of Jerusalem.
We must leave, Peter, leave the city,
or they'll kill us as well.
Isn't what they've done to the Lord enough?
- Murderers! - What are you doing?
Have you gone mad?
They crucified the Lord,
crucified Him like a thief!
- Did you not see? - I saw!
I saw.
I died with Him.
No. No, Peter.
It's you who will lead us.
It's you who must guide us now.
- Yes. - Yes, it's you.
Where are the others?
They are waiting for you. Now.
Peter, we weren't able to protect Him. I'll never forgive myself.
But why did He not prove to everyone that He was the Son of God?
One word-- one word would have been enough.
That's enough now. Be silent. Let Peter speak.
I feared I would never see you again.
We are all here, except for John and Judas.
Judas has hung himself, Peter...
a few hours after his betrayal.
He hanged himself from a tree outside the gates of Jerusalem.
May the Lord have mercy on his soul.
Peter, it cannot end like this.
We are many, aren't we? Let's make ourselves heard.
What do you suggest, Matthias? A revolt?
- Yes, exactly. - They will slaughter us.
We cannot allow this, Peter.
James is right. We must go to the temple priest in the Sanhedrin
and declare our obedience.
What do you think? You must decide.
Who can that be?
- Can you see? - John. It's John.
John, please tell us,
what do you know? John, what is it?
"This is your son," He said,
looking at Mary.
"And this is your mother,"
He said to me. Yes, to me.
Then-- then I heard Him say,
"Father, into Your hands
I commit My Spirit."
And then He said--
What, you were there?
- Peter. - You were beneath His cross?
Peter, you're alive!
Rise.
It is I who should kneel before you.
I lack the courage to stand by Him like you did.
I do not deserve your trust
and l-- I am not able to answer your questions,
but John has given us to understand what we should do now.
Jesus has entrusted His mother to us,
and we must look after her
while she buries her son.
- Come, Peter. - No, Magdalene.
Please come.
Oh, please, Mary, do not look at me so gently.
- I don't deserve it. - My son loved you like a brother.
I was not worthy. I deserve only sorrow.
The pain you feel depends on the joy
that He gave us with His presence.
And what did I do with that? I left Him.
You could not have prevented what happened. No one could.
Do you understand?
This was the design. He knew this.
He always wanted this.
I abandoned Him.
But He has not abandoned you.
Look for Him, Peter.
Do not stop looking for Him,
and He will find you.
He will find you.
Help me, Jesus.
Please help me.
I know I don't deserve it.
I count for nothing now,
for I could not even make myself have the courage
to ask You to forgive me...
but please help me to understand
what I must do for my brothers
who are alone now
without You.
But what are you doing? Where are you going?
We're collecting all our possessions,
- returning home to Emmaus. - Me too. My family needs me.
But we had decided to wait.
Wait for what? What else could possibly happen?
It's just more dangerous to stay.
But we need to have faith.
Jesus cannot have left us like this.
Jesus is dead, do you realize?
And who will take care of our families now? How will we manage?
You believed in Him and hailed Him
as the Messiah until a few days ago.
Maybe we were wrong. If He died, He was not the Messiah.
What are you waiting for then?
Go! Return to your homes!
Out!
Why is he like that?
Peter, calm down.
- Peter... - I hear this far too often:
"He was not the Messiah."
You know too well that anger is not the solution.
You are the youngest but the wisest.
I apologize.
You are our guide. You are Peter,
as strong as a rock. Have you forgotten the words of Jesus?
Never for one moment can I forget them.
But above all the rest,
there is one memory that torments me.
- He's missing! He's gone! - What are you saying, Magdalene?
Jesus! The tomb is empty!
Go and see for yourselves if you don't believe me.
Go on! Go on!
The third day, Peter.
The third day.
Do you remember what Jesus said?
"l must be given into the hands of sinners
and be killed
to rise again
on the third day."
Doesn't this mean that He's alive?
Followers of Jesus! They're inside the tomb!
- They're inside the tomb. - No, wait. Careful.
What are you saying? That's blasphemous.
They are followers of Jesus. They've desecrated the tomb.
They're up there! Quickly!
Let's separate.
Offerings. Offerings for a poor beggar.
Offerings.
Offerings. Offerings for a poor beggar.
Please help me.
Help me. Please help me.
Make an offering.
Peter,
I told you
that I would make you
a fisher of men.
Master.
He looked like anyone else--
a traveler on the road to Emmaus.
But then He spoke and He broke the bread.
Only then did we recognize Him.
It was Jesus.
Peter!
I saw Him too.
A beggar.
I thought He was a beggar,
but then I heard His voice.
So He's alive! He has returned to us!
He has not abandoned us.
He has defeated death for us.
How can you all be so sure?
If Peter says so, I believe in him.
Listen to me, John. I do not doubt
the words of Peter or those of our friends.
Well, then I don't understand.
We would all give our lives to see Jesus again.
We want to see Him again with all of our hearts.
This is the problem. How can we be sure
that this is not just our imagination?
All I can tell you is that it was Him.
I believe you, Peter, but I'm worried for us all.
We have suffered enough, all of us.
May peace be with you.
There now.
As you can see, Pilate,
these tents are perfect for your military
and can stand all weather conditions.
Of course, Saul,
you cannot drink with a pagan like myself.
Your religion forbids it. You're a Jew,
and a pretty zealous one at that.
I would say that I am fervent.
The problem is that there are Jews and Jews.
- Sorry, I don't understand. - The body
of that crucified Nazarene
has vanished from the sepulcher,
and now his followers are spreading the news that this Jesus
has risen from the dead
and hence is the Messiah, the Son of God.
They must have stolen the body
to spread this rumor.
I don't know how they could have done it.
I had placed guards there.
They're impostors.
I know,
but some people believe it,
giving way to doubts,
false hopes, and above all,
unrest that I have to quell.
They betray the faith of my people, and what I hate the most
is that they take advantage of the ignorance of simple people.
Mmm. I agree with you,
but I have to govern in a foreign land.
I need to be extremely careful.
I cannot openly take sides.
Saul, you at least are able to fight them openly.
You can use a sword. You're a Jew.
Your people listen to you.
It is precisely to defend my people
that I will go fight the followers
of this Jesus mercilessly.
There he is! There he is!
- Peter, tell us it's true! - He's risen!
There He is!
Peter! Peter!
Peter!
Is it true?
What you are saying is true! It's true!
Yes! Yes, it's true, Matthias!
It's all true! Jesus is alive!
He's among us once again, in flesh and blood!
We must tell everyone.
We must shout the news from the rooftops of Jerusalem...
- Yes! Yes! -...with all of our strength.
- Yes! - Calm down, calm down, calm down.
We must first face the priest of Sanhedrin
to avoid the conflict.
But Jesus spoke to the people in the squares,
not in the Sanhedrin.
Jesus is the Messiah, but what are we?
Can't you see all the soldiers in the streets? We need to be prudent.
It's true. We're being accused of-- "Have you stolen the body of Jesus?"
It doesn't matter. We will tell everyone the truth--
that Jesus is alive once more.
Yes, but how?
How will we prove this?
We do not need to prove anything to anyone.
We must only tell the truth without fear,
without fear, without fear!
John is right! John is right!
It really happened! It really happened!
Let us tell everyone
that Jesus has risen!
And then? What will Jesus ask of us?
What is His design?
Peter! Peter, what do you think?
- Peter? - Peter?
Where has he gone?
Come on!
Stand back!
Stop now. Go.
I know you. You are one of Jesus's disciples.
You're mistaken. Leave me alone.
Are you the Son of God?
Yes, I am.
Why do you deny it when I've seen you with Him?
It was not me. I've told you, you are mistaken.
Take him to Pilate.
You were at the Mount of Olives.
You were with Jesus.
You are one of His followers.
I do not know Jesus.
How must I tell you? I've never seen him before.
Forgive me.
This way.
- Come on. - Wait here.
Stand over here.
Peter...
they really need you.
They're all here.
I cannot guide you.
Don't you understand?
Leave me alone. Go!
Peter, what are you saying?
You must not abandon us.
I have--
I have reneged Him.
I have reneged the living God...
three times.
I didn't even have the courage to confess it
to my family, my brothers, my sons.
Perhaps there is only one thing that I know how to do now--
fish.
What is he saying?
Come on. Come on, let's go.
Jesus had predicted that, you remember,
and I swore not to renege Him,
to have died with Him.
Peter, we were all confused.
- We were all afraid. - Perhaps I would have done the same.
But you were there with Him.
You did not leave Him.
You did not betray Him.
You too were afraid.
And Jesus, was He not afraid?
I saw the fear in His eyes as they led Him away,
and I left Him alone.
I said I did not know Him as He faced the cross.
Yes, He--
He, among all of us--
He's the one I reneged.
But He has returned. He also returned for you.
No.
I do not deserve His trust nor yours,
and I no longer trust myself.
I trust you.
I too trust you.
- I trust you. - I trust you too.
I trust you, Peter.
I trust you too, Peter.
Peter, not a single fish today.
It is not our lucky day.
Why don't you throw your nets on the starboard side?
Did you hear what that guy said?
Yes, the starboard side.
You can tell that man has never been fishing in his life.
Do as he says.
But it's absurd.
That's not the way to fish. Everyone knows that.
Throw the net on the starboard side!
It's a miracle!
It's the Lord!
Look, it is Him! It is Jesus!
Be careful! Peter!
Peter, what are you doing?
Wait!
You trusted Me.
So, do you love Me, Peter?
- Oh, Lord... - Do you love Me, Peter?
Of course I love You. You know that.
Do you love Me more than anyone else?
Three times You asked me, Lord--
three times--
the same number of times that I denied You.
You know everything, Lord.
I love You more than my life.
Then tend to My flock.
You must protect them in My name.
It is your task.
I failed You, Jesus. I failed You.
This is also why I've chosen you,
and why I choose you once again.
But in truth I say to you,
when you were young,
you dressed yourself and you went where you pleased,
but when you grow older,
you will stretch out your hands
and someone else will dress you and lead you
where you do not wish to go.
So be it, Lord. So be it.
Follow Me.
You will all bear witness to Me in Jerusalem,
in all of Judea and Samaria,
and to the furthest corners of the earth.
And how shall we manage that, Jesus?
How shall we bear witness?
Bring Me your kinsmen and people.
Lead them to Me with your words and your actions,
and lead them to Me the same way you came to Me now.
In the water, like baptism.
Go and baptize
in the name of the Father, of the Son
and the Holy Spirit,
and I will be with you every day until the end of time.
Many of Jesus's disciples are returning to Jerusalem
to join Simon, better known as Peter,
to start all over again with the rantings
about the so-called Son of God.
Now they're even saying that He's alive,
that He has risen from the dead.
This is an indecency! They still haven't given up!
It is now obvious why they stole Jesus's body.
It is so we would believe He is immortal.
And of course, he will continue his preachings and create unrest.
This is true.
The followers of Jesus are a menace to Israel.
Rome is watching for the first signs of an uprising
so that they can send over more troops to crush us.
They will crush us.
This time we have to stop them immediately,
before the situation gets out of hand.
I think it would be unjust
to condemn them before having listened to them,
before having a clear idea of their intentions.
Master,
right now Peter and his followers
are our enemies...
and you yourself taught me, Gamaliel,
that it is not prudent to wait
when you're faced with an enemy.
This is true, Saul,
but I also taught you that only God knows His enemies.
Of course,
but we have the duty to fight God's enemies
when they are proved to be such,
and I am ready to do this.
I will not rest until I have succeeded.
Many have come for the harvest festival--
many more than I could have imagined.
The temple will be crowded.
We may not have room for them all.
This is not what worries me.
Are you thinking of Peter and his disciples?
This is a festivity celebrated by all Jews.
They will not miss this opportunity.
They will try to make converts of all these people.
Then they will have to come out into the open.
This is what I hope.
There are many of our soldiers guarding Jerusalem.
They will not go by unnoticed.
Oh! Be careful, little one.
What is your name?
You cannot speak?
My name is Andrew.
He's Stephen. And what is yours?
Of course he didn't answer. He couldn't understand.
I wonder where they came from.
Perhaps Mesopotamia.
Do you understand what we are saying, Peter?
How could we bear witness to the word of the Lord
to the corners of the earth?
How will we make ourselves understood?
None of us speaks any other languages.
Andrew is right. No one had thought of that.
Did you think it would all be easy?
My brothers,
each person who is a Jew like us,
wherever in the world he may be born, whatever language he may speak,
has the right to know
that the Messiah we were waiting for
has finally arrived.
But how will we make ourselves understood by everyone?
All I know is that we must stay united, as Jesus asked,
and He will never abandon us.
Remember?
"Where there are two or three people assembled in My name...
I am with them."
Mommy! Where's my mommy?
- What's wrong, my child? - I got lost.
- What's happened? - I can't find my mother.
How many times do I have to tell you?
You must stay close to me.
- I understood what they were saying. - So did l.
People of Judea,
listen.
Listen to me.
Jesus has risen from the dead.
God has resurrected Him!
Jesus, the Messiah, has risen.
He has defeated death!
He has defeated death because love--
love defeats death.
The Lord said unto us,
"ln My last days,
I will bestow My spirit upon each person."
And then He added,
"Whoever invokes the name of the Lord will be saved."
Thus, let yourselves be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ
and thereby receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit.
Baptize me, Peter,
in the name of the Lord.
I too want to be baptized.
Glory be to the Lord.
Everyone! Everyone understood your words, Peter!
Yes, and I too, I too can speak to everyone and understand everyone.
It is a gift from our Lord.
It is the Holy Spirit
answering all our questions, all our fears.
Peter, Peter.
Do not worry. He's not here to harm us.
I wish to be baptized.
Explain to him why he cannot be baptized.
My name is Lucius.
I've wanted to be one of you for some time.
Today I found the courage to ask.
But you are a pagan.
He is a pagan. He's not a Jew.
God wishes us to speak to our own people--
Jews like ourselves.
Our law doesn't even permit us to enter the homes of non-Jews,
let alone sit at their tables.
But you spoke to everyone,
and everyone understood you--
Elamites, Greeks, and people from Egypt.
Our Jewish brothers are everywhere,
everywhere in the world.
My words were addressed to them,
only to--
only to them.
I'm sorry.
Peter, they want to be baptized,
and there are many of them.
Shall we baptize them immediately? We cannot wait.
We must remain prudent. There are guards everywhere.
You must split up into groups
and lead them out of Jerusalem.
Take them to the watering holes, outside the walls?
- Shall we baptize them there? - The Lord be with you.
Be prudent, please.
Thank you.
Are we not going to arrest them?
No, not yet.
There are too many of them, and some might react.
I do not want bloodshed today,
not on a feast day.
So do we just let them go?
Do not take initiative.
Follow from a far distance.
I only want to know what they're doing.
What about you?
I will follow Peter.
He is the one I fear the most.
Of all places, you want to go to the temple?
It is where the people of Israel pray-- our people.
I must announce to them the resurrection of Jesus, to them too.
- A little help... - It could be dangerous.
After all that happened today, nothing can happen to us.
It is nevertheless a decision
that I must make by myself.
- I trust your decision. - Stand by me.
My brothers...
people of Israel,
I beg you, listen to me.
And why should we listen to you?
What more do you wish to say to the people of Israel
that they have not heard already
from Abraham and Moses?
That Jesus is the Messiah
that the people of Israel have been waiting for.
- Impostor! - Out of here, you liar!
Do you hear them?
Do you hear what your people think of you?
You are an impostor,
and do you know the punishment for those who lie in temple?
For me, the greater punishment
would be not to speak the truth.
Bless me.
I beg of you.
I can't walk.
Take that and leave!
I have no silver, no gold,
but I can give you the love
of Jesus of Nazareth.
Stand up and walk.
Do you take us for fools? It's only a trick!
You two had agreed to do this.
Soldiers, take them!
We must leave, quickly.
- I've cured him. - Quickly.
Like Jesus used to do, I've cured him.
To the Sanhedrin.
Take him before the Sanhedrin to face judgment.
You! You are the ones who stole Jesus's body!
You stole it so you could say He had risen from the dead.
Jesus really rose from the dead.
I saw Him with my own eyes.
I heard His voice.
I touched His hands with my own hands.
This is a lie
and God will punish you for that!
But first, it is the law of Israel that will punish you.
You are just frauds
who take advantage of the simple nature of others
to steal their possessions.
I baptize you, Jeremiah,
in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
They are making converts. We must warn Saul.
You must swear to stop spreading your doctrine.
I cannot speak against the truth,
the truth that Jesus has risen from the dead.
Arrest them!
Wait.
If...
what these two men say is false,
that means their doctrine does not belong to God
and therefore will dissolve in thin air.
If instead their doctrine comes from God,
we'll be unable to stop them.
But we cannot wait. It is necessary
to arrest them for the good of Israel.
Is it for the good of Israel
that we should find ourselves fighting against God?
If any among you want to run the risk
of assuming a position against God,
he should please step forward
and assume responsibility for requesting
Peter and John to be incarcerated.
Let them go.
Master...
Master, this time I'm not in agreement with you.
A frequent occurrence lately.
Peter is dangerous!
He's able to exert an exceptional influence over others.
Forgive me, but perhaps
he has influenced you too.
You are a brave man, Saul,
and you are also honest and loyal,
but you change completely when facing Peter
and the disciples of Jesus.
- l-- - It almost seems
as if you were afraid of them.
What are you so frightened of?
What is it
you hide within your heart?
Saul.
They are giving baptism to many, just as Peter ordered.
- This is what I feared. - He is a leader now,
and perhaps he will soon pass himself off as the Messiah.
It's dangerous to touch Peter at the moment.
Gamaliel's on his side, as well as many others.
They may want to revolt, and that is precisely what we must avoid.
What do you intend to do then?
We must lower our sights.
You, stop.
- What can I do for you? - Do you know Simon,
also called Peter? Do you not?
Of course. I know him well.
And he ordered you to give baptism.
Your friend Peter is saying that Jesus has risen from the dead,
and that He is the Son of God.
As everyone knows, there is only one God.
If He had a son, there would be two.
It is blasphemy.
But perhaps you don't agree with Peter.
Warn Peter.
Yes.
Come with me.
Citizens of Jerusalem, come here.
Let's listen to what this young follower
of Jesus of Nazareth has to say.
- Peter, Peter! - What?
Run, quickly! Stephen is in danger. Hurry!
Jesus came to remind us of the teachings
of the law of Moses--
"Love God,
listen to His prophets, practice justice--"
That's enough of all that nonsense!
Answer me, do you believe Jesus to be the Son of God?
Jesus is the Son of God.
For our salvation, He died and rose from the dead.
You all here have heard.
This man has blasphemed. He must be punished and stoned for this.
You still have time to retract that.
I have nothing more to say!
Stone him!
Is there anyone here who agrees with Stephen?
Does anyone wish to be stoned with him?
Stone him! Stone him!
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Do not blame them for this sin.
What have you done?
- What have you done? - He blasphemed.
He said Jesus was the Son of God.
He spoke the truth.
Jesus is the Son of God.
The time is right.
Let's stone him as well.
No.
I need him alive. Arrest him.
The money we have gathered has provided food for many.
We can still do much more.
What happened?
Stephen...
they have killed him.
And Peter,
he's been arrested.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom--
Hmm. I know that you hate me
but I can show you a way out
for yourself and for the followers of your Messiah.
These are the conditions of your release.
Read it.
I do not know how to read.
So you cannot read.
And you expect to preach in the temple?
To teach your faith to all the Jews?
Let me tell you what is written:
You deny everything.
You admit that Jesus did not rise from the dead,
that you stole His body from the sepulcher.
And you swear you will never preach His name again.
This way you will save all your--
I've already denied Jesus.
I will not repeat my mistake.
I wanted to save you.
You are so stubborn,
blinded by your madness.
What if you are the ones...
who are blind?
This way. Follow me. Come on.
This way. This way.
Stop!
Go on, move along. Move along.
Followers of Jesus,
for you it is over.
Everyone out! Get out of here right now!
Come on, let's get out of here.
You are coming with us,
filthy, blasphemous followers of Jesus.
This is the end for you.
What's going on? Stop it!
Move it! Let's go!
- Move! - What's going on?
Don't just stand there! Move move!
Get going! Follow the crowd!
What are you doing? What are you doing?
Let's go!
Jeremiah, wait a little longer before leaving. Things will improve.
Perhaps, but we prefer to move to Damascus.
It will be a long journey,
but it's better than staying here and risking jail.
We fear for our child,
but our faith in Jesus remains the same.
May God protect you.
And please be careful.
To Damascus!
The followers of Jesus are also there.
Come!
Any news of my brother?
- I would like to do something. - We could pray.
Mary is right.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come...
...Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Our Father, Who art in heaven...
...hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done...
Saul.
What is it?
Leave me alone!
I have heard that Saul has left for Damascus,
but the streets are still full of soldiers.
They could find us any moment now.
I feel as if I am losing my mind like this. We are trapped in here,
and we don't have any news of Peter.
Perhaps you too should leave Jerusalem,
like so many of the others already have.
- We can't leave Peter behind in jail. - Assuming he's still alive.
That's not possible. Peter is in jail.
- A few of us could stay behind... - It is you!
- This must be a miracle! -...to stay in touch with the others.
It's Peter. At least that's what he says.
Peter!
Peter, it's you! It's you!
Peter, you're alive!
Are you okay? What happened?
- Tell us, tell us. - How did you escape?
- We have been praying for you. - Did they release you?
How did you manage to persuade them?
I just prayed.
Thank you.
There are not many of us left, Peter.
Many have left.
Their flight is not a defeat.
If the seeds are clasped into one's hands
they can never provide fruit,
because they need to be spread all over the fields.
Our brothers who have left
are now the seeds that Jesus has sown everywhere,
and from this moment onwards,
we must spread ourselves like seeds.
But no matter where we go,
we must be of one heart, one soul.
We will give everything we have
to those who are most poor,
to those who are most needy,
and then together we will break the bread
and praise God.
The first sign for us to recognize each other
will be the love we show one another.
Love.
The community in Jaffa was pleased to hear you speak, Peter.
Peter?
Did I hear correct?
Are you Simon, known as Peter, the apostle of Jesus?
I am-- my name is Cornelius,
and you have no idea how happy I am to meet you.
I beg you, come into my home.
You cannot.
He is a pagan.
It is a Roman home, and it is impure.
You-- you knew Jesus well.
You were with Him. And I believe in Him.
I believe in His resurrection.
You're Barsabas.
I have heard you speak about Jesus here in Jaffa.
I listened from a distance. You are the one who convinced me.
I was speaking to my own people, to the Jews.
I know. I'm not a Jew.
This is why I'm not permitted to enter your homes,
I cannot take part in your meals.
But I would really like to listen
to the word of Jesus from your mouth.
I'm sorry.
We Jews are not permitted to enter the homes of pagans.
It is the law of Moses.
Peter.
Do not call impure...
all that God has purified.
Peter. Peter!
Cornelius.
Do you still wish to welcome me into your home?
With all my heart. Please, come in.
Peter!
Do not do this.
God has no favorites.
He's pleased with those who love Him and are just,
whichever people they come from.
Peter!
Praise be to the Lord.
I have a son in Britannia serving the legions,
and this is my family.
This is my wife, Lavinia.
And these are my daughters...
Flavia
and Martia.
I am Peter, servant of God.
Peter!
The laws of our fathers forbid us from entering
the homes of non-Jews.
You are aware of the laws better than any of us, Peter, and yet--
And yet you baptize Cornelius and his family.
Tell us why.
Jesus bestowed the Holy Spirit
upon Cornelius and his family,
as He did for us.
It happened before my eyes.
Jesus is our Messiah, the Messiah of the Jews,
not of pagans, be they Roman or Greek.
- My brothers. - Barnabas.
- Saul! - Murderer!
- Let's get out! - Let's leave! Quick!
- Calm down. Please please, be calm. - Don't move.
Don't move. Don't move.
Don't you see? He has come to capture us.
Your eyes.
It was as you said, Peter.
I was blind, but these eyes have seen.
I'm here
to beg your forgiveness
and that of Jesus.
I wish
to join you.
I wish to spread the Lord's word
to the four corners of the earth, as you do.
Since you have never seen Jesus or listened to Him,
how can you preach and speak in His name?
How?
I think Barsabas deserves an answer.
I did see Him.
Jesus spoke to me on the road to Damascus.
It was when my eyes could not see.
At the very moment, Peter,
He called me to this.
And now I am here
to ask your permission to obey Him...
to ask your help, to understand better.
What were His teachings?
I want to hear the voices who listened to His voice,
follow the example
that follows His example.
Saul...
Saul no longer exists.
Now my name is...
Paul.
"Paul"-- that means "the smallest."
Because I am the last among you.
Welcome to our group, Paul.
I was right here, getting the nets ready
with my brother Andrew,
like any other day.
We did not know
that our lives were just about to change.
"Follow me,
and I shall make you fishers of men."
We just dropped our nets
and followed Him.
It was Jesus.
And it was the first time I ever heard Him speak.
What--
what was His voice like?
You couldn't mistake it for anybody else's.
It stays inside you
like a flame that you could never put out.
I want to ask you something
which may compromise our unity
which was so dear to Jesus.
I would like you to bring the word of God to all.
You mean, also to pagans?
Yes. To everybody.
That is precisely what Jesus asked of me
when He called me.
The flame.
It was the same voice.
Here.
I baptize you, Lucius, in the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.
You see, Peter? What did I tell you?
He's baptizing pagans!
Please calm down, Matthias.
How can I be calm?
You have betrayed our law, the law of Moses.
I follow the law of Jesus,
and Jesus makes no difference between Jews and non-Jews.
How dare you speak of Jesus,
you who never even met Him,
who never even saw Him as we did?
I saw Him.
I was at the feet of the cross when Jesus died.
You were under the cross?
So you are one of those who killed Him.
Yes. I was one of them.
I met His eyes.
I heard His voice while He forgave us.
He forgave us,
the very people who were killing Him!
It was then
that I understood that He was the real Son of God.
Lucius is not a believer thanks to my words or yours, Peter.
Lucius believes because Jesus himself
gave him the gift of faith,
even though he's not a Jew,
even though he was
one of His executioners.
Who are we, Matthias, to deny him baptism?
Who are you to make a decision that is only ours to make?
You-- you murdered Stephen,
and now you baptize one of Jesus's murderers.
Tell him.
Peter, you tell him too!
Calm down, Matthias.
Calm down.
We must all calm down.
This is not the time to quarrel.
Come with me.
I want to show you something.
- Look! - There he is!
- Peter!
Peter!
Peter! Peter! Peter! Peter!
How many of them are Jews?
Not even one.
The people of Antioch no longer confuse us with the Jews.
They have started to call us Christians.
"Christians"? What does that mean?
Believers in the Messiah, Jesus.
"Christ" is the Greek word for "Messiah."
Stay with us this evening,
so you will meet everybody
and we will have the chance to talk.
Peter.
Sit down with us.
- That's enough. Let us leave now! - Mathias...
Let us begin to eat something first.
Should we not discuss things?
I do not wish to sit
at the same table with a pagan.
I respect traditions!
Never mind, Paul. Matthias, come.
Come with me. Let us sit here.
Peter, Matthias,
do you not see you're offending these people?
I was just trying to keep from having an argument.
My mission is to unify all of us.
You will never manage to do this
if you do not openly and courageously say
what is right and what is not.
You cannot expect to please everyone all the time.
If you will not decide for everyone,
you will lose us all.
Thank you, Paul.
Thank you for the honesty of your words.
We shall meet in Jerusalem in a month's time
to clarify this issue once and for all.
Peter, you are the one who must
put an end to this madness.
I have just said it.
We will decide on the best thing to do
when we get to Jerusalem.
Yes, but I warn you,
it is them or us.
Peter.
I'm so happy to see you again.
I needed your presence
like a child seeking his mother.
I have a difficult choice to make,
a choice which may divide our church forever.
Well, sit down then.
Keep me company while I make the bread.
The Lord always gives those He really loves
great responsibilities.
I was 15 years old
and I still lived with my parents.
I was waiting to get married to Joseph
and preparing my wedding gown.
It was a sunny morning the day I was told.
What does a young girl feel
when she discovers
she will give birth to the Son of God?
Fear. Fear, Peter.
Great fear.
I did not know whether to tell my parents
or how to tell them
or Joseph.
I thought no one would understand,
that I would lose them forever.
And instead...
Peter, my brothers,
we are all born Jews.
Jesus, the son of God, chose to be born among us.
We cannot retract our laws and all of our traditions.
What would the Messiah say
if He saw us baptizing pagans and sharing meals with them?
Maybe they're right, Peter.
We are the ones who saw Jesus,
who listened to His voice,
who lived with Him.
That is precisely why.
How is it you do not understand?
I know you're defending your laws and your traditions.
That is exactly what I did when I was your enemy.
I stained my hands with blood to defend
the laws and traditions of our people,
even with Stephen's blood.
But now I ask you,
you have heard Peter speak in many different languages.
What do you think this meant? And what about you, Peter?
You saw the spirit and the Pentecost
descend on Cornelius and his family.
- Peter. - God does not discriminate
between people
or individuals.
Jesus has demolished all barriers.
What more must he do to make us understand
that God's only wish is to accept everyone,
absolutely everyone, in one single embrace?
- Peter, l-I believe that-- - That is enough.
It is I who must speak now.
Never again must we impose
any particular obligation
on those believers who are of pagan origin.
Jews, non-Jews, Greeks, Romans--
we must consider them all as our brothers,
and as such we should baptize them.
All men are saved in the same manner--
by the grace of our Lord.
Everybody may be Christian.
No one here should feel offended
or proud.
It is Jesus Who guides our steps,
and perhaps even those conflicts that we had
will be useful for us to understand better
the path He wants to show us.
This should be a lesson for us
and for our church in times to come,
when the Lord returns.
Peter, I trust Jesus, Who chose you...
but it's hard for me to understand.
I don't want to see that sadness in your eyes.
We must act with our hearts filled with joy,
like Jesus used to give us.
Have you forgotten?
Do you not remember that joy?
Come with me.
Matthias, come.
What are we doing here?
- What are we doing here? - We are fishermen, are we not?
Yes, fishers of men, of course, but I never caught a fish in my life.
- Well, neither have l. - Get in. I will show you how.
I will stay here and I will light a fire,
so when you return, we can cook the fish immediately.
We need you here with us. Get in the boat. Stop fussing.
I-- l--
I can't swim!
Don't be frightened.
If you fall into the water, we'll fish you out.
Don't be afraid.
Come on, get in.
Come on!
We must make sure that they're well-knotted
and properly spread under the water.
We've thrown the bait,
and now all we have to do is wait.
Matthias, come closer to me.
I want to explain something to you.
- Take the helm. - What?
Take the helm.
I have no idea.
Now our lives are in the hands of Matthias.
I do not find that being comfortable.
- It does not comfort me either. - Nor me.
Come on, Peter.
A fisherman in a boat puts his life
into the hands of all the others.
Now the waters are still and calm.
There are no waves.
But we know how terrible the sea can be.
And who would have the courage to face it alone?
Who would leave the safety of the shore
if he did not have faith in his companions,
if he was not sure that they would be ready
to risk their lives for him
as he would for them?
I want you to come one by one
and take the helm for a few moments.
Thank you. John.
It will be the same when we are scattered.
Each one will have his own helm.
Come, Andrew.
Yes.
And we will follow the course that Jesus has shown us.
There will be only one boat.
- James. - Come here.
Take the helm.
But we will all be in it
at whatever time and wherever we are.
Paul.
We are united
as brothers
in calm seas, and most of all
when the waters are stormy.
Andrew to Thessaly,
Thomas to Syria, Bartholomew to Persia.
And you, Paul?
Where will you announce the word of Jesus?
In a city in which there is a little of Thessaly,
a little of Syria...
a little of Persia,
- and a great deal more. - Rome?
Rome.
Do not fear. I will be prudent.
I, on the other hand, believe you will not.
I hope that this is not the last time we embrace.
- God willing. - God willing.
Remember,
one heart, one soul.
I baptize you
in the name of the Father,
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
I baptize you in the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Blessed, you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed, you who are crying now,
because you will be laughing.
I baptize you, Leda,
in the name of the Father, of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
I baptize you, Indira,
in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Blessed be you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed be you who are hungry now,
because you will be satiated.
And they brought along a woman discovered committing adultery.
So to test Him, they asked Him,
"Lord, this woman has been discovered
committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commands such women to be stoned to death.
What do you say?"
So Jesus
turned and bent over
and started to write in the sand with His finger.
But they insisted.
They were already holding stones
and continued to provoke Him.
He stood up and said,
"Let the one among you
who is without sin
to be the first to throw a stone at her."
Hearing that,
they dropped their stones,
and one by one, they all left.
So Jesus remained there alone with the woman.
He asked her,
"Woman,
where are your accusers?
Did they not condemn you?"
And she said, "Not one, sir."
And Jesus said,
"Neither do l condemn you. Go.
And from now on,
do not sin further."
And His voice? What was His voice like?
It lights a flame in your heart
that will never be extinguished.
- What did He write on the sand? - He was a carpenter, wasn't He?
He must have been strong.
What was His face like? How did He look at you?
I cannot answer all these questions.
I never lived with Him.
But I have a friend
who knew Him better than anyone else.
How many miles have these feet walked?
Even I do not know.
It's time for them to rest a while.
We've grown old, Peter.
You must rest now.
When you were young,
you dressed yourself and you went where you pleased.
But when you grow older,
you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not wish to go.
Follow me.
Peter. Peter.
Are you Peter?
Who are you?
My name is Mark. Paul sends me.
- Paul? - The Christians in Rome
wish to meet you, Peter.
You were the first among the apostles, the rock,
chosen by Jesus.
You were the first to have seen Him risen.
They wish to listen to you who lived with Him for so many years.
- Paul is waiting for you. - In Rome?
Yes, in Rome. I will show you the way.
Why do you ask me to leave again?
What can I do in Rome?
I'm old, Jesus, old.
You have no idea what it means to be old.
You don't know.
Forgive me, Lord.
Forgive me.
Forgive this-- this stupid fisherman...
and allow him the joy of following you.
Are you sure?
- What shall we do without you? - It's not I who wants it,
but Jesus who wants me to.
Take all our greetings to Paul.
You must accompany me with your prayers.
Pray until you see me return.
There she is-- Rome.
An immense city.
I can see it,
and I'm frightened by it.
- One gets used to it. - You think so?
Yes, Peter.
If I didn't know that Paul was there,
I would have already turned back.
Peter.
Are you asleep?
You couldn't stay awake for one hour?
Peter,
the hour has come.
- I must go. - Where are you going, Lord?
The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinners.
Do not go, Lord. Death awaits you.
Rise.
We must go.
- Peter. - Rise. We must go.
Peter. Peter.
Peter, wake up.
They're opening the city gates.
Welcome to Rome, Peter.
We must go through there.
That is the district where Paul lives.
Even if I could speak every language on earth
but did not have love,
my voice would have no sound.
And even if I had the gift of prophesy
and knew all the mysteries of science...
and was endowed with sufficient faith
that I could move mountains
but did not have love,
I would be... nothing.
We're almost there.
Lay all this aside--
anger, passion,
malice.
Do not lie to one another.
Here there are no longer Greeks,
Romans, Jews, barbarians,
no slaves or freed men,
because we are all brothers,
all sons of the same Father,
because Christ is everything,
in everyone.
- Christ. - Paul of Tarsus,
I declare you under arrest!
You were warned!
Let's go.
Paul!
Paul has done no wrong! This is not right!
Calm down, Lino, or they'll arrest you too.
Go! Go back home! Go!
You must all leave! Go!
Go home! Go home!
Mother, l...
- l... - Silvia!
Where are you going? Silvia!
Don't worry, Fulvia. You'll meet again at home.
Keep moving.
Go on! Go on!
Mark! You've come back!
- Did you see it? - Yes, I saw it.
- But who...? - That's Peter.
Come with me.
It's dangerous to stay here.
Lino is a brother.
May the Lord bless your steps, Peter.
A teacher of rhetoric. He belongs to a noble Roman family.
- Why have they arrested Paul? - They had warned him
not to preach in public.
There will be a trial now. He risks death.
Take me to him.
They will never let you see him without a permit.
Do not despair. Gather all the brothers together.
- I wish to speak to them. - Forgive me
for allowing myself to be overcome by despair.
Your arrival here today
is a sign from God.
We will wait for you on the other side of the Tiber
at our meeting place.
- Mark knows where it is. - Certainly.
The Vatican Hill.
Thrace! Thrace! Thrace!
You'll never get him to your party, Flaminia.
I'll give it a try all the same.
- Flaminia. - Persius.
It is an honor to see you in my arena.
Will you honor me with your presence at my party, then?
Tomorrow evening. Nero too will be there.
How could I possibly miss it?
Rather, how could we?
My son and l.
Claudius would be the joy of all the young ladies.
And I will ever be more pleased if you bring...
Thrace.
You ask the impossible. You know that.
Thrace exists only in my arena.
I will permit him to keep his mask if that is the problem.
Thrace doesn't like social events.
He's a slave of yours. A word from you is enough.
All the gladiators of Rome
would do anything for an invitation to my parties.
Thrace is different.
I swore to him that no one would ever know his real name,
nor will anyone ever see his face.
I keep my promises,
even those made to slaves.
I'm sorry, father.
I, uh-- I will return immediately.
I must speak to a friend.
Don't you-- don't you want to see Thrace win?
But it won't be the first or the last.
- I'll come with you. - Not now.
- Kill him! - Death to him!
Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!
Silvia!
Silvia, what are you doing here?
I know we had sworn never to see each other again,
- but... - What's the matter?
I...
I need your help.
I understand.
I shouldn't have come.
Silvia.
I'm listening.
Are you wondering where Paul is imprisoned?
Wherever he may be, he is always in my heart.
Our brothers are on their way.
Here they are.
Oh, my brother, you did not leave me alone, did you?
- It's him. - It's him.
Oh, no, please stand up.
I'm just a man like you.
- You are much more than that. - You lived with Jesus.
You are the chosen one... for us all.
It is as if Jesus himself was here. It's true.
- You are much more than a mere man. - You spoke to him.
You heard his voice.
You will have Paul released, won't you?
God sent you here for this.
How will you do that, Peter? How will you save him?
With a miracle, won't you? The way Jesus taught you?
Only the power of God can save Paul.
But the trial will be held tomorrow.
If you don't do something to help him, they will sentence him to death.
The Lord will not allow that, will he?
That would be a defeat for all of us.
With these eyes...
I saw the death of our Lord Jesus.
I saw his body in the sepulcher...
and the stone that sealed it.
I too feared death, then,
like you who fear for Paul now.
I saw Jesus rise from the dead
with the same eyes that had seen him dead.
And since then...
I have never never feared.
- Mommy! - Mother, Mother!
Come.
Come here.
They look like you, Anna. They look like you.
It's a little untidy.
Oh, it's fine just as it is.
We are slaves. We can only offer you this small house.
Daddy, you're back!
- I'm back. - This is David, my husband.
This is Peter. He arrived here today.
I know all about him. I was told on my way here.
Welcome to my home. I'm honored to have you as my guest.
I've heard that they have arrested Paul.
Mommy, I'm hungry.
I'll make you something to eat right now.
He's tired. He works so hard.
You must forgive him.
I know the tiredness from hard work.
You feel it even more
when you're a slave.
But your husband has you
and you have him, and together you have children.
If you feel loved and respected by those you love,
then you also feel free.
And most of all,
no man is a slave in his own home.
This is your room.
Please rest now.
Dinner will be ready in awhile.
Thank you. And...
God bless you.
"What can separate us from Christ's love?
Perhaps circulations, persecutions,
and the danger,
the swords.
Neither death nor life
shall separate us from the love of Christ, the Lord."
Let Paul of Tarsus be shown in.
- My brother. - Paul of Tarsus, you are charged
- with having preached in public... - My brother.
...despite the ban imposed by Nero himself as a condition for retaining
your temporary freedom after your previous arrest.
It has been a long day, and we are tired.
Well, you have this much time to beg forgiveness from Caesar Nero
and to burn incense in honor of his genius,
acknowledging him as a divinity
who guides and protects all Romans.
Otherwise, you shall be beheaded.
God does not ask one to burn incense...
but to love one's neighbor
as one loves one's self.
I have entrusted my life to him.
Praise be to the Lord Jesus.
Paul of Tarsus, your yourself pronounce
your own death sentence.
Do you not have a lawyer who can advise you?
Thabeus Quintillius,
please, allow me to defend--
You're an excellent teacher of rhetoric, Lino, but you're not a lawyer.
And in the absence of a lawyer,
this court sentences Paul of Tarsus--
One moment.
I am Claudius Maximus, son of Persius.
I'm a lawyer, and I will defend Paul of Tarsus.
The crime he's accused of is a serious one
and is punished with the death sentence.
But, although he's a Jew,
Paul of Tarsus is a Roman citizen,
and therefore I request that he be judged
personally by the Emperor Nero,
a right that every Roman citizen can claim.
This is a miracle. No one could have hoped for this.
You were right, Peter. One must have faith in the Lord.
What will happen now?
Now that Claudius has obtained a postponement of the trial,
Nero himself will decide Paul's destiny.
In the meantime, the death sentence is suspended.
- Who is this Claudius? - He is the son of Persius,
a Roman with a great influence over Nero.
Here he comes.
The Lord guides your steps.
I only did my duty.
Claudius, this is Peter.
He lived with Jesus, and he was chosen to guide us.
I'm not a Christian.
I admire you all the more for what you have done.
What do you think he will do at the audience with the emperor?
Nero would never revoke the death sentence.
But he might if my father asked him.
And will you convince him?
I will try.
I would like to see Paul.
Can you help me in this?
I will get you a permit, but...
this must remain between you and me.
I'm sorry, but I must go now.
Thank you once again.
May God bless you.
You were wonderful.
I don't know how to thank you. I know how much it cost you.
It cost me a great deal more not to see you for all this time.
I know,
but we have already discussed this.
You and I will never be able to be together.
Nor can we be apart.
You have many more distractions than I do.
Look, if you mean what you saw there--
You weren't ashamed of her, were you?
Of course you weren't.
She's rich
and not a Christian like me.
I couldn't care less that you are a Christian.
I don't even care what I am.
Look at me in the eyes
and tell me it is all over.
I must go.
My mother is waiting for me.
Silvia, I love you.
I-- I have already suffered enough.
Please, Claudius, stop it.
Maybe you really do love me,
but you didn't even have the guts to tell your father.
Or perhaps something has changed?
I have learned how to wait.
- Without me-- - You learned to become a good fisher...
of men.
I met Claudius.
He has something of that--
of that light that you have in your eyes.
The others, however, are still fragile.
They need a strong leader.
Jesus will guide them, just as he guided us.
He will guide them through you.
Through us.
Ah. God willing.
God willing.
Sit. I have heard
that Thomas has arrived in India.
And Philip in Mesopotamia,
James in Spain, Matthew in Ethiopia
and your friend Matthias
is in Alexandria with the Jews.
Always among the Jews, right?
But I know that he has converted
and baptized many pagans of his own free will.
All in the same boat.
One heart, one soul.
Let the brothers of Rome come onboard as well.
- We will do it together. - You are the one called upon
- at the helm. - With you beside me.
I believe that...
this time...
it's Jesus who wants me by his side.
I do not think I will leave this place alive.
When the time comes for us to appear before God...
we'll await His judgment in silence.
Then He will look at us,
He will look at you,
and He will take you in his arms.
Father.
I was expecting you.
- How are you today, Grandmother? - As always,
but if she were able to understand what I'm about to tell you,
she would be happy.
I've spoken to Nero. Your path is cleared.
Within a year, you will be a senator.
You're pleased, aren't you?
- Of course. - Well,
why are you jeopardizing everything with your behavior, then?
I know that in court today you defended a Christian,
a certain Paul of Tarsus.
- Yes, Father. - Why did you do it?
I'm in love with a Christian girl.
So what they say is true after all. Her name is Silvia, isn't it?
I know what you think. I tried to leave her, but...
It was useless.
Well, marry her then.
- Father! - She will have to give up her faith.
You cannot risk your career by marrying a Christian.
- This is all I ask of you. - It will not be easy for her.
If she loves you, it will be extremely easy.
And if she cares about your future,
I assure you that the gold we will cover her with
will make it easy for her to forget who she was.
I will do as you say, Father.
But there is one thing I ask of you.
Will you intervene with Nero on Paul's behalf?
You know what Nero thinks of Christians,
and you know what I think of them.
Yes, I know. I think the same,
but I simply wish to keep my word.
- Given to your Silvia? - Not only to her.
Also to her mother and to a certain Peter.
Did you say "Peter"?
Yes. Yes, he's a Jew.
He lived with Jesus, but why are you asking?
It is he-- Peter.
Thanks to him, your grandmother is the way she is.
Let's play on Mommy and Daddy's lap!
- You are very good with children. - I love kids.
This is just what they need--
love, tenderness, affection
and, most of all, a happy family like this one.
Thank you, Peter.
When I'm married, I would love to have many children.
You'll have to find a suitable husband first.
- Master. - Who gave you permission
to admit strangers into my house?
- Forgive me, Master. - I did not give you leave to speak.
- And pick up the pieces! - Who are you?
This is Persius, Claudius's father.
I'm surprised at you, Lino.
You answer on my behalf,
you mix with my slaves,
yet I knew you to be a good Roman.
For us, there are no slaves, just men.
Of all your blasphemies, this is the most serious,
- Peter. - You know my name?
I know it well enough to tell you to keep away from my son.
And from this city.
Don't touch her.
We are not your slaves.
Hmm.
I understand my son.
You are very beautiful.
There is no hope left for Paul now.
You've been fighting for me for five years...
and yet you still manage to surprise me.
Five years.
Soon you'll have the right to freedom
for yourself and your family.
This was our agreement, and I respect agreements.
But first I must ask you a last sacrifice.
I'm asking you to do a difficult thing for a man like you,
but...
you always win.
And betting on you doesn't pay
- as it used to. - And so?
So next time you will lose against Brennis.
- If I lose, I die. - And I will win a nice sum of money.
My son's career is costing me many sesterces, you know.
Clearly, I will not have you killed.
You'll have a return fight against Brennis.
If you slay him,
you will be free.
You and your family.
You have my word.
One last thing-- you must keep me informed
about... Peter.
I want to know everything...
he does.
- Can I fold that one, Mother? - Hello, little one.
This one is beautiful!
Please, Mommy?
- Leave me alone. - I can't do anything for Paul anymore.
You can't do anything for Paul. You can't do anything for me.
You can never do anything!
- Listen to me now. - No, you listen to me.
I trusted you, and I would have braved
anything-- anything for us.
Do you mean that you no longer love me?
I tried not to love you.
But I can't help it.
Marry me, then.
I spoke to my father. He doesn't oppose our love.
- Are you serious? - Yes!
For you I found the courage to come out in the open.
Now it's you who must give me proof of our love.
- Tell me what I must do. - Give up your home...
your faith, and then you will be my wife.
Give me time.
Paul of Tarsus,
as judged by the Emperor Nero Caesar,
if view of your violations
of the ban of preaching in public,
and your refusal to burn incense
in honor of the emperor's genius,
acknowledging him as
the God who protects and guides
us Romans,
the emperor sentences Paul of Tarsus...
to death...
by decapitation.
I hate this city.
I cannot bear living here anymore.
- Rome is not Nero. - Well, what is it, then?
How would you describe a city that sentences a man like Paul to death?
Someone who has preached love for the Lord?
Citizens, Romans,
in two days' time in the amphitheater
there will be a great duel
between Brennis the barbarian
and Thrace, the champion of all champions!
- The faceless gladiator! - Murderers!
- In two days' time! - Shame on you!
- A duel between Brennis the barbarian
and Thrace!
Murderers!
Calm down, Anna, calm down.
Go back home to your children.
It's all over, Peter.
It's all over for us.
No, Anna.
When we bear our cross as he did,
he's closest to us.
Don't do it. Don't.
You taught me to love, mother.
Claudius!
- Welcome to your home. - We were expecting you.
Come.
This is where we dine.
And we'll have a triclinium added for you as well.
Come.
My love.
Take courage, my son. Introduce Silvia to your grandmother.
It is time that she too should know.
Do you remember the words of the prophet Isaiah?
"Look at the rock from which you have been carved...
at the quarry
from which you have been extracted."
I look at you,
and I see the rock from which I was carved...
the quarry from which I was extracted.
"And Jesus broke the bread
and said...
'Take and eat of it, all of you,
because this is my body
offered for you.
Do this as a memory of me."'
What do you think? After a blow like this one,
will the Christians say that Paul of Tarsus too
will rise from the dead?
Don't worry about me any longer.
It's you Jesus has chosen.
I find it hard this time to follow His will.
You. He chose you,
and He continues to do so.
Look after His flock.
From Jerusalem to Rome to the four corners of the earth.
This is only the beginning.
Peter, this time I'm afraid.
Jesus was afraid when He was on the cross.
- But I am just a man. - Jesus became a man
to be like us, even with fear.
Who will separate us from Christ's love?
Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
The sword? Persecution? Pain?
Neither life nor death will separate us
from our love in Christ, the Lord.
Peter?
No one will come today.
You must forgive them.
Their suffering for Paul's death is too painful.
No, it's not just that.
If Nero sentences Paul, all Christians are in danger.
They-- they're simply afraid.
It is a question of time.
You will see that soon they will once again find their strength and faith.
You will help them find their faith.
You will help them find it again.
Me?
Why me?
I'm returning to Capernaum,
to my home.
An ignorant fisherman
in the largest city in the world.
How could I have been so proud?
I had never seen this sea before traveling to Rome.
This...
I would not even know how to cast the nets in this sea.
I'm a lake fisherman.
Small lake.
I'm nothing else.
What are we gonna do now?
He cannot abandon us like this.
What will become of us?
You can't go now, Peter!
You can't!
Peter!
- Peter! - Peter, you cannot abandon us!
- Peter! - Remember who you are!
You are Peter!
Who do you say I am?
You are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God.
You are blessed. You are blessed,
Simon, son of Jonah,
because this is revealed to you
not by flesh or blood, but...
by my Father, who is in heaven.
And I say to you, you are Peter.
And on this rock,
I will build my church.
You are Peter.
And on this rock,
I will build my church.
Peter...
Forgive me.
I have not abandoned you.
I will not abandon my people.
Let us go and find our brothers and comfort them.
Come.
- Peter. - I waited for you on the hill.
We've all been working very hard.
Please, please.
David came home with good news, Peter.
He will soon be a free man. We too. We will be a free family.
I am pleased.
We will need everyone to help gather all the faithful.
As Paul said before he died,
"This is only the beginning."
Rome is becoming a dangerous place for us Christians.
All I know is that we must stay united as Jesus asked.
I hope so will all my heart,
but I do not wish to endanger my family, especially now
that we will soon be free.
Do not make things hard for us, please.
- Anna... - Oh, Fulvia.
Not even you and Silvia were at the hill.
Silvia has gone away.
She went with Claudius.
She went to his house.
I wish my husband were still alive.
Rome has changed.
It's frightening now.
Frightened. You're frightened.
You're all frightened.
The 12 of us were also frightened
that evening so many years ago.
No one had ever seen such a storm before.
I held on firmly
to the helm of my boat while James,
John and the others were trying to bail out the water.
And what did Jesus do in the middle of all this commotion?
Jesus slept.
So we woke him,
and angrily we told him,
"Are you not worried that we'll all die?"
He looked at us
and he turned to the wind
and to the lake,
and he said,
"Be silent. Be calm."
And the skies and the lake obeyed him.
They obeyed him.
But he continued to stare at us,
and he asked,
"Why are you afraid?
Do you not yet have faith?"
I understand your problems
and I understand your pain,
but the path of the Lord cannot stop here.
If you do not want to follow me,
I will turn to others--
others who have not yet heard
the word of Jesus.
Wait, sir. Don't you like?
Sir, come here.
I have something for you.
I know how to please.
- Let me please you. - Get off me!
Brothers, sisters,
listen to me, please.
Move on, old man. There's nothing for you around here.
Get out of here. Don't try this on us.
I'm not here to take. I'm here to give--
to give you the word of the Lord Jesus.
Then you have really made a mistake here.
We are all sinners here.
But it is not the healthy who need the help of a healer.
I am not here to call on the righteous.
I'm here to call on-- on the sinners
who need to repent, who need to convert.
Convert her, then. She's worth three sesterces,
and you've got all night.
She's Licia, and she's better than all the others.
Three sesterces, and you can have all night
to convert her.
Is your life worth so little?
Would you pay more? What can you offer me?
- Forgiveness. - Not even my mother has forgiven me.
- God is willing to. - I have exhausted
the patience of all the gods.
My child, believe me,
God has already forgiven you.
Is there really such a god?
Considering the valor
shown in so many fights
and the many pleasant hours,
we owe him.
I propose
that the great Thrace's life
should be spared.
- Life for Thrace! - Life for Thrace!
You deserve these.
You deceived them all.
It is something I'm good at.
Now we wait for the return match.
Kill Brennis
and you will be a free man.
Anything to tell me about Peter?
He is...
he's still speaking of Jesus...
...to no matter who.
He never gives up, hmm?
He's not that kind.
You admire him. Be careful.
He will ruin your family...
as he ruined mine.
Let's go.
Here.
This way you'll get some fresh air.
What's that sadness in your eyes?
To think that I also fell in love with your smile.
It was a gust of wind.
I fell in love with your honesty also.
What's the matter?
Nothing.
I just need a little time,
and then I will be as happy as I was before.
As happy as you were before?
And l, who had thought I had given you everything you ever dreamt of.
What are you lacking?
Jesus is true happiness.
Jesus is true love.
Blessed be you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed be you who are hungry now,
because you will be satiated.
Blessed be you who are crying now,
because you will laugh.
You who are rich, beware,
because you have already received your reward.
Beware you who are already satiated,
for you will experience hunger.
Beware.
Beware, those who now love,
because they will experience torments and misery
and sadness.
Bravo. Very effective.
Really.
Now you even come to preach under my house.
Here I am, Peter, here I am.
I am rich, well-fed and healthy. Should I be ashamed?
Why on earth should l?
Who is this god of yours?
A god who is displeased if I enjoy life?
"Blessed be the poor,
the hungry."
I have experienced hunger,
poverty and desperation,
and I did not feel blessed at all.
Now, I wonder,
what is your real objective?
Is it not perhaps that--
that you and those like you experience
a subtle pleasure in seeing people suffer?
And are you happy now that you have everything?
No. Do not answer me.
Answer to yourself.
I will speak to those
- who are listening to me. - I'm listening, Peter.
Be good to those who hate you.
Pray for those who vilify you.
Do unto others as you wish them to do unto you.
What merit is there in loving those who love you?
You should instead love your enemies
and give without expecting anything in return.
Then your merit will be great,
and you will be the children of the Almighty.
And so be merciful,
just like your Father is merciful.
Peter? Peter?
Peter.
Pe... ter.
Grandmother!
This is the first time I hear...
I hear her voice.
Where are you going? What do you think you're doing, Silvia?
Claudius, your grandmother heard Peter's voice
and spoke his name!
She spoke! Do you understand?
Don't you even want to know why?
Stay with her. I will go.
- Peter, Peter... - Peter, bless us.
Peter!
Bless us.
What do you want?
Peter!
Silvia. How good it is to see you again.
How is my mother?
The sadness in your eyes reminds me of hers.
This way.
Avinia,
Cornelius's wife in Japha.
Such a long time ago.
She's your grandmother.
The mother of Persius, is she not?
You see? He knows her.
Did you need proof of this?
Yes, Cornelius was my father.
It was you who influenced him with your chatter.
You clouded his mind to the extent that he abandoned everything.
He started to travel.
Always traveling,
preaching the absurdities that you call the word of God.
Because of all that nonsense, because of you,
my father was arrested along with my mother...
and they were both sentenced to death.
Look.
I'm the one who saved her from death.
I arrived just in time to save her from her executioners.
My father was already dead.
But she lost both consciousness and speech from the pain.
Because of you!
Now you must ask for her forgiveness.
You must kneel before her
and ask her to forgive you for all the ill you have brought her!
Bless me.
And forgive...
my son.
Now...
I can die...
in peace.
Mother?
M-Mother?
Mother.
Mother?
You have killed her!
Get away! Get out!
Leave!
Wait, Silvia. Wait.
Don't do it.
Your grandmother has helped me to understand
that I cannot recant my faith.
Come away with me.
If you leave this house,
you will never return.
You're talking like your father.
But I love you!
Don't go then.
I can't-- I can't make you happy
if I lack inner peace.
I cannot.
Now only you and I are left here,
my son.
Peter!
Peter.
- Mother. - Silvia!
- Try again. Come on. - I won.
Here. Come on.
- I won again. - Who's there?
- Peter! - Peter!
Peter!
I was afraid you were angry at us.
A father can scold his children,
but he doesn't abandon them.
- Go, go. - Stay with us.
- Sit down, Peter. - Let's play a game.
Thank you. Thank you, David.
Go and play in the other room. Thank you.
- All right. - Come on. In the other room.
Is all well?
For those who believe in Jesus, everything is always well,
even if you don't know it.
It is hard to believe this, when you are not free to do
what you believe is right,
or when you're not brave enough to do it.
Can you get it?
Oh, let me do that.
I've got it.
Look what I found. How beautiful. It's a mask.
I'm bringing the dishes.
- Supper is ready. - Who does it belong to?
Maybe it's Daddy's.
Don't let the supper go cold.
It's kind of heavy.
Come and sit down.
Do as your mother asks,
And don't say anything of this.
Not a word, huh?
Hey, this is between us.
- All right. - It's our secret.
I am not what I seem.
A brave man is what you seem.
- What are you in fact? - A killer.
I fight in the arena, and they call me Thrace.
But only Persius knows who I really am.
How long have you been doing that?
Since I came to Rome.
I know what you think of me.
I am a sinner and will not escape the punishment of God,
but I have chosen freedom for my wife and my children
in exchange for my desperation and my torment.
And did Persius offer you freedom?
All I have to do is win the next fight.
And kill the next opponent.
You do not know how much it costs me--
him dead...
and me free.
Free from Persius, perhaps,
but free from Thrace?
From his torment?
The sword? The money?
The friends? Ourselves?
None of all these things can make us free.
And-- and what does, then?
The truth.
Only the truth can make us free.
Thrace! Thrace! Thrace!
- Throw it. - Got it.
Mother, where's the ball?
- Come in and play with us. - Catch.
Mommy, can we play with Daddy's mask?
What mask?
May my soul praise the Lord,
and may all that is within me bless his Holy name.
He forgives our sins
and cures all disease,
saves life from the grip of death.
He crowns you with grace and forgiveness.
The Lord is good and merciful,
slow to anger and great in love.
He does not take account of our sins
and does not let us return to our failings.
As the heavens are deep above the earth,
so is His forgiveness
for those who fear Him, like a Father
has pity over His sons.
Let it be so with David, Lord.
Show him the path to his freedom,
because You know what we are ordered
and You remember
that we are dust.
Thrace! Thrace! Thrace! Thrace!
Death! Death! Death! Death!
Death! Death! Death! Death! Death! Death!
Truth.
Only the truth can make us free.
You've never seen my face!
The time has come for us
to look at each other.
My name is David Bene Salem.
This was to have been my last fight.
If I had killed my opponent,
thanks to the blood of this man
I could have returned to my land with my family
a free man!
But I had forgotten
that the blood for my freedom
has already been shed--
the blood of a young Nazarene, Jesus,
the Son of God.
Thanks to that blood,
I'm already free.
I'm already free!
Save him, I beg you.
Do it for me.
Now let us return home.
You are my home.
You are my love.
Paul's death...
his death has meant a long journey through the desert for us,
a desert in which we feared
we might get lost.
But God
provided us with a guide
who did not stop walking--
Peter.
Thanks to him, we are all here today
united in joy.
Happiness is to be found in the Lord.
It is a part of Him, like love
and hope.
It is also like the sky above,
and like this breeze that blows gently,
like a caress from His hand.
As I look at you here and now in this joy,
I am sure of this--
till the end of time,
Rome will be the heart of the Lord's church.
Let us give thanks to Him
with a prayer that Jesus taught to me
and that I will give to you today.
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
- Quickly! We must go! - What is it?
Rome is on fire! Quickly!
- Get the children! Quickly, quickly! - Come, children.
- It's all right. - Come on, now, hurry!
This way!
Over there. That's the water.
What do you want to do?
We're more likely to be killed by the smoke than by the fire!
Yes, I know, but we must cover our mouth and noses.
For the smoke. Here.
Whatever happens, don't stop and keep on walking.
Go!
Silvia!
Silvia...
Silvia!
Master!
- You found him. - It's a miracle he's still alive.
He was in the Subura near the homes of the Christians,
they say this is where the fire started.
They say it's the fault of the Christians.
By blaming the Christians,
Nero has run to safety once again.
Even if some of the senators believe it, it was he who started the fire.
To build himself a villa on the ruins.
Persius may enter.
For your own sake,
I hope you have something really important to tell me.
I know who the leader of the Christians is.
His name is Peter.
Swines! It was you!
Criminals! You must burn!
Christians! Curse them! There are more in there!
Damned arsonists!
There they are! Up there, at least two families!
No. No, please. We've done nothing wrong.
Please!
Fulvia, Silvia, we must leave immediately!
Nero has blamed us for everything.
- The Praetorians are coming to get us. - No, but Peter?
He's waiting for us. Let's go.
Cover your heads. We mustn't attract attention.
Why are you arresting them?
They're Christians. They set Rome on fire.
- Are you one of them. - I'm not,
but they seem good people to me.
- Who said it was them? - Nero, the emperor.
Claudius!
You're a Christian too, huh?
No, Silvia...
- where's Silvia? - Don't worry.
- Silvia! - She must be right behind us.
There is a trapdoor here. Peter and the others are hiding here.
No. No no, something's happened. Wait here.
Silvia. Silvia. Silvia!
Oh, they've taken her from me. They've...
oh!
Where is Silvia?
Look!
This is all that's left of my daughter!
Are you satisfied now?
You wanted desperately to attract attention.
Well...
Nero has noticed us now.
- Fulvia... - Leave me alone!
- It's Mark! - The appointment is for tomorrow
at the Appian Way at dawn.
Peter!
How many of us will be leaving Rome?
Leave Rome?
You mean you want to flee?
What else can we do?
Stay here and wait for them to kill us?
I'm not leaving.
I'm not leaving my daughter behind.
I'm not coming either. Rome is my city.
But don't you see? If we stay,
they will slaughter us all!
It is madness to stay here. Many have already been imprisoned,
and we cannot remain hidden forever.
You're right, David. You must leave.
I'll stay here with the others.
No, l--
I will stay.
Your life is precious, Peter.
You are our guide.
You bear witness to Christ.
It is your duty to live. And together with you,
those who can survive also have the right to live,
because they represent our hope.
If they survive, they will be able to return one day,
and you will be with them.
It is only with us
that not all will be lost.
There are hundreds of them,
but they will be unable to leave without you.
You are the only one they trust, Peter.
Lead us away, Peter. Nero has already killed hundreds of brothers,
and he will not stop until we all are dead.
Even those who have been arrested will tell you to leave.
Tomorrow we will be on our way.
We leave Rome.
My brothers and my sisters,
my children,
my people have experienced many nights
such as this one,
when evil appears to prevail,
that God chooses to hide the good
in His mysterious ways.
I wish to remember one in particular with you.
It was the night
that Jesus was arrested.
That night,
Jesus took the bread...
gave thanks to God,
then he broke the bread
and offered it to us
and pronounced words the true meaning of which
I understood only later.
He said,
"This is my body...
in sacrifice for you."
Then he took
the chalice of wine,
gave thanks to God,
and said,
"This is a chalice of my blood
for the new and eternal testament
shed for you
and for all
for the remission of your sins."
Claudius, what are you doing there?
Come over here. We're having a great time!
I've invited all these people,
these friends, girls, all of Rome.
- You could at least smile. - Hey, stop! You may not enter!
What do you want? What are you doing here?
Silvia-- she's been arrested!
- She's alive! - Not for long if we don't do something.
Help her, please! I beg you!
Why do you not ask Peter to help you?
Peter left.
Did you hear?
This is the place.
There's nobody here.
Is anyone here?
Do not be afraid.
It is l, Peter.
We were expecting you.
Everyone is here.
Come closer. Come.
We must walk towards Ostia in short stages.
We must travel in small groups, no more than six people,
distant from one another.
We must not attract attention.
It will be a long journey.
You catch up with David and Anna's group.
We will join you when you decide to stop.
- All right. - Come, Mark.
I will go over there to pray.
You come and call me when it is time for us to go.
Of course.
James.
John.
Peter.
The time has come.
I must go.
Where are you going, Lord?
I am coming to Rome
to be crucified once again.
You will be crucified once again?
Yes.
I will be crucified once again.
We must go.
Peter. I'm sorry if I frightened you.
The time has come.
Yes, Mark.
The time has come.
Have you gone mad? Where are you going?
You will find your death in Rome.
I too said this to Jesus once.
I did not know then. I had not realized
that you need a great deal of love to understand.
You must never leave your children behind.
But your children are abandoning Rome.
Yes, Mark,
but most of my children are yet to be born.
We need you now. Why go back to Rome?
Peter, why?
Why?
Why did Paul come here to Rome?
Why did Jesus hand himself over
to his executioners?
It was He who taught us
that there's no greater love
than to give one's life for one's friends,
and I must follow Jesus to the end.
Even to the cross.
Peter...
Don't cry, Mark. Don't cry.
Go join the others.
But write.
Write down everything that I have told you. Omit nothing.
If Jesus has continued to love me
in spite of all the mistakes that I have made,
then no man must feel
unworthy of his love.
Fulvia, Claudius.
Have you seen her? Where is she?
They have been locked in the dungeons under the arena,
and they won't let anyone in there.
Burn them! Burn them all!
- There she is. Silvia! - Silvia!
Silvia, we're over here!
Silvia!
Claudius! Mother!
- Silvia! - Claudius!
- Silvia! - Mother!
Silvia!
Claudius!
Excellent. And how long will it be
before the ruins of the fire will be removed
and we can start work on my new residence?
Three months at the most, emperor.
Mmm.
Two months, and we can start work.
We have captured the leader of the Christians.
Really? Bring him here at once.
And so you are the leader of these fanatics, are you?
A miserable old man.
My name is Simon...
known as Peter.
Hey, Christians, get up!
Everybody get up! Out you go! You are free!
Nero has shown everyone how merciful he is!
Go!
Go go go!
Come on, go!
Go.
Mother!
- Silvia! - Oh, Mother!
Claudius!
Forgive me, my beloved. Forgive me.
How is this all possible?
Why did they free us all?
They captured Peter at the gates of Rome,
and perhaps this has placated Nero's thirst for blood.
What will become of him?
They will kill him.
Peter returned for us.
He returned for us.
We are all back.
Our Father,
who art in heaven...
Our Father, who art in heaven...
...hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom...
- Thy kingdom come... - Thy kingdom come...
-...Thy will be done... -...Thy will be done...
...on earth,
as it is in heaven.
...on earth, as it is in heaven.
For Peter we pray.
Give us this day
our daily bread...
Give us this day our daily bread...
...and forgive us our
trespasses...
as we forgive those who trespass against us...
...and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us...
...and lead us not into temptation...
You have won, Peter.
None of us will ever be the same.
Rome will change forever.
...but deliver us... from evil.
...but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
I am not worthy to die
in the manner of our Lord.
Please, place the cross ups-- upside down.
Upside down.
I will be with you every day until the end of time.