| “ | If you are the Son of God... command that this stone becomes bread. | „ |
| ~ Satan tempting Jesus |
Satan is the main antagonist in the 2013 The History Channel miniseries The Bible.
He was portrayed by Mohamen Medhi Ouanzzi.
Biography[]
Satan first appeared to Jesus Christ near the end of his 40-day journey in the desert. He appeared as an older male in a dark cloak. He had long, dark fingernails. At this point Jesus was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. Recognizing that Jesus was at his most vulnerable, Satan attempts to turn the Son of God away from his mission to redeem mankind.
Satan first asked Jesus to prove His divinity by turning a rock into a loaf of bread. Jesus refused to take the bait, however, and replied that man does not live by bread alone. He then took Jesus up to a high pinnacle and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, offering to give them to Him in return for his worship. Satan then showed Jesus a vision of sitting in a throne room, with Pontius Pilate washing his feet for him.
Unmoved, Jesus told Satan to be gone, and that He worshiped God alone. Satan then left Jesus alone in the desert.
Satan later appeared during the judgment of Jesus Christ, watching as the Jewish and Roman authorities put Him to death.
When the parts of the miniseries featuring Jesus Christ were adapted into the film Son of God, the scenes featuring Ouazanni were left out of the film. This was due to the producers feeling that this version of Satan distracted too much from the story.
Trivia[]
- This version of Satan became a point of controversy due to his resemblance to US President Barack Obama. Both the History Channel and the producers of the show denied any connection. Roma Downey and Mark Burnett pointed out that Ouazanni had played parts in other biblical epics, including Satanic characters, well before Obama was elected.