Summary
Surprisingly enough, the most heartbreaking death inThe Chosendidn’t originate from the Bible. Audiences have adored the series due to its biblically accurate retelling of numerous stories fromthe Bible.This adoration allowed the show to release four seasons, start production onThe Chosenseason 5, and confirm seven seasons. However, no adaptation is ever perfect. Early in the series, some completely made-up characters and plotlines arenot fromThe Bible. Nevertheless, the show was accurate enough to draw in several audiences in Christian faiths and beyond.
Showrunner Dallas Jenkins has decided what to add to the story of Christ and His disciples. Some addnuance to these biblical stories and make audiences wonder if this could have been true. For example, it is never formally expressed inThe Biblethat the apostle Matthew is autistic. Yet, the show does express that he is given his behavioral patterns based on his Gospel. This aspect pushes for a more inclusive representation of biblical retellings. Some added features to the show, however, have sparked some controversy, such as inThe Chosenseason 4 regarding Ramah’s character and her death.
Why The Chosen Season 4’s Theatrical Release Has Worked So Well (It Continues A Box Office Trend)
Fathom is premiering The Chosen season 4 in theaters, and the box office numbers from the first batch of released episodes are promising.
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Season 7
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Ramah first appeared inThe Chosen’s first season as a wedding planner, where Jesus famously turns water into wine. She continued to be a disciple of Jesus until the recent season when a fictionalized Roman soldier brutally killed her. Her entire story, though, is brought to the masses by Dallas Jenkins, not through the biblical text. Granted, there issome controversy surrounding this, as the show is famous for being biblically accurate. Nevertheless,Jenkins claimed in a livestreamthat he thought it would be necessary to add her storyline.
Ramah’s death is profoundly emotional and adds to the heaviness of the fourth season. After all, before she is murdered, the season showcased the death of Jesus’s cousin, John the Baptist. Thus, despite the fictional aspect of her storyline, it doescontribute to the show’s plot’s emotional depth and themes to work with. Given that this season ofThe Chosenalready features such heavy emotions, it naturally raises questions about its larger purpose in the narrative.
WhyThe ChosenSeason 4 Added The Ramah Death Storyline
Despite The Controversy, Jenkins Believes Ramah And Her Death Were Necessary
In the live stream, Jenkins and his wife explain his reasoning for killing Ramah in the show, knowing that some audiences disliked this plotline. His wife, Amanda Jenkins, argues:
The theme is in the scripture. The theme of God’s sovereignty, the theme of suffering, the theme of loss, those things are in scripture. So, as writers, the guys are not only pulling from story to story, but they are having to weave stories together with really the whole of scripture, and other theological messages that are alike. They are just using this storyline of Ramah to say a number of things. Not only to tie together actual biblical content, but also there’s just themes in the whole of scripture that we are going to be touching on through this…
Ultimately, according to the showrunner and his wife, the show’s goal is to tell stories fromThe Bibleand exhibit biblical themes not included in the gospels. With this argument, they seem to believe that weaving in these other themes is essential to telling the story of Jesus and His apostles. By doing so, they convey thatthe themes, even from a different place, are just as important as the stories. After Ramah’s death, Thomas, the apostle she was engaged to, continues to walk with Jesus (literally) but wrestles with his faith. He questions why Jesus healed and resurrected others but not Ramah, a similar question many Christians experience. Providing this theme can help make the characters and their lives feel relatable.
Ramah’s death is not the only non-biblical plotline inThe Chosenso far. The miscarriage of Peter’s and Eden’s child was another way the series took creative liberties to highlight different biblical themes. With the show currently filming for season five, it will beinteresting to see if Jenkins adds any other fictional storylines that provide biblical themes. This is especially true sinceJesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrectionare expected to occur in season five. Nevertheless, with Jenkins' track record of keeping the show as accurate as possible, any added features will definitely have good reason to be included.
The Chosen
Cast
The Chosen, released on August 17, 2025, portrays the life of Christ through the perspectives of individuals who encountered him. This series offers a unique narrative approach by exploring the stories of biblical figures whose lives were transformed by their interactions with Jesus.
