''Marias barn'' ("''Maria's Child''") was the Sveriges Television's Christmas calendar in 1987. It was an animated series based on the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

stories of Virgin Mary's son,

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

Plot

Accademia - Madonna col Bambino benedicente e cherubin - Jacopo Bellini

The stories are based on Danish writer Cecil Bødker's two novels, who in turn are based on the

and other older stories about Jesus, as Cecil Bødker tried to reflect life in Ancient Egypt and Palestine upon the time Jesus was born. It follows the story all the way from the birth of Jesus to his

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

. It was narrated by Ulla Sjöblom and featured drawings by Bengt Arne Runnerström. The series was made in response to pressure for the Christmas calendar to feature more Christian content. However, its portrayal of the children of Bethlehem being murdered on the order of

Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...

was criticized for being too graphic.

References

External links

* 1987 Swedish television series debuts 1987 Swedish television series endings Bible in popular culture Sveriges Television's Christmas calendar Swedish animated television series 1980s animated television series Television series set in the Roman Empire {{animation-tv-prog-stub