Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Diverse insights revealed in religion-based docudrama.
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Testament: The Story of Moses
What's the Story?
TESTAMENT: THE STORY OF MOSES is a dramatization of the biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites to the promised land. Narrated by Charles Dance, it stars Avi Azulay as Moses, who as an infant was sent up the Nile in a basket by his mother Jochebed (Melis Ulas) and sister Miriam (Reymond Amsallem) to protect him from the Egyptian mandate that required every male Hebrew infant to be drowned. Found and raised by Pharaoh's daughter Bithiath (Tulay Gunal), he was raised in the Egyptian court. But after killing an Egyptian taskmaster for beating a Hebrew slave, Moses flees to Midian and eventually marries Zipporah (Dominique Tipper), the daughter of priest Jethro (Oberon K.A. Adjepong), and spends his days as a shepherd. But it is there that Yahweh (voiced by Clarke Peters) reveals himself to Moses, telling him that he must return to Egypt, free the Israelites, and lead them to Canaan. What follows is the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of Moses as he reluctantly becomes the leader of the Hebrews, and the enemy of his once adoptive sibling Rameses II, who is now Pharaoh (Mehmet Kurtulus). As the story continues to unfold, interviews with historians, archeologists, linguists, theologians, rabbis, and imams offer different points of view about the story's historical and religious contexts.
Is It Any Good?
This insightful docudrama combines the dramatization of the Old Testament story of Moses with scholarly modern-day observations in order to highlight the story's broad religious significance. Starting with the Book of Exodus and ending with Deuteronomy, Testament: The Story of Moses's scripted reenactments are rather simple and abbreviated. However, the interviews with authors like Jonathan Kirsch and Dr. Celene Ibrahim, rabbis like Rachel Adelman, and pastors like Tom Kang offer interesting interpretations of the events that took place, ranging from revisiting the translations and significance of key words in the ancient texts to highlighting how some women challenge the patriarchy of the time. Many also discuss how difficult it can be to understand God's anger, and what some consider cruelty, throughout the narrative.
The presentation of these conversations throughout the series is fluid and well-organized, so much so that it sometimes feels as if the experts are in agreement about how the story should be interpreted. While this isn't the case, Testament: The Story of Moses successfully underscores the important place the story of Moses has in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, even if the way it's told among them differs. People looking for an interesting approach to this subject matter will find it worth watching.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the story of Moses. What lessons does it teach?
Testament: The Story of Moses notes how Moses is considered one of the most important prophets Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Why? Is this surprising, given the tensions exhibited between members of some of these religious communities?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 27, 2024
- Cast : Avi Azulay , Reymond Amsallem , Dominique Tipper
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : History
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Humility , Integrity , Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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