Christ's dozen focus of show

The Christmas season brings with it many TV specials about religion, including "The Twelve Apostles," which airs Dec. 20 at 9 p.m. (ET) on The History Channel.

Here's another question for your pretend appearance on a TV quiz show: How did St. Paul change the life of a talking lion?

The two-hour documentary is narrated by Martin Sheen, the Catholic actor who currently stars in NBC's "West Wing." He is proud of his faith, a pride that comes through in his energetic narration.

For $5,000 in play money, answer this: What does the New Testament tell us about the death of St. Peter?

"The Twelve Apostles" has a Catholic co-producer in Rev. Ellwood Kieser, the Paulist priest who has spent his life in TV ("Insight") and movies ("Romero"). But the presence of Sheen and Kieser doesn't mean this special is for or about Catholics only. Commenting throughout are scholars, theologians and historians from many Christian denominations and from Judaism.

If you are ready for another question, try this: How are St. Thomas and India connected?

"The Twelve Apostles" uses the formula that has become familiar in such programming: a narrator tells the story and experts provide their insights while the camera illustrates their points in a number of ways: through classical paintings and sculptures; with scenes from nature, such as lakes and cloudy skies; via sites in the Holy Land; and in reenactments. This documentary even makes use of what seems to be an early silent film about Christ's life.

Faster paced than some similar specials, which can sometimes bog down to a plodding pace, "The Twelve Apostles" clips through the Gospels and into the Acts of the Apostles to provide the biographies of the men who followed Jesus. Then it follows them into history through the legends and traditions of the early Church. Finally, the program ends with an appreciation of the legacy of the dozen.

To win more dough, supply the name of the man chosen to replace Judas among the Twelve.

As you cast about for appropriate viewing during the month of Christ's birth and as the Church begins its observance of the Holy Year, you might want to check out "The Twelve Apostles" in order to refresh your knowledge of Jesus' first followers.

For the answers to the questions I have posed, you will have to tune in. Do you think you will? Is that your final answer?...

Here are some other holiday specials you might be interested in:

* "It's A Wonderful Life," which has already been shown on Thanksgiving, gets two more airings on NBC: Dec. 19 and 24.

* "A Christmas Gloria with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Canadian Brass" will be shown on PBS on Dec. 22. It will be followed by "Jessye Norman: A Holiday Homecoming."

* "Christmas with Robert Shaw" and the Atlanta Symphony will be broadcast on PBS on Christmas Eve.

In addition, the networks are planning major coverage of the arrival of 2000:

* John Lithgow will host "Adventures in Time," a National Geographic Special about everything from calendars to the cosmos, Dec. 22 on NBC.

* "ABC 2000" is the title of that network's millennial special, beginning on New Year's Eve and running throughout Jan. 1.

* PBS will offer a 25-hour millennium "exploration and celebration of the world," starting at 4:45 a.m. on Dec. 31.

From "The Twelve Apostles" to the 2,000 years of Christianity, there's a lot to watch as the century winds down.

(12-16-99)