VisionTV honours Holy Week, Easter with special presentations

Highlights include premiere of doc series Decoding Christianity, broadcast of Stations of the Cross from Rome. For Christians around the world, it is a time to reflect upon the very meaning of their beliefs.

During the final week of Lent, known as Holy Week, Christians commemorate the passion and death of Jesus Christ - a solemn observance that precedes the joyous celebration of Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday.

VisionTV honours the Lenten season with a whole week of special presentations. Highlights include the Canadian premiere of the new documentary series Decoding Christianity, and a broadcast of the annual Stations of the Cross service from Rome on Good Friday.

For more programming and schedule information, please visit www.visiontv.ca.

Holy Week and Easter Programming on VisionTV

Documentary: Encore Broadcast
Easter: The Jesus Mystery
Monday, March 17, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT

What do we know of the events that Easter commemorates? Do the Gospels of the New Testament give an accurate account of what happened more than 2,000 years ago? And can present-day scholarship add to our understanding of Jesus life and death? This hour-long documentary examines the Gospels through contemporary eyes, giving insight into the historical Jesus, the early evolution of Christianity and the origins of Easter.

Documentary: Encore Broadcast
The Naked Archaeologist: "Jesus & John the Baptist"
Monday, March 17, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

Is the Bible history or myth? In The Naked Archaeologist, Emmy Award-winning producer and director Simcha Jacobovici (The Lost Tomb of Jesus) plunges fearlessly into the world of Biblical archaeology. Tonight: The Gospels sometimes contradict one another in their descriptions of Jesus' childhood. Now, archaeology is helping to reveal clues about his early years. Plus: Archaeologists have discovered what may be the cave where St. John baptized new converts to Christianity.

Documentary: Encore Broadcast
Unearthed: " King Herod's Tomb "
Monday, March 17, 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. ET / 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. PT

Today, archaeology is shedding light upon the ancient history of the Holy Land. But often it raises more questions than it answers. Unearthed looks at the most fascinating recent archaeological discoveries in the Middle East. Tonight: Archaeologists have located what may be the final resting place of King Herod, close to modern day Jerusalem.

Documentary: Encore Broadcast
Heaven on Earth: " Christianity "
Monday, March 17, 11:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. PT

From the dawn of civilization, human beings have used art and architecture to express faith. In Heaven on Earth, host Christy Kenneally examines the many forms in which different cultures have embodied their beliefs. Tonight: A globetrotting exploration of Christian art and architecture takes the viewer from an island off the coast of Ireland, to Turkey and Ethiopia, and across Europe to a monumental church in Barcelona created by architectural visionary Antoni Gaudi.

Feature Film
Barabbas
Tuesday, March 18, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT

Adapted from Par Lagerkvist's Nobel Prize-winning novel, this 1961 epic stars Anthony Quinn as Barabbas, the murderer, thief and rebel who was spared from crucifixion while Jesus went to the cross. In this fictional account of his life after that fateful day, Barabbas returns to his old ways only to be haunted by the memory of the man who died in his place. With Jack Palance and Ernest Borgnine. Richard Fleischer directed.

Documentary: Encore Broadcast
Myths of Mankind: The Quest for the Holy Grail
Tuesday, March 18, Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT

From the Knights Templar to Monty Python, untold generations have been entranced by the idea of the Holy Grail. But what is the Grail? Is it the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper? Did it ever exist at all? This hour-long documentary traces the origin and evolution of an undying legend.

DOCUMENTARY SERIES: VISIONTV PREMIERE
Decoding Christianity
Wednesday, March 19, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

This documentary series investigates Christian symbolism, from the majesty of the angels to the torments of Jesus on the cross, and reveals the hidden meanings of these images. Filmed on location in North America, the Far East, the UK, and across Europe. Hosted by renowned Irish author and television personality Christy Kenneally (The Lost Gods). Tonight: "Flesh and Blood." Why do vivid images depicting the suffering of Jesus Christ and the Christian martyrs play such a major role in Christian art?

Documentary: Encore Broadcast
The Geometry of Love
Wednesday, March 19, 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT

What is a church? Is it just another building - or something more? To renowned Canadian author Margaret Visser, every stone and column of a church has rich layers of meaning. In this award-winning documentary, based upon her best-selling book, she visits Sant 'Agnese fuori le Mura to decode the secret language of churches.

Feature Film
The Bible
Thursday, March 20, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT

Legendary director John Huston, never lacking in ambition, takes on the book of Genesis in this 1966 epic. Huston, who also narrates, covers all the greatest hits: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Flood, the Tower of Babel and the story of Abraham. The all-star cast includes Richard Harris, George C. Scott, Ava Gardner, Peter O ' Toole and Huston himself as Noah.

Documentary: Encore Broadcast
Unearthed: "Caves of Qumran"
Thursday, March 20, 12:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. PT

Unearthed investigates the Qumran Caves in Israel, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum
Friday, March 21, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT

Every year on Good Friday, Christians from around the world gather at the Colosseum in Rome for the Stations of the Cross, a traditional devotion that re-enacts the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict XVI joins with the faithful to take part in this powerful ceremony, which includes readings from the Bible, prayers, meditations and music.

Musical Presentation: Encore Broadcast
The Gaither Gospel Hour: Israel Homecoming
Friday, March 21, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT

Music legends Bill and Gloria Gaither host The Gaither Gospel Hour, a celebration of the sounds of southern gospel music. In this concert special, the Gaithers and their Homecoming Friends perform for the first time in Jerusalem, the cradle of Christianity. Stirring performances at the Garden Tomb, the Southern Steps and the Jordan River highlight the countryside where Jesus lived, walked and died.

Musical Presentation: VisionTV Premiere
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir: Easter Concert
Friday, March 21, 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. ET / 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. PT

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square present their annual Easter concert, performing Robert Cundick's "The Redeemer." Craig Jessop conducts.

Musical Presentation: Encore Broadcast
Songs of Praise: Easter Special
Friday, March 21, 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT

Pam Rhodes hosts this Easter celebration from St. Edmundsbury Cathedral in Suffolk, England, with readings by actress Prunella Scales (Fawlty Towers) and a look at the building of the cathedral's new tower.

Musical Presentation: Encore Broadcast
Haydn's "The Seven Last Words of Christ"
Friday, March 21, 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT

Commissioned by the Cathedral of Cadiz in Spain for its Holy Week service, Joseph Haydn's The Seven Last Words of Christ was first performed in 1787. This broadcast showcases a string quartet concert by the Ottawa Chamber Music Society, taped at Christ Church Cathedral in our nation's capital. Featuring Andrew Dawes and Manuela Milani on violin, Guylaine Lemaire on viola and Julian Armour on cello.