Original release 16 avril 1995
Previous episode S1999E50 - Kris Kristofferson
Number S1999E51
Episode runtime 45 minutes
Country United States
Original language English
Genres Documentary, History
External links TheTVDB page
IMDB page
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Last update 2 novembre 2026 - 18:15
on 11 databases

The Unknown Jesus

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For 2,000 years the popular image of Jesus has remained fundamentally static. Today, the millennium prompts questions long-debated in scholarly circles. What is known about the historicity of Jesus? Is his existence indisputable? From period accounts to controversial hypotheses, THE UNKNOWN JESUS traces the origins of the stories surrounding the key figure of Christianity. Many have studied Jesus' life according to the Gospels, but these writings, penned decades after his death, narrate a Jesus of a specific faith. Armed with ancient sources such as the Dead Sea scrolls, the papyrus books at Nag Hammadi, and often overlooked writings of the early church, modern scholars discuss riveting new theories that challenge the common conception of Jesus. Join A&E for a probing investigation into the life and legacy of Jesus Christ, the most influential figure in the Western world.

BetaSeries' opinion

Secrets d'histoire Season 20 Finale: Stéphane Bern's Messalina Episode Ends a Season About Reputations on Trial

Twenty seasons in, "Secrets d'histoire" can still surprise its audience. The Season 20 finale aired on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 9:10 p.m. on France 3, and Stéphane Bern closed the season with one of the most notorious women of antiquity: Messalina, the third wife of Emperor Claudius. If you watched it, you already know it was more than a parade of Roman scandal. It was a careful re-examination of a woman whose name has been shorthand for depravity for almost two thousand years. If you haven't caught up yet, this debrief shows why the episode, and the whole season, deserves a place in your watchlist.

A finale that puts history's verdict on trial

The question at the centre of the finale was simple: does Messalina deserve the brutal nickname history gave her? Roman writers handed down a woman driven by insatiable desire and a hunger for power. Bern's team took that portrait apart piece by piece. They asked who wrote the story, why they wrote it, and what they gained from it. This is the series at its best. It doesn't simply retell a legend. It looks into how the legend was made. Messalina's world gave the episode plenty of drama: Caligula, Nero, Agrippina and the freedman Narcissus all appear, each with their own agenda in the deadly politics of the Julio-Claudian court. Without spoiling anything for latecomers, the finale's real emotional pull comes from the gap between the caricature and the young woman caught up in a machine much bigger than she was.

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