The Prince of Egypt’ Study Guide available on the web
By Robert P. Mills, The Presbyterian Layman, December 18, 1998
As The Prince of Egypt prepares to open in theaters across the country, the studio that produced the animated interpretation of Moses’ life has posted study guides from several religious perspectives on its website . The one most likely to interest readers of The Layman Online has been written by Ravi Zacharias.
Zacharias is president of the Atlanta-based Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), “a Bible based ministry with the main focus towards worldwide evangelism undergirded by apologetics, reaching the thinker and opinion makers of the world.”
According to its website “RZIM stands in the gap between the church and the world to reach the minds of men and women with the credibility of the gospel of Jesus Christ; to equip this generation of Christians with a culturally relevant apologetic, enabling them to contend for their faith; to enter arenas of resistance and reclaim ground lost to skepticism and secularism; to impact leaders in their sphere of influence on matters of character and discipline so that both heart and mind are in tune with the heart and mind of God.”
The 17-page study guide is divided into four main sections. A brief introduction is followed by a section that asks viewers to note the similarities and differences between the film and the Bible. Asking viewers/readers to identify and discuss both proves a helpful exercise.
Part III, by far the largest portion of the guide, discusses five major themes: misery, mystery, majesty, miracle and mission. Each theme is treated in five sections: reality, illustration, story line, thoughts and questions. This part of the study guide could be quite useful to parents, pastors and others who would like a structured way to talk about the movie with children and youth.
Part IV, “The Story beyond Exodus,” draws parallels between Moses and Jesus, including: prophet, shepherd, suffering servant, redeemer, mediator and law-giver. Finally, the guide concludes with a brief bibliography.
The Prince of Egypt has already attracted enormous attention in both the secular and religious press. This study guide can be a useful tool in helping Christians capitalize on the interest now being shown in Holy Scripture.