Characters in The Chosen:
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Jesus & Friends
- Ministry of Jesus: The Twelve Disciples Click to expand, Other Followers Click to expand
John the Baptizer
John the Baptizer
Portrayed by: David Amito
Make straight the way for the King. He is here to waken the earth, but some will not want to waken; they're in love with the dark. I wonder which one you'll be?
An eccentric traveling preacher who carries out baptisms in the river Jordan. He is also a relative of Jesus.
- Adaptation Origin Connection: Is mentioned in the show to have taught Andrew and Philip, which is only implied in the Gospel of John for Andrew (1:40) and even less clearly for Philip.
- Armor-Piercing Question: The quote above.
- Big "YES!": John's response to finally witnessing Jesus perform a miracle.
- Brutal Honesty: Let's just say he's not one to be intimidated when it comes to speaking his mind.
- Clashing Cousins: Averted with John and Jesus. While they disagree on things, they are very close and have an easy bantering dynamic.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Fondly nicknamed "Creepy John" by some. Portrayed as dressed in rags, having an unkempt beard, a generally crazy appearance and attitude to boot.
- Gory Discretion Shot: When he's executed by Herod's soldiers, the executioner raises his axe, and a striking sound is heard, but the camera cuts away before the blow lands.
- In-Series Nickname: Simon calls him "Creepy John."
- So Proud of You: His reaction to Jesus when they finally reunite.
- To Make a Long Story Short: John's rather tactful summary of King David's life.
- Virtuous Vegetarianism: Downplayed. John abstains from eating meat, but others mention that he'll still eat bugs.
Zebedee
Zebedee
Portrayed by: Nick Shakoour
A Capernaum fisherman and the father of Big James and John.
- Good Parents: Is clearly shown as a loving husband and father.
- Hidden Depths: Season 3 reveals that he only fished because it provided security for his family and is interested in other pursuits now that John and James have left to follow Jesus, with Zeb starting an olive garden.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He is a leader of the fishermen and refuses to give Simon fish that other men have worked hard for to help pay his debt to the Romans after Simon nearly betrayed them for fishing on Shabbat, but he does help Simon fish to try and make up the difference more honestly out of respect for how Simon changed his mind about collaborating.
Eden
Eden
Portrayed by: Lara Silva
Simon Peter's wife.
- Foolish Husband, Responsible Wife: Simon is impetuous and doesn't manage money well, and without Jesus's miraculous intervention, they would have lost their house. Eden is shown to be more practical.
- For Want Of A Nail: Though it's understandable why having a miscarriage would upset her, the reason she gives for why she's mad with Simon specifically in season three? When he got home from his preaching mission, he took a nap instead of first asking her how she was doing.
- Happily Married: Their marriage isn't free from conflict, but it is clear that Eden and Simon love one another deeply.
- This gets turned on its ear in season three: When Simon returns from the trip Jesus sent him on, Eden is distant and upset. Simon is desperate to figure out what he has done wrong. He had no idea that he'd gotten Eden pregnant before leaving, and that she had a miscarriage while he was gone.
- Informed Attribute: Eden calls herself the red oni to Simon's blue, but all evidence points to Simon being the wilder one.
- Leaving You to Find Myself: Of a sort. Jesus calls Simon to follow Him, which obliges him to leave for a long time. Eden believes that Simon has found his calling and is happy, although she knows that his absence will be difficult for her.
- My Girl Back Home: Eden is left behind when Simon goes to follow Jesus.
- Named by the Adaptation: The Bible mentions Simon's wife but never names her.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Simon is impetuous and somewhat reckless, while Eden comes across as the more responsible one. Bizarrely, in one scene, Eden refers to herself as the red oni and Simon as the blue oni.
- Suppressed Rage: She is upset with Simon for a good portion of season three for not being aware enough to notice she had a miscarriage while he was gone on his preaching mission, but tries to hide her anger. Simon eventually realizes she's acting cold and distant and tries to find out what he did and apologize, but she refuses to tell him for some time.
Joseph
Joseph
Portrayed by: Raj Bond
Mary's husband and Jesus' stepfather.- Good Parents: He's shown to be loving and kind to Jesus.
- A Hero to His Hometown: Season 3 reveals that Joseph is still well-respected in Nazareth well after his death, and people criticize Jesus for not living up to His stepfather's just reputation.
- It Has Been an Honor: Joseph tells a young Jesus in a flashback that being His earthly stepfather is the greatest honor he ever could've had in his life.
- One-Steve Limit: Downplayed as he shares with his same with the Pharisee Yussif, since the latter has the Semitic form of his name. It also helps they don’t share any scenes together since he is already dead.
- Posthumous Character: He's dead by the time the series proper begins. He's only seen alive in the Pilot, the Christmas Special Episode, in a flashback in Season 3 as well as Season 1, but Mary talks about him frequently.
- Prank Injuries: While teaching Jesus how to hammer in a nail, and holding the nail in place, Joseph pretends that Jesus accidently smashed his hand before laughing and revealing it to be a joke.
- What the Hell Is That Accent?: Joseph speaks with an accent that's completely unique to him, not matching that used by other Jews in the series, the mostly American accents used by Roman characters, or the accents used by people of other nationalities (like Tamar). Among other things, he pronounces his w's as v's like a stereotypical German accent.
Matthew, son of Hasan
An elderly debtor who gave the apostle Matthew a prayer tassel before being arrested.
- Face Death with Dignity: Shows no fear or regret at the process of being worked to death in slavery. He even smiles at the man whose arrest makes this happen.
- Famous Ancestor: Before he is arrested, he explained how his tribe's ancestor Benjamin, and how he was named.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. He shares the same given name as the apostle Matthew, whom he meets with to settle his debt.
- Thanatos Gambit: He exploited a loophole in the Roman tax system to take on all his relatives' debts, condemning himself to be enslaved and worked to death. He fully knows this, and considers it a small price to pay for securing his children's financial future.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Just before being arrested for his debt, he gifts his prayer tassels to Matthew and expresses the hope that the tax collector will someday have use for them. Other than Jesus, he's the only Jew shown not to condemn Matthew for being a tax collector.
Telemachus
Telemachus
- Portrayed by: Kace Winifeld
- Adorably Precocious Child: He is a bright and helpful young boy who is eager to help both his father and Jesus, is the only person to volunteer food for the crowd hearing Jesus prophesize, and earnestly corrects Andrew misdescribing the kind of bread he is carrying.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He only has a few scenes across the last two episodes of season 3, but he supplies the bread and fish for the famous feeding of the multitude.
Hadad
Hadad
- Portrayed by: Josh Zagoren
- Affably Evil: He is very avaricious and not above tricking people into disadvantageous deals. He has some piety but says he would rather devote himself to God in his old age, while retired in luxury, than in the present. However, he is very polite, wants to see an end to the Roman tyranny, and helps the Disciples negotiate the rental of the land they need for the Sermon on the Mount due to a good-natured whim.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: He buys land for a fraction of its value (albeit for far more money than the owner was getting out of it in its present state) while falsely claiming that he wants to buy it for a less profitable reason than his actual motive (mining).
- Manipulative Bastard: He is good at manipulating people or making them look at a subject from angles they hadn't considered before.
- Parental Substitute: He comments on how Judas is an orphan, and he views himself as filling in a parental role in his life. When Judas leaves the company to follow Jesus, Hadad's reaction is more akin to losing a son than losing an employee.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: When Judas comes to visit him in season four, Hadad tells him that if he believes that Jesus is the Messiah, then he (Judas) should start thinking about securing a position in Jesus's new kingdom and using his financial talents to do so. This inspires Judas to start stealing from the money bag shared between the Apostles.
Lazarus
Lazarus
- Portrayed by: Demetrios Troy
- Adaptation Origin Connection: The Bible never mentions how long he has known Jesus but here, they played together as toddlers.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He is a humble, goofy, caring guy, but he is prepared to physically defend Jesus from a large mob until Jesus convinces him it is unnecessary.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He convinces the local rabbi to let Jesus make a public sermon about his teachings, which nearly gets Jesus killed by people who assume he is a false prophet.
- Secretly Dying: Well, not a secret to us, but when Jesus and the Twelve come to visit him during the Feast of Dedication, Jesus notices him ducking away from the singing and celebration to brace himself against a wall, clearly in pain, before rejoining the festivities with a forced grin.
Pharisees
Nicodemus
Nicodemus
Portrayed by: Erick Avari
I am searching for an explanation for something I cannot unsee.
A Pharisee whose investigation of Mary Magdalene's possession leads to him crossing paths with Jesus.
- Ascended Extra: In the Gospel of John, Nicodemus gets one chapter talking with Jesus and two short mentions afterward. Here, he's practically the Deuteragonist of Season 1, and his character arc of searching for Jesus but ultimately failing to follow Him take up a large chunk of screentime.
- Call-Forward: When he begs Mary Magdalene to arrange for him to meet Jesus, he says that Jesus can choose the location - "even a tomb". His last biblical appearance is to provide customary embalming spices during Jesus' burial.
- Fatal Flaw: Nicodemus believes Jesus, but ultimately is too attached to his position and reputation to commit to following Him.
- God Before Dogma: He cares much more about honoring God and seeking to do His will than about his own importance or societal rules and expectations.
- When his wife tells Nicodemus that for people to be his guests at Shabbat dinner, "it will be like sharing loaves with God Himself," he mutters, "Am I the only one hearing this?"
- He reassures Mary that he is "not here to enforce Jewish law," as he is concerned with learning about her redemption, not the fact that her head is uncovered.
- His Pharisee colleagues bristle at John the Baptizer's condemnation of them. Nicodemus doesn't care because it's a potential lead in his investigation into who cured Mary, which is much more important than their bruised egos.
- Put on a Bus: He disappears after Season 1, though it's mentioned in Season 2 that he blocked Shmuel's attempt to report Jesus.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Even before his encounter with Jesus, Nicodemus is shown to be different from other Jewish leaders. He is disenchanted with the focus on rituals and rules over genuine piety, and seems largely unimpressed with the importance with which people regard him.
- Uncle Pennybags: A mildly tragic example. In the first season he wimps out on actually following Jesus, but does leave them a bunch of money to help them on their journey.
Shmuel
Shmuel
Portrayed by: Shaan Sharma
A Pharisee who studied under Nicodemus.
- Beneath the Mask: Implied. When he gets up to preach in one episode, he seems very nervous. Additionally, while he's not on Nicodemus' good side at the moment, he also seems reluctant to turn on his mentor.
- Green-Eyed Monster: It's implied at the very end of Season Three that part of his obsession with finding and arresting Jesus is that he's jealous (or at least confused) that Jesus is getting more admiration for breaking tradition than Shmuel is for following it.
- Culture Police/Moral Guardian: In fairness, it's literally his job to be this. Special mention goes to when he gets a report about Jesus' teaching in Decapolis—the first lead he's gotten in a while—and keeps interrupting the man to criticize his lack of tassels and the vest he's wearing.
- Fatal Flaw: Pride. It's why he calls the Roman soldiers to Jesus when He heals the crippled man, and why he turns against his mentor Nicodemus.
- Redemption Rejection: He spends much of Season 4 seeming to come around after praying with Jesus and spending time with Yussif, only to completely reject Jesus after he watches Mary anoint his feet.
Yussif
Yussif
Portrayed by: Ivan Jasso
A Pharisee and a contemporary of Shmuel.
- Nice Guy: He's by far the least picky and least proud Pharisee. Season Three takes this even further when Eden comes to him for advice about various problems; he is gentle, sincere, and doesn't talk down to her.
- One-Steve Limit: Downplayed as he shears the same name with Jesus’ father Joseph, which is the anglicised form of his name. It also helps that they don’t share any scenes together since Joseph is dead by the time the series proper begins.
- Token Good Teammate: For the Pharisees, especially once he secretly becomes a believer in Season Three. It puts him in contrast to Shmuel.
Dunash
Dunash
Portrayed by: Richard Tanner
The secretary of Shemone, a high-ranking member of the Sanhedrin whose aid Shmuel sought in bring charges against Jesus.
- Get Out!: When Shmeul tries suggesting Shemone could get a political advantage, Dunash ends the meeting on the spot.
- Internal Reformist: He and Shemone are most concerned with reforming the Jewish laws to be more compassionate, such as by allowing women to remarry if their husbands die without witnesses to watch.
- Mouth of Sauron: Dunash is the secretary of the so-far unseen Shemone and makes his superior's goals and philosophies clear to anyone who approaches Dunash to see Shemone personally and gain his support.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: His reason for dismissing Shmeul's claims are quite simple; the very code of laws Shmeul's accuses Jesus of violating require more witnesses than Shmeul has produced.
Shammai
Shammai
Portrayed by: Ric Sarabia
A high-ranking member of the Sanhedrin who aids Shmuel in bringing charges against Jesus.
- The Chessmaster: His introduction shows him carefully scheming on how to use the charge against Jesus to turn both the public and the Sanhedrin against Jesus. Shammai also calculates when and how to make revelations about those of his political opponents who have failed to act against Jesus to maximize the backlash against them.
- Knight Templar: While he senses a political opportunity in bringing charges against Jesus, Shemai is genuinely outraged by the reports he heard.
Yanni
Yanni
- Portrayed by: Wasim No’mani (season 2), Cameron Nichols (season 3-present)
- The Chessmaster: After deciding to bring charges against Jesus, he calmly analyzes how he and Shmuel may be able to get the less reactionary Shemone to side with them so he can show the fence-straddlers that he can be stern like his rival Shammai. And if Shemone rejects their petition, then Shammai will be more eager to take up a cause that his nemesis dismissed.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has a dry sense of humor and likes to quip about things like how hard it is to keep track of all the Pharisees who have names beginning with "Sh-".
- Et Tu, Brute?: He has an Odd Friendship with Internal Reformist Dunash, and is upset when Dunash refuses to support his investigation of Jesus.
- Hidden Depths: He often acts like a politician first and a holy man second. However, he is visibly upset by his superior Ozem's hypocrisy in denouncing false prophecy but complaining about the inconvenience of personally enforcing its ban, and is also upset at the suggestion that sin matters less when it happens outside Jerusalem.
- Mr. Exposition: He tells Shmuel (and the audience) a lot about the factions and procedures of the Sanhedrin.
- Pragmatic Villainy: He helps get the Pharisees to issue an edict against Jesus and his alleged false prophecy but doesn't venture out to enforce it afterward, reasoning that people will start coming in with reports about Jesus if he is truly dangerous, and if they don't, then that will mean Jesus isn't causing enough of a stir to warrant their attention after all.
- Sink or Swim Mentor: In his first scene, Yanni takes his new student Shmuel to a rough part of town to build a following and practice his oratory skills by preaching to the crowds. Yanni then leaves after half-seriously commenting about how dangerous it is to be in the area alone.
Jairus
Jairus
Portrayed by: Alessandro Colla
A synagogue ruler in Capernum who befriends Yussif.- Almighty Janitor: Despite being outranked by the Pharisees, he has keen insights and keeps a lot of sensitive writings in his basement while waiting to see if the time is right for them to be read to the world.
- I Regret Nothing: When his daughter gets sick, he is worried and questions if this is divine retribution for believing in Jesus, but after weighing what he knows about Jesus and feels in his heart, he says he can’t regret his faith, and Jesus soon cures his daughter.
Ozem
Ozem
Portrayed by: Ethan Flower
A lieutenant of Shammai in the Sanhedrin.- Family-Values Villain: He is close to his large family and fondly talks about how being there for them is something God approves of.
- Last Episode, New Character: He debuts in the season 3 finale.
- Mouth of Sauron: He represents Shammai on matters Shammai is too busy to attend to personally.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: He initially seems like a lazy, good-humored old man who feels unthreatened by Jesus, but he becomes vicious in his intolerance and hostility once he sees how many people Jesus is preaching to and what messages they get from that preaching.
- Witch Hunter: He talks about being involved in investigations into witchcraft in the past, although whether this makes him a Hero of Another Story (as the series does feature demonic possession and other such forces) or a Villain of Another Story has yet to be revealed.
Madai and Lamech
Madai and Lamech
Portrayed by: Tony Sears and Sergio Lanza
Two Pharisees in the isolated hamlet of Wadi Kelt, who are offended by everything about Jesus and seek to see his supposed misdeeds brought to the attention to Shmuel and the Sanhedrin.- Hidden Depths: They show a sense of humility behind closed doors, albeit in the twisted sense of being honored that God sent a supposed false prophet to their meaningless village for them to punish. They also show enough political insight to understand that writing a report about Jesus will be less effective than telling someone in person and lament about how the Sanhedrin often forgets to tell Rabbis in their region about changes in religious laws and practices.
- Sinister Minister: They are angry men who preach vengeful verses and insult Jesus for healing a man with a maimed arm, saying that God could heal the man himself if he wanted to, that the man deserves no sympathy, and that traditions are more important than helping people.
Benjamin
Benjamin
Portrayed by: Gys de Villiers
The rabbi of Nazareth. He is open to the idea of Jesus being a prophet of the Messiah but firmly opposed to the idea he could be the Messiah himself.- Apologetic Attacker: He is the first Pharisee to outright try to kill Jesus, although he is uncomfortable about it (albeit more due to his friendship with Joseph and Mary than sympathy for Jesus himself). In the end, he can’t go through with it, although whether this is out of guilt, cowardice, or God intervening in unseen ways is treated as an Ambiguous Situation.
Romans
Gaius
Gaius
Portrayed by: Kirk B. R. Woller
A Roman centurion and close associate of Matthew.
- Adopt-a-Servant: Gaius reveals that, apart from his legal son, he is also raising the son of a slave who died in childbirth. While the child is legally his property, it seems that Gaius doesn't treat him as such. It's later revealed this is because the boy is his illegitimate child.
- Bruiser with a Soft Center: Implied. When Christ asks to say goodbye to His mom, Gaius allows it.
- Canon Character All Along: While it's heavily implied throughout Season 3, Season 4 confirms without a doubt that he is the Centurion of strong faith mentioned in Matthew and Luke's Gospels. He converts to become a follower of Jesus and asks Jesus to heal his servant/son, which Jesus does.
- Crazy Cultural Comparison: He finds it rather ridiculous that Simon refuses to share his alcohol or even give him a handshake for fear of becoming ritually unclean, which leads the two to discuss the differences between their religions.
- Everyone Has Standards: In episode 6, while he and Matthew are guarding a chest containing two years' worth of taxes, he tells Matthew to act like "a normal person". He only meant for Matthew to be inconspicuous, but when he saw a hurt look on Matthew's face, he immediately retracted this statement.
- Good Is Not Soft: He is willing to threaten a Pharisee at swordpoint to keep him from going after Jesus.
- Immigrant Patriotism: Gauis is of Germanic ancestry, possibly very recent, yet he insists that he is loyal first to Rome.
- Only Friend: To Matthew, at the beginning of the series. Even when they no longer are working together, he expresses concern for his health and wellbeing when they happen to run into one another.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Gaius reveals in season 3 that he cheated on his wife with a slave in his household, and that he only came to regret it after hearing the sermon on the mount.
- Pet the Dog:
- He'd be mortified if it were generally known that he's friends with his Jewish publicanus, but he'll occasionally let his gruff façade slip a bit.
- When Gaius detained Jesus, he granted Jesus a moment to say goodbye to Mary and assure her that it'll be okay.
- In season three, he strikes up a sort of uneasy friendship with Simon, giving him marriage advice, helping him rebuild a cistern, and keeping him from being arrested.
- He starts helping the refugees outside the city, despite Quintus' orders to get rid of them.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While Gaius is strict and gruff, he is not a bad man at heart. Especially after some Character Development, he takes a more caring, tolerant attitude toward the non-Romans in Galilee.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: In Season 3 he is seen outside of his armor while talking with Simon, showing he is becoming less of a stern Roman officer and instead more approachable and human.
- Token Good Cop: Most members of the Roman garrisons enforce harsh rules and tax levies, but he gradually develops an Odd Friendship with Jesus's ministry, and (as of early season 4) he tends to observe them and their believers with interest rather than hostility.
- Token Good Teammate: Has shades of this. He is the Roman who has the most positive interactions with Jews and seems the most moral of them in general.
- Took a Level in Kindness: He seems visibly affected by listening to Jesus preach, and in Season 3 starts to ease up a bit in his duties.
- He tells a junior officer not to get after the refugees for breaking city code and, later still, helps the refugees with their homes.
- He takes off his armor to strike up a conversation with Simon and help him with both his marriage and a broken cistern.
- He protects Jesus in his preaching.
- Tough Love: Toward Matthew. He's usually pretty gruff toward him, but his occasional Pet the Dog moments show that it's because he genuinely cares for his well-being.
- You Are in Command Now: Is promoted to praetor after Quintus kills Ramah in Season 4.
Quintus
Praetor Quintus
Portrayed by: Brandon Potter
The Praetor of Galilee. in season 4 he loses his position after accidentally killing Ramah
- Actually Pretty Funny: Tends to get amused rather than offended at Matthew's complete lack of tact.
- Affably Evil: He has nearly unfettered power in Capernaum and others expect him to execute people on the spot for even mild offenses, but he usually responds with a laugh. He manages to be friendly even while he's threatening you.
- Season three tones down the "affable" part a bit, but it's still there.
- Bald of Evil: He's a major antagonistic figure on the show who just happens to be bald.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He offhandedly mentions having a wife who enjoys gardening.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While Quintus isn't shy about violently suppressing unrest, he says that he isn't conditioned to the screams of people being crucified the same way Pilate is.
- Freudian Excuse: In episode 6, while asking Matthew for advice on how to shame a childhood rival, Quintus reveals that his father "gave me nothing".
- Giggling Villain: His impish personality often expresses itself this way. This, combined with his distinctive voice, has drawn comparisons to John de Lancie's portrayal of Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation among the fandom.
- Greed: He's impressed when Simon manages to repay an extensive tax debt, and immediately begins to muse about how he could force or trick Simon into accomplishing this again.
- In season three, he wants to expel the pilgrim camp outside Capernaum until Atticus points out that he could tax them instead.
- Large Ham: Brandon Potter is having the time of his life with the role and it shows.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: He is stripped of his position of Praetor and sent to a different district after Accidentally killing Ramah
Atticus
Atticus Aemilius Pulcher
Portrayed by: Elijah Alexander
A Cohortes Urbanae, acting essentially as a Roman special operator.
- Assassin Outclassin': Atticus figured out Simon the Zealot's assassination plan, and intended to intercept and kill him in the act to deny the Zealots even a martyr for their cause. The only reason he fails is that Simon the Zealot doesn't play his part, instead choosing to follow Jesus.
- Cape Swish: He wears a cape to help blend in, but he's fond of dramatically flinging it back to reveal his sword and rank to people when they aren't cooperative.
- The Dreaded: Is this to other members of the Roman government in Judea, because of the authority he has. Even Pontius Pilate is afraid of him.
- Elites Are More Glamorous: He can walk in and see Quintus and Pilate without an appointment.
- The Gadfly: Enjoys messing with people with big egos, whether it's Quintus or Pharisees. Pilate seems to enjoy this part of his character.
- Oral Fixation: Nearly every scene in which he appears has him eating something.
- Pet the Dog:
- He uses his rank and diplomatic skills to protect a slave, Gaius, and the pilgrims from Quintus' wrath, all in the same scene.
- He realizes Simon the Zealot is no longer a threat to Rome, warns him the Order is after him, and lets him go peacefully.
- He helps out a man trying to sell a lamb to some snooty Pharisees.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: All things considered he comes off as more moral and savvy than many people he interacts with, whether that's Quintus, Pilate, or the Pharisees.
- The Snark Knight: He seems an intelligent, highly-experienced, and well-traveled person. Because of this, he isn't impressed by the egos of people like Quintus or the Jewish rulers and enjoys poking at them or trying to take their pride down a notch. He seems more tolerant of or patient with genuine people, like Gaius, the poor, or Jesus' disciples.
- Villain Respect: Atticus admits to being intrigued by Jesus and His miracles on the way to arrest him. When he hears Jesus is in Decapolis, he immediately leaves to go find Him and may have witnessed Jesus walking on water.
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Portrayed by: Andrew James Allen
The governor of Judea.
- Affably Evil: He's friendly enough to his wife and to Atticus, and he believes he's a good governor who will bring the people of Judea prosperity. He also crucifies rebels on a daily basis, waking up in the morning to their screams.
- Family-Values Villain: When Atticus asks why he doesn't have wine and women with him, Pilate states that he doesn't drink to excess and that he's married. In other words, he's faithful to his wife even when Roman society wouldn't penalize him for not being so.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: In the episode where he's introduced, he confides in Atticus that he wants peace and for the people to get what they want.
- Young and in Charge: He is considerably younger than most of the other Roman characters, particularly the ones under his authority (Quintus and Gaius), almost to the point of Improbable Age.
Claudia
Claudia
Portrayed by: Sarah J. Bartholomew
Pilate's wife, who is concerned by her husband's methods of governing and plagued by troubling dreams.
- Boyish Short Hair: Rather surprisingly for a Roman noblewoman, her hair is cut very short.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: She specifically dreams of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, surrounded by the sleeping disciples and being confronted with Satan in the form of a snake.
Demons
Lilith
One of the demons possessing Mary Magdeline at the start of the series.
- Demonic Possession: She inflicted this on Mary Magdeline, along with several other demons.
- Sadist: She seemingly only possessed Mary to make her suffer.
- No-Sell: Lilith reacts this way when Nicodemus attempts to drive her out with a Hollywood Exorcism.
Lilith: We are not afraid of you. You have no power here teacher."
- Voice of the Legion: She speaks in this manner.
Belial
A demon possessing a man named Caleb in season two.
- Demonic Possession: He inflicted this on a man named Caleb.
- Detect Evil: Inverted. Belial is able to smell holiness. He declares that it smells putrid to him, and that all the apostles' reek of it.
- Evil Gloating: He recognizes Mary Magdeline, either from having possessed her alongside Lilith or from having met with said demons after they were cast out. He uses this to taunt her about her sins.
- I Am X, Son of Y: When Mary asks for a name, he introduces himself in this manner.
Belial: "Belial, spawn of Oriax, fifth knight of the legion."
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: On the recieving end of this. Mary Magdeline attempts to help his host, Caleb, regain control over his body. This attempt fails, though not from a lack of effort on Caleb's part.
Mary Magdelene: What did your mother call you?
Caleb: C ... Ca ... Cal ...
Belial: Can't say.
- Sadist: He seemingly only possessed Caleb to make him suffer. Belial also used the opportunity to twist the knife in Mary Magdeline's shame over her past, and to try and murder Simon the Zealot.
- The Worf Effect: On both ends of this trope.
- He easily disarms Simon the Zealot, the only apostle with any real combat experience, and almost strangles him to death.
- All Jesus has to do to defeat Belial is say "Out of him".
