The Story Keepers
The Story Keepers'' (sometimes styledThe Storykeepers'') is an animated series which takes part in Ancient Rome ca. 64 AD, and which is based in part on the Gospels of Mark and Luke in the New Testament. It was produced by Shepherd Films Ltd. of Dublin, Ireland, and first aired on television in 1997.
Synopsis
A Roman baker named Ben and his wife Helena are Christians. They have no children, so they adopt four: Cyrus, the child of a traveling circus family who are separated in the Great Fire; Anna, a young girl; and Justin and Marcus, two brothers. There is also a lone boy called Zac, an expert swordsman. The four children become caught up in the intrigues of ancient Rome, joining the Christian Underground in its efforts to thwart Emperor Nero's attempts to destroy the Christians of Rome.
Plot
Nero causes the Great Fire of Rome in which many families are separated from each other. Some children, such as Anna, know their parents have been killed; others, like Cyrus, do not know where their families are. Ben and Helena adopt these children and teach them AbOUT Jesus. They are part of the Christian Underground, a movement dedicated to keeping the stories of Jesus alive. Ben tells the children how Jesus fed five thousand people, and claims to be the boy who gave the five loaves of bread and the two fishes to Jesus. There are many other stories of Jesus told in the series.
In the end, the Christian Underground of Rome escapes to a faraway country called Shamadar, along with Tacticus, a Roman soldier who has secretly become a Christian. On the way, Cyrus finds his parents and some of his old circus friends; Tacticus and Mariam are married, and they adopt Anna; and Ben and Helena meet many of their old friends. Since Zac never finds his mother, he stays with Ben and Helena. No longer must the Christians meet in secret. They are safe from the wrath of Nero and can live in peace.