Some people from a section of the world are upset over Netflix casting an “Afrocentric” Cleopatra. The legendary femme fatale was Mediterranean so the least the company could have done with their documentary---not fictionalized storytelling---is to keep her cultural identity faithful to the truth.

I am reminded of a conversation I had with a good friend over Hamilton. As much as I love the musical, I am rolling my eyes over their casting of George Washington.

“It’s inclusivity, diversity, and creative license,” she said.

“Not when it comes to historical figures,” I replied.

“But Lea was cast as Eponine.”

“Eponine is fictional.”

If they want diversity and inclusivity, make George shorter than four feet with pock-marked skin and stained teeth. Let him sing with an accent that is difficult to understand. Minus the skin color, the Broadway actor was still the exclusive, idealized version of what it is to be a man and a leader in creative fiction.

What caught my attention to the brouhaha was a reply to one of the commenters who compared Cleopatra to Jesus: “cleopatra was a real woman with many acounts (sic) for her being there, jesus was a fictional man with just one book that mention him.” Some added how Jesus was a “fairy tale” as well as being “the greatest con man.”

There isn’t only one book that mentions Jesus in history. Let’s start with the Bible. It is not one book but a compilation of 66 books and letters.

Granted that the Old Testament does not mention Him by name, the 24 books all lead to Him. The remaining 27 books and letters in the New Testament talked about a person who changed their lives forever.

One is free to not believe the claims because that is the opinion s/he arrives at but historical facts are not optional. I may choose not to believe that Dr. Jose Rizal was a hero but I am not free to say he did not exist. I may choose not to believe that Ferdinand E. Marcos was the best president we ever had but I have no right to say his existence was a fairy tale, especially if scholars and unbiased historians say that he did.

Ancient sources (Christian and non-Christian) mention His existence:

https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2022/11/18/top-ten-historical-references-to-jesus-outside-of-the-bible/

https://www.bethinking.org/jesus/ancient-evidence-for-jesus-from-non-christian-sources

https://www.history.com/news/was-jesus-real-historical-evidence

We are free to think Jesus was a con man (opinion) but we are super-duper presumptuous to think we know better than people who have devoted their lives to studying historical facts. Most of all, let’s not be presumptuous to think that we better than God.