Nancy Gimbrone

For centuries, only a chosen few learned the closely guarded secrets of the martial arts. Today, millions worldwide practice, from New York lawyers to African villagers-but few know the history of the esoteric disciplines they study. This action-packed program crosses the Orient to uncover the mystic origins of THE MARTIAL ARTS. Witness top masters of karate, judo, kyudo, and hapkido demonstrate their stunning skills and explore the many facets of the varied disciplines, including their rich spiritual heritage. Take an extremely rare glimpse inside China's Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of martial arts: within these ancient walls, monks demonstrate their unique style of kung-fu and perform astonishing feats through a 3,000-year-old practice called qigong. A&E takes an unforgettable journey into the enigmatic world of ancient combat, exposing the fabled origins and evolution of THE MARTIAL ARTS.

They started out as average, unexceptional men of their time. Fishermen, farmers, local magistrates. But their dedication to a prophetic Jewish preacher in the backwaters of the Roman Empire transformed them into revolutionaries and, in the process, changed the world itself in ways that would reverberate across time for two thousand years. Now, discover the extraordinary, untold stories of the men chosen by Jesus to bring God’s plan to the world. Among them: Peter, the rock upon which Christ would build His new religion; James and John, the fiery-tempered “sons of thunder”; Matthew, the tax collector later murdered by cannibals; Simon the Zealot, the anti-Roman fanatic eventually “cut to pieces” preaching in Spain; and Judas Iscariot, whose betrayal would be paid for with silver and suicide.

A biography of comedian double act Bud Abbott & Lou Costello