Roma Downey, the co-producer of the Christian drama A.D. - The Bible Continues, has spoken about the important roles women played in society and church building after the death of Jesus Christ.

"That was important to us - so often history is written by men, about men, and you look at these scenes and you think, 'Where are the women?'" she told The Christian Post. "You wonder, 'What were the women doing?' Each episode, we would approach it with that in mind."

One important detail she and husband co-producer Mark Burnett incorporated into the mini-series was the fact that Jesus appeared before Mary Magdalene after the resurrection.

"The women were there, they are just as key and important, as highlighted in the first episode when it was to a woman that Jesus first appeared," Downey explained. "As a woman, she was honoured that it was to her he first showed up."

She hopes that audience will be able to witness the strength and integrity of women from the Bible and learn from them. "Women have a very important place in this story, as women have a very important place in society, and women have a very important place in our church," she said.

Meanwhile, her husband Burnett touched upon the topic of Christian persecution, which unfortunately exists up to this day. "Persecution has not changed in certain areas," he observed.

And that is why people should look up to the apostle Paul and emulate him, Burnett urged, since he played a key role in spreading God's word.

"Media is really important, and I always think, the Apostle Paul was an aggressive guy - he did more than almost anybody to spread the word," he said. "If he were here today, he would be using the media. He would be using the Internet, TV film, news story, Twitter."

Downey and Burnett's A.D. – The Bible Continues made its premiere on Sunday on NBC.