In October 2023, the crew of “Oracles of God: The Story of the New Testament” gathered in Israel, ready to begin filming a documentary about the New Testament’s origins and authenticity. Two days before cameras were set to roll, Israel was attacked.
In an instant, what was meant to be a season of storytelling became a season of survival. Most of the crew—Israeli citizens—were directly affected: some lost loved ones, others were called to the reserves. Erin Zimmerman, the director of the film and the only American on set, stayed in Jerusalem, watching the heartbreak and resilience of her friends unfold in real time.
The moment felt like yet another roadblock in a project already marked by years of unexpected delays from the global shutdowns during COVID-19.
“It got to be almost comical, the delays with this project,” Zimmerman said. “At one point I said, ‘Okay, God, this seems like a waste of time.’ … He answered me [that] it was His plan for me to be there on October seventh.”
When Zimmerman finally asked her Israeli crew if they were ready to continue, they agreed to pause for a year. That pause gave the film its heart. What began as a documentary about the reliability of Scripture became a story about light emerging in the darkest of times.
Zimmerman never planned to start a film company, much less lead one through war. Now, after more than a decade as Director of CBN Films, she has become a thoughtful storyteller in Christian media. Her latest project, “Oracles of God,” explores how the New Testament was written, preserved, and passed down through generations.
This film is the second in a five-part documentary series on the Bible, tracing how Scripture was created and canonized. The first film focused on the Old Testament. This new installment explores the New Testament and how the Gospels, letters, and eyewitness accounts were preserved throughout history. Future films will address how the biblical canon was formed and conclude with a study of biblical manuscripts proving the text’s stability over time.
Drawing on doctrinally sound scholars and vivid reenactments, the film pairs academic rigor with cinematic storytelling.
Even in the setbacks, God was quietly aligning the circumstances for what would unfold.
When filming finally resumed in 2021 for the first part of the series, the lack of tourists turned the entire nation of Israel into a film set—an unexpected gift that granted the crew access to places they could never have filmed before.
Then came the war.
When the team returned in the fall of 2024 to film scenes around the Sea of Galilee, they awoke on the first morning to an air raid siren at 4:00 a.m.
“We’d run to the shelter, wait it out, and then go back to filming in beautiful weather,” Zimmerman remembers.
Through it all, the act of filming became a source of healing for the cast and crew.
“And I think the crew really felt that,” she said. “I think when you’re telling stories about light and love and healing, right at the moment when this society is broken, I think it was a great thing for them to see.”
For many of the Israeli actors and technicians—most from the largely secular Tel Aviv film community—this was their first time working with a Christian director or even hearing the stories of Jesus.
The Bible stories began to resonate. Grown men playing Peter and John debated the disciples’ dynamic. Some asked why they had never heard these stories before. They were captivated.
During the scene of Jesus raising Jairus’s daughter, one crew member—still reeling from trauma after October 7—broke down in tears.
“You could see it,” Zimmerman said. “The Holy Spirit was on that set.”
Now, as “Oracles of God” releases during what The Wall Street Journal has called a “golden age” for the Bible, with Scripture engagement soaring nationwide, the timing could not be more perfect.
“Oracles of God” confronts common criticisms of Scripture’s reliability, presenting tangible evidence such as the fragments of the New Testament written within thirty years of the originals and complete books within two centuries.
“If you look at some of the writings of Plato, the earliest copies of those come thirteen hundred years after Plato’s lifetime,” Zimmerman pointed out. “Now, have you ever … heard anyone question Plato and say, ‘I’m not sure if that’s right?’”
The title, drawn from Romans 3:1–2—“to them were committed the oracles of God”—underscores the Jewish roots of the Christian faith.
Blending rigorous scholarship with dramatic reenactments, “Oracles of God: The Story of the New Testament” invites audiences to rediscover the miraculous preservation of God’s Word and the resilience of the people who carried it forward, even in the face of war.
In a world saturated with skepticism, misinformation, and half-truths online, “Oracles of God” meets a generation that has more access to Scripture than ever before but less confidence in its truth. Zimmerman hopes the film will bridge that gap, grounding faith not in emotion but in historical evidence and living testimony.
The film will be in theaters nationwide for only three days—November 2, 3, and 5. Tickets are available at CBN.com/buytickets.
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The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) has been an NRB member since 1968.
