New Testament Field GuideSample

Impact of the New Testament: In Front of the Text

Read the next short article and answer the question posed at the end.

Workbook: Into All the World

The following statements by Jesus come at or near the end of the two Gospels, Matthew and Mark:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

“This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Matthew 24:14 (ESV)

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

Mark 16:15 (ESV)

It’s impossible to miss just how far and wide the Gospel of Jesus has spread. With the Gospel has gone the New Testament, the divinely inspired text of that message.

Record some of the ways you’re familiar with how the New Testament has gone into all the world. (Examples: Copies of the Bible or New Testament sent by your church to another country, new translations of the New Testament being produced, etc.)

Next consider specifically the influence of the New Testament in common expressions in the English language and Western culture.

The Impact of the New Testament: Language

The New Testament is filled with one-liners that tend to stick in one’s mind. Therefore, it’s unsurprising to discover that, over time, many phrases from those 27 books have come into the English language. Many of these common sayings originally came into common usage through the popularity of the King James Version. Above are some examples.

The Impact of the New Testament: Language

Not all common sayings linked to the New Testament are direct quotes. Here are a few that came into English as paraphrases:

“Go the extra mile”

Matthew 5:41

“The blind leading the blind”

Matthew 15:13-14

“Fall from grace”

Galatians 5:4

Here is a list of common phrases taken just from the book of Hebrews (ESV):

Wear out like a garment (1:11)

Foundation of the world (4:3)

Do not harden your heart (3:8, 15; 4:7, also in Ps 95:8)

Consuming fire (12:29, also in Deut 4:24; 9:3 and Is 33:14)

One linguist has completed a study on the common phrases with biblical origins. His study concluded that 257 common sayings have been adopted into English from both the Old and New Testaments combined.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2010/12/22/132262167/thank-the-king-james-bible-for-favorite-phrases; Accessed March 7, 2019.

Idioms have not only come into English. Many languages around the world have adopted idioms with biblical roots. One notable language influenced by the New Testament is German—in particular Martin Luther’s 1522 translation.

Luther said of his work:

To translate properly is to render the spirit of a foreign language into our own idiom. I try to speak as men do in the marketplace.

Historian Neil MacGregor has said of the Luther Bible’s impact on the German language:

Today, even Germans who have never seen, let alone touched, a Luther Bible, unknowingly use its words and phrases every day. ‘Sündenbock’ (scapegoat) and ‘Herzenslust’ (heart’s content), for example, are just two of the many new words that Luther invented. ‘Der Geist ist willig, aber das Fleisch ist schwach’ (the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak), phrases now so familiar they’ve become proverbial. Luther had not just caught the way that ordinary German people did speak, he’d also shaped the way that they would … and do.

Since other Bible translations in Europe were influenced by Luther’s translation, other languages have also born the fingerprint of Luther. Matthew 7:6 (“pearls before swine”), is one example of a saying that most likely came into the King James Version through Luther’s translation.

Sources: http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-34/bible-translation-that-rocked-world.html. Accessed March 7, 2018. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04k6rc8. Accessed March 7, 2018.

Now take a look at any one of the following videos on the impact of the New Testament on literature and art.

Workbook: Impact of the New Testament: Literature

The impact of the New Testament on literature is both deep and wide. Many works of literature have surface-level biblical references, including in their titles. Other works have deep and intricate biblical allusions woven into their plots as well as the attributes of characters.

Record as many works of literature as you can think of that have been impacted by the New Testament.

Workbook: The Impact of the New Testament: Art

Record as many art masterpieces as you can think of that have been impacted by the New Testament.

Finally, consider the impact of two films that have had phenomenal success in the recent past.

The Passion of the Christ

No film highlights the impact of the New Testament through film more than The Passion of the Christ. It sparked a firestorm of debate and criticism. Above are some fast facts about this blockbuster, a major motion picture.

A Film with a Global Reach

While no known study has been conducted, no film has likely been translated and released in more languages than the 1979 film, Jesus. Starring Brian Deacon as Jesus, this film’s script draws predominantly from Luke’s Gospel. With its $6 million budget and $4 million box office revenues, no one could have expected worldwide distribution. But this film has had no ordinary run.

In 1981, the organization CRU (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) initiated the Jesus Film Project. This project was dedicated to the translation and distribution of the film worldwide.

Since that time, the film has been translated into approximately 1,000 languages. The project estimates several billions of viewings if you count repeat views. There’s no doubt millions have seen it. It may be the most viewed film in history.

While the film has been criticized as “painfully monotonous”, its power is heightened when taken to remote parts of the world. The film has been shown in villages around the world using generators and mobile equipment. In that context, many people are seeing a film for the very first time or, at the least, the first film in their native tongue. Its impact is no less dramatic if you take into account the Jesus Film Project’s claim that approximately 500 million people have indicated a decision to follow Jesus after viewing the film.

Sources: https://www.jesusfilm.org/about/history.html.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/08/movies/baptism-by-celluloid.html. Accessed March 8, 2018.

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