Holy Bible. New Testament

ThemodernBibleisdividedintotwomainsections:TheOldTestament(oftenreferredtoas"thebadone"),andtheNewTestament(erroneously,oftenthoughttobe"good").Eachoftheseconsistsofmanyindividual"books",whicharesubdividedintochaptersandversesforeasyreference.The"chapterandverse"designationsarelatedevelopments,notextantintheearliestmanuscripts,andthoughquiteconvenientforreaderssometimesgiveafalsesenseofdiscreteness,resultinginafrequentdivorcingofBiblequotationsfromtheircontext(quoteminingshowstheuglyresults).DivisionintochaptersandversesisalsooftenusedinBible-likeworkssuchastheQur'anandtheBookofMormon.

Theterm"book"isalsomisleading,asitisacatch-alltermformanydifferentkindsofwritingthatvaryenormouslyinlengthandpurpose."Books"oftheBiblemaybehistoricalaccounts,laws,folklegends,lectures,poetry,mysticalwritings,orletters.Assuch,aBibleversequotedinisolationneedstobeinterpreteddifferentlydependingonwhichpartoftheBibleitcomesfrom.

TheNewTestamentstartswiththefourGospels,Matthew,Mark,Luke(collectivelyreferredtoassynopticgospels)andJohn,whichtellthestoryofJesus'timeonearth,hiscrucifixionandreturntolife,miraclesheallegedlyperformed,andhisphilosophyandteachings.Itthencontainsmanyletterstothenascentchurches,mostlywrittenbySaulofTarsusafterhisconversionandtakingthenameofPaul.Thesearecollectivelyknownasthe"epistles".TheNewTestamentwrapsupwiththebookofRevelation,astorythoughtbysometobeabouttheendoftheworld,oratleasttheRomanEmpire.

TheNewTestamentiswrittenalmostexclusivelyin"koine",theformofAtticGreekthatwasthelinguafrancaofmostoftheMediterraneanbasinundertheearlyRomanEmpire.
TheNewTestamentisananthology,acollectionofChristianworkswritteninthecommonGreeklanguageofthefirstcentury,atdifferenttimesbyvariouswriters,whowereearlyJewishdisciplesofJesusofNazareth.InalmostallChristiantraditionstoday,theNewTestamentconsistsof27books.TheoriginaltextswerewritteninthefirstandperhapsthesecondcenturiesoftheChristianEra,generallybelievedtobeinKoineGreek,whichwasthecommonlanguageoftheEasternMediterraneanfromtheConquestsofAlexandertheGreat(335–323BC)untiltheevolutionofByzantineGreek(c.600).AlloftheworkswhichwouldeventuallybeincorporatedintotheNewTestamentwouldseemtohavebeenwrittennolaterthanaroundAD150.

TheNewTestamentconsistsof
-fournarrativesofthelife,teaching,deathandresurrectionofJesus,called"gospels"(or"goodnews"accounts);
-anarrativeoftheApostles'ministriesintheearlychurch,calledthe"ActsoftheApostles",andprobablywrittenbythesamewriterastheGospelofLuke,whichitcontinues;
-twenty-oneletters,oftencalled"epistles"inthebiblicalcontext,writtenbyvariousauthors,andconsistingofChristiandoctrine,counsel,instruction,andconflictresolution;and
-anApocalypse,theBookofRevelation,whichisabookofprophecy,containingsomeinstructionstothesevenlocalcongregationsofAsiaMinor,butmostlycontainingpropheticalsymbology,abouttheendtimes.