The Bible:

Canonical Divisions of the Old Testament

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Audio Recordings

  • Hebrew Old Testament - MP3 recordings of the entire Hebrew Bible (Sephardic pronunciation); download entire books or single chapters
  • The Hebrew Bible - MP3 recordings of the entire Hebrew Bible (Sephardic pronunciation); download entire books or single chapters

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See also Methods > Textual Criticism.


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Note: This subcategory includes articles about translations of the Tanakh. For translations readable online, see the Online Texts subheading above.

 

Books of the

New Testament

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The New Testament (Greek: Καινή Διαθήκη, Kainē Diathēkē) is the name given to the second half of the Christian Bible, written after the Hebrew Bible (also called by Jews Tanakh), known to Christians as the Old Testament. It is sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures, or the New Covenant – which is the literal translation of the original Greek. The original texts were written in Koine Greek by various authors after c. AD 45 and before c. AD 140. Its 27 books were gradually collected into a single volume over a period of several centuries. The New Testament is a central element of Christianity, and has played a major role in shaping modern Western culture. Although certain Christian sects differ as to which works are included in the New Testament, the vast majority of denominations have settled on the same twenty-seven book canon: it consists of the four narratives of Jesus Christ's ministry, called "Gospels"; a narrative of the Apostles' ministries in the early church, which is also a sequel to the third Gospel; twenty-one early letters, commonly called "epistles" in Biblical context, written by various authors and consisted mostly of Christian counsel and instruction; and an Apocalyptic prophecy, which is technically the twenty-second epistle. Although the traditional timeline of composition may have been taken into account by the shapers of the current New Testament format, it is not, nor was it meant to be, in strictly chronological order. Though Jesus spoke Aramaic, the New Testament (including the Gospels) was written in Greek because that was the lingua franca of the Roman Empire.
Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament.[2] As of the early 21st century, it has between 1.5 billion[3][4] and 2.1 billion adherents,[5] representing about a quarter of the world's population.[6] It is the state religion of at least sixteen countries.[citation needed]

Its followers, known as Christians, believe that Jesus is[7] the Son of God and the Messiah (or Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament, the part of their scriptures they have in common with Judaism.[8] To Christians, Jesus Christ is a teacher, the model of a pious life, the revealer of God, the mediator of salvation[clarify] and the saviour who suffered, died and was resurrected in order to bring about salvation from sin for all.[clarify][9] Christians maintain that Jesus ascended into heaven and most denominations teach that Jesus will judge the living and the dead, granting everlasting life to his followers. The "good news" of Jesus' ministry is called the Gospel.[neutrality disputed]

The Trinity is often regarded as an essential doctrine of mainstream Christianity. The most common understanding of the Holy Trinity,[clarify] as espoused in the Nicene Creed, is one God that exists as three Persons – Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" represents both the immanence and transcendence of God. God is believed to be infinite and God's presence may be perceived through the actions of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.[10]

The first time the disciples were called "Christians" (Greek Χριστιανός), meaning "followers of Christ", was in Antioch.[11] Ignatius of Antioch was the first Christian to use the label in self-reference, as far as we know. The earliest recorded use of the term Christianity (Greek Χριστιανισμός) was also by Ignatius of Antioch, around AD 100.[12]

 

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