Bible

A collection of Hebrew and Christian writings that contains divine revelations. The word bible means “the books.” The Bible is the work of many prophets and inspired writers acting under the influence of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21).

The Christian Bible has two divisions, commonly known as the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament consists of the books of scripture used among the Jews of Palestine during the Lord’s mortal ministry. The New Testament contains writings belonging to the Apostolic age and regarded as having the same sanctity and authority as the Jewish scriptures. The books of the Old Testament are drawn from a national literature extending over many centuries and were written almost entirely in Hebrew, while the books of the New Testament are the work of a single generation and were written mainly in Greek.

In the Old Testament the word testament represents a Hebrew word meaning “covenant.” The Old Covenant is the law that was given to Moses when Israel rejected the fulness of the gospel had by God’s people from the beginning of mortality. The New Covenant is the gospel as taught by Jesus Christ.

In the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) the books were divided into three groups: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Bible used by the Christian world classifies the books according to subject matter, such as historical, poetical, and prophetical.

The books of the New Testament are generally in this order: the four Gospels and Acts; the epistles of Paul; the general epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude; and the Revelation of John.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reveres and respects the Bible and affirms also that the Lord continues to give additional revelation through His prophets in the last days that supports and verifies the biblical account of God’s dealings with mankind.