edition_or_translation_of old testament
Jesus (; c . 4 BC  c . AD 30 / 33 ), also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ , was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who became the central figure of Christianity . Christians believe him to be the Son of God and the awaited Messiah ( Christ ) prophesied in the ___MASK98___ . Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically , although the quest for the historical Jesus has produced little agreement on the historical reliability of the Gospels and on how closely the biblical Jesus reflects the historical Jesus . Jesus was a Galilean Jew who was baptized by John the Baptist and subsequently began his own ministry , preaching his message orally and often being referred to as " rabbi ". He was arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities , and was crucified by the order of Pontius Pilate , the Roman prefect . Jesus debated fellow Jews on how to best follow God , performed healings , taught in parables and gathered followers . After his death , his followers believed he rose from the dead , and the community they formed eventually became the Christian Church . The ___MASK28___ ( or ; also " Tenakh ", " Tenak ", " Tanach ") or Mikra or Hebrew Bible is the canonical collection of Jewish texts , which is also a textual source for the Christian Old Testament . These texts are composed mainly in Biblical Hebrew , with some passages in Biblical Aramaic ( in the books of Daniel , Ezra and a few others ). The traditional Hebrew text is known as the Masoretic Text . The ___MASK28___ consists of twenty - four books . Hebrew ___MASK63___ or Hebrew Scriptures is the term used by biblical scholars to refer to the " ___MASK28___ ", the canonical collection of Jewish texts , which is the common textual source of several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament . They are composed mainly in Biblical Hebrew , with some passages in Biblical Aramaic ( in the books of Daniel , Ezra and a few others ). The ___MASK98___ is the first section of the Christian Bible , based primarily upon the Hebrew Bible , a collection of religious writings by ancient Israelites . It is the counterpart to the New Testament , the second portion of the Christian Bible . The ___MASK98___ canon varies between Christian Churches ; Protestants and Latter - Day Saints accept only the books found in the canon of the Hebrew Bible , dividing them into 39 books , while the Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , and Oriental Orthodox Churches accept somewhat larger collections of writings . The ___MASK98___ consists of many distinct books written , compiled , and edited by various authors over a period of centuries . It is not entirely clear at what point the parameters of the Hebrew Bible , the basis for the Christian ___MASK98___ , were fixed . Some scholars have opined that the canon of the Hebrew Bible was established already by about the 3rd century BC , or even later . The books of the ___MASK98___ can be broadly divided into several sections : 1 ) the first five books or Pentateuch ( Torah ) ; 2 ) the history books telling the history of the Israelites , from their conquest of Canaan to their defeat and exile in Babylon ; 3 ) the poetic and `` Wisdom '' books dealing , in various forms , with questions of good and evil in the world ; 4 ) and the books of the biblical prophets , warning of the consequences of turning away from God . Biblical Aramaic is the form of Aramaic that is used in the books of Daniel , Ezra and a few other places in the Hebrew ___MASK63___ . It should not be confused with the Aramaic paraphrases , explanations and expansions of the Jewish scriptures , which are known as " targumim ". The New Testament ( Koine Greek :    , " H Kain Diathk ") is the second major part of the Christian biblical canon , the first part being the ___MASK98___ , based on the Hebrew Bible . The New Testament discusses the teachings and person of Jesus , as well as events in first - century Christianity . Christians regard both the Old and New Testaments together as sacred scripture . The New Testament ( in whole or in part ) has frequently accompanied the spread of Christianity around the world . It reflects and serves as a source for Christian theology and morality . Both extended readings and phrases directly from the New Testament are also incorporated ( along with readings from the ___MASK98___ ) into the various Christian liturgies . The New Testament has influenced religious , philosophical , and political movements in Christendom and left an indelible mark on literature , art , and music . Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ , who serves as the focal point for the religion . It is the world ' s largest religion , with over 2 . 4 billion followers , or 33 % of the global population , known as Christians . Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the savior of humanity whose coming as the Messiah ( the Christ ) was prophesied in the ___MASK98___ . Biblical Hebrew (" Ivrit Miqra ' it " or " Leshon ha - Miqra "), also called Classical Hebrew , is an archaic form of Hebrew , a Canaanite Semitic language spoken by the Israelites in the area known as Israel , roughly west of the Jordan River and east of the Mediterranean Sea . The term " Hebrew " was not used for the language in the ___MASK63___ , which was referred to as Canaanite or Judahite , but the name was used in Greek and Mishnaic Hebrew texts . Biblical Hebrew is attested from about the 10th century BCE , and persisted through and beyond the Second Temple period , which ended in the siege of Jerusalem ( AD 70 ). The Israelites (" Bnei Yisra ' el ") were a Semitic - speaking people of the ancient Near East , who inhabited a part of Canaan during the tribal and monarchic periods . The ancient Israelites are considered to be an outgrowth of the indigenous Canaanite populations that long inhabited the Southern Levant , Syria , ancient Israel and the Transjordan . Canaan ( Northwest Semitic : ""; Phoenician :  ; Biblical Hebrew / Masoretic : ["; n  an ]") was a Semitic - speaking region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC . In the ___MASK63___ it corresponds to the Levant , in particular to the areas of the Southern Levant that provide the main setting of the narrative of the Hebrew ___MASK63___ , i . e ., the area of Israel , Philistia , Phoenicia , and other nations .