In the Mormon Church, the King James Version is used as the official Bible in English. However, the Church has added footnotes with cross-references to other LDS scriptures, such as the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith the first prophet and founder of the Mormon Church, did work on a new translation of the Bible, but his insights (through revelation) are found in the Pearl of Great Price (Book of Moses) and as footnotes and appendices.Most of the New Testament was originally written in Greek. The New Testament records the life of Jesus Christ, and contains writings of His apostles and followers. It is most commonly divided into the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), the Acts of the Apostles, Paul’s epistles, the general epistles, and the book of Revelation.
The gospels are accounts of the life of Jesus Christ, and each account was written for a different group of people. Matthew’s account was written for the Jews to show them that Jesus Christ was the Messiah prophesied of in the Old Testament. Matthew was most likely very well versed in the Jewish scripture, so he could easily see how Christ fulfilled them. Mark’s account, possibly written under the direction of Peter, was written to the Gentiles (non-Jews) to show that Christ was the Son of God and had the power of the priesthood. He emphasizes the actions of Jesus Christ and often gives background information and cultural explanations that would be important to people not familiar with Jewish life. Luke’s account is more literary and seems to tell Christ’s story from beginning to end. Luke’s emphasis is that Jesus Christ is the universal Savior of both Jew and Gentile. John’s account was sent to members of the Christ’s Church who already knew some basic information. John’s purpose is to clearly show, through miracles performed by Christ, witnesses, and Christ’s teachings that He was (and is) the Son of God.
The Book of Acts records the history of the Church and the apostles after the ministry of Christ, especially Paul’s teachings and missionary work. Paul wrote fourteen epistles (letters) that are in the New Testament. The letters were written to members of the Church in different areas and teach the regulation of the Church. The general epistles are letters written by other apostles and give further instruction to early church members. The last book is the Book of Revelation. This book was written by John and contains prophecies about the restoration of Jesus Christ’s Church, the last days, and Christ’s Second Coming.