The term "holy scriptures of the New Testament" generally refers to the collection of books that the Christian Church recognizes as the authentic documents of the revelation conveyed by its founder, Jesus Christ. Since the Church's judgment on the legitimacy of individual books being included in such a collection has gradually developed over time and the concept of holy scriptures has at times been fluid, we also provisionally adopt that name in a broader sense. We understand it to encompass all writings whose origin can at any time be traced back to the apostles and their inspiration, and which have been used as such in religious instruction within the Christian Church or by a party that has emerged from it. The history of these writings is the account of those facts.