Final answer:
The New Testament books were originally written in Greek, which was the predominant language of the Eastern Roman Empire and the early Christian church. The gospels were composed by the apostles and early Christian figures decades after the life of Jesus.
Step-by-step explanation:
Greek was used to write the works that comprise the New Testament. Initially, the New Testament, with its gospels and epistles, was authored in Greek, which was the lingua franca of the Eastern Roman Empire and also the language in which the early Christian church conducted its affairs. The gospels, which offer accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, were composed by his apostles and other early Christian leaders and put into writing approximately 60 years after his death.
St. Jerome, a significant figure in Christian history, was responsible for creating the Latin Vulgate Bible, which became the standard edition of the Christian Bible in Europe until the sixteenth century. However, the determination of the definitive 'canon' of the Bible, a decision about which books were to be considered authoritative, was not solidified by the Western Church until 1442 during the Renaissance. Up until that point, there was much debate within the Christian community about the true message and teachings of Christ, owing to varying interpretations of his words. On the other hand, the Eastern Church continued to use Greek for religious texts, remaining attached to its Greek-speaking traditions.