Bible....have you read it?

  • Thread starter Thread starter FrancisPio
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
F

FrancisPio

Guest
I went to a Christian college. The professor asked the seniors how many had read the Bible…non raised their hand…So I thought I’d ask here. How many of you have read the Bible. Be honest. Cheers. 😉
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I’ve read it.
I’m on my second “read it all the way through” campaign (I already read it straight through once when I was much younger).
I’m up to Numbers this week.
 
Last edited:
Read it, studied it, got an MA in theology from a Catholic college, still do not understand many things. I’m far from an expert. And I work in PR.
 
Grew up Evangelical. Reading and memorizing Scripture was important from childhood.

Kids would be recognized with some sort of award or prize when they read the Bible through the first time. This usually happened around middle school age. Frequent daily reading was simply part of life.

For many years my mom read the Bible cover to cover every 30 days.

That was a culture shock when I converted, I was astounded that 5th graders in RE class could not even locate the book of Matthew in a Bible!
 
When my kids were little I met with a group of other moms in a scripture study program. We went at a leisurely pace through the Old Testament. Next came the letters of St Paul, completed Hebrews, but I went back to work part way through 2 Corinthians.

I think I read Luke front to back once.
 
Yes. Probably read it cover to cover several times by now. But I’ve been reading it for, realistically, over 60 years now.
 
I’m on my second read through. I’m not doing it “front to back” this time, though. I think I’m simultaneously in the beginning of Leviticus and beginning of Galatians.
 
I’ve read the daily readings pretty faithfully for 3ish years, so… I’ve read a fair amount
 
I am quite young so I haven’t read it but my plan is to finish reading it by like the End of Lent or the end of April at worst.
 
Mom read two chapters a day to us when we were kids. So we went through the whole thing while I was in elementary school. After that, though, I just read the parts that I liked, over and over again.

Did Survey of the OT and Survey of the NT in undergrad. In theory, I should have read the whole thing through again. But, like a lot of students, I just hit the high points enough to refresh… 🙂

With my kids, I started reading the Bible through to them, but it’s been on hold for months. We’re up to Solomon at the moment and will pick up again sometime. Most of it goes over their heads— there are times when I’m grateful bits of it goes over their heads!! --but honestly, it’s more for me than it is for them. They like the way the words sound, but they’re not so good on the comprehension aspect.

I subbed at the local high school. Was covering study hall one day, and one of the girls who needed help had never heard of the parable of the prodigal son. She was completely clueless as to where it came from, what it meant, or what it was supposed to be saying. That was sad, but not unexpected.
 
Last edited:
In Hilary Mantel’s historical novel Wolf Hall there’s a character who can recite the whole of the New Testament from start to finish―presumably in Latin, though the author doesn’t specify the language. I haven’t checked, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that in Tudor times there would have been quite a few people who could do that, without thinking of it as a splendid achievement that they could pride themselves on.
 
Last edited:
BartholomewB said:
In Hilary Mantel’s historical novel Wolf Hall there’s a character who can recite the whole of the New Testament from start to finish―presumably in Latin, though the author doesn’t specify the language. I haven’t checked, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that in Tudor times there would have been quite a few people who could do that, without thinking of it as a splendid achievement that they could pride themselves on.
Click to expand...
Off topic, but I love WOLF HALL. Magnificent book! And I, too, would guess Latin.
 
I know people who have memorized the entire New Testament. All non-Catholics 😦
 
I read it in the Hours several times this morning.

I heard it in the Mass at noon.

Now I’m sitting here with a Bible open in front of me now.

I’m going to read more Psalms and a reading when I pray midafternoon prayers/the Office of None at 3pm.

I’ll read more at Vespers and the Office of Readings/Vigils and Compline tonight.

I’ll hear more tonight at Church too during the stations of the Cross.

Devout Catholics are literally steeped in the Scriptures - I average at least an hour of Bible reading on many days between private reading and public liturgy.

The entire Liturgy of the Hours - which every single Bishop, Priest, and Deacon, plus all religious (monks and brothers, nuns and sisters), plus many laity such as myself - is based on the Bible. Hymns inspired by the Bible, Psalms from the book of Psalms, readings from the OT, gospel readings.
 
Last edited:
TheLittleLady said:
I know people who have memorized the entire New Testament. All non-Catholics 😦
Click to expand...
Wow! I’m impressed! I’d never have guessed that there were still people around, in this day and age, with all our distractions, who still have the special kind of energy and dedication it takes to achieve that aim. I have to say, however, that it doesn’t surprise me in the least to learn that there are no Catholics among them.
 
I have read all of the NT and about 60% of the OT. Every advent and Lent I read one of the OT books that I haven’t read already. Easter season I read one of the NT books that I have little knowledge of. Other times I read one of the books that daily mass readings are from or what I need or feel like reading like my favourite the Gospel of John.

Our hymnbooks are a pretty new so lately I have dived into a lot of the different hymns and dug into the song tradition of the Catholic Church. Some of the oldest hymn documents are in the Vatican library/muséum and date to around the years 200-300AD like Sub tuum praesidium. And they are still sung today. That is history and we are part of it!
 
BartholomewB said:
In Hilary Mantel’s historical novel Wolf Hall there’s a character who can recite the whole of the New Testament from start to finish―presumably in Latin, though the author doesn’t specify the language.
Click to expand...
Thomas Cromwell was said to have the ability to recite the entire New Testament. Oliver Cromwell was related to him.
 
Protestant Bible – maybe 15 times, not sure. Catholic Bible – 3 times. For any given passage in the New Testament – at least 100 times.

D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top