First Time Reading The Bible Questions

  • Thread starter Thread starter Inquisitor85
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Keep in mind that there are many historical records in the Old Testament that involve listing the lineage of Adam to Moses, Adam to Jesus, etc, and for a first time reader it can be overwhelming.

I highly recommend reading the New Testament - the gospels and Acts as well as Psalms and then go back to Genesis and start from the beginning. On a fresh reading of the New Testament, I jumped around — i read the footnotes that showed me what scripture Jesus was referring to from the Old Testament when he spoke and that enhanced my understanding of the OT.

Also, another way to do it is to start jumping around and reading about things you kinda know about - most people know who Noah was, for example, or let’s say about Daniel – go read scripture that you kinda sort of know a little bit about just from general culture and dig dipper into it by reading what scripture says.

I was in a Bible lit class and we didn’t have time to read the entire Bible in the course, but “highlights” were chosen for us to read and discuss so we understood some scripture more deeply, but were not overwhelmed – it left us wanting more.
 
Right, is Leviticus the biblical “wall”? I know from what I’ve read on atheist forums that some of the laws are pretty brutal by today’s standards.
 
Once I learned that not everything in the Bible should be read literally, stuff started to be easier to process.
 
Transcendence. Knowing and grasping the meaning of the word lends credence to all scripture.
TRANSCENDENCE. Surpassing excellence, which may be either relative or absolute. It is relative when the excellence surpasses some objects below it, as human nature transcends the irrational creation. It is absolute when the excellence surpasses in being and activity all other beings. Only God is absolutely transcendent; in being because he alone is infinite and perfect Being who cannot change; in activity because he alone has existence of himself as uncreated First Cause on whom all creatures depend for their least operation.
Click to expand...
A book suggestion: Bible Basics for Catholics by Dr. John Bergsma.
 
Last edited:
Inquisitor85 said:
Right, is Leviticus the biblical “wall”?
Click to expand...
Well, the problem – I think – is that you’re looking for a ‘storyline’ to follow. In approaching the Bible, you really need to recognize that it’s a collection of books, not just one book, and there are many genres of literature contained therein.

Genesis is largely a ‘narrative’ book (i.e., it tells a storyline), as is Exodus. Leviticus, on the other hand, has long stretches in which it turns into a lawbook. Some of it is criminal law, some of it is liturgical law, some of it is canon law… well, you get the idea.

So, when you come to Leviticus, you dive in, and a few chapters later you’re saying to yourself, “hey… wait a minute! Where’d the story go??? What’s going on in this book?”

Along those lines, Proverbs is a book of aphorisms. Good, but not part of the story. Psalms is a book of liturgical songs and prayers. Good stuff… but doesn’t advance the story. So, it’s good to read them, but with different expectations in mind than when reading, let’s say, Numbers or the Gospels.

A couple other points:
  • The Old Testament books were written by people in a vastly different time and place than the 21st century Western culture. So, it’s pretty important to understand them in their own light, and not impose our world on theirs. If we do that, then (like you mention below) we start misinterpreting what’s going on there. Some would say “well, God wrote it!” or “well, God endorsed the actions therein!”, but from where I stand, that’s an inaccurate way to look at it.
  • And, like others have mentioned, the Catholic Church interprets the OT in light of the NT. So, as we read through the OT, we tend to ask ourselves, “how do we see Jesus beginning to be hinted at here? How is the relationship of humanity to God growing (or stumbling or getting off course or coming back on course)?”
I know from what I’ve read on atheist forums that some of the laws are pretty brutal by today’s standards.
Click to expand...
They are! But, for their day, they were progressive and amazing! And, of course, as Catholics, we’d say that the Mosaic law has been fulfilled in Christ, and so, we follow Him rather than the Mosaic Law!

If you’re looking for a way to read the storyline in the Bible, you might consider reading the books in this order: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1st Samuel, 2nd Samuel, 1st Kings, 2nd Kings, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1st Maccabees, Luke, Acts. (Yes, I’ve taken this straight from the ‘Bible Timeline’ study.)
 
Last edited:
Hi Inquisitor!

Check out Amazon’s website for Catholic Bible Commentaries. You’ll find some very good ones used for a reasonable price. Now if you are studying from the New American Bible, I’d highly recommend the New Collegeville Commentary. It costs about $65 new or used for less. It’s detailed but not overly scholarly. I think you’d enjoy it.
 
The ‘Contemporary English Bible’ is so easy to understand. It is not written in old english, but is a modern english translation of the original scriptures.
 
Thank you for the compliment. Gosh I remember high school religion, one year was the Old Testament and we spend a lot of time on the first five books… They have a place to be read but not like a novel. You need to be in the right mind to read through laws and such. It’s like reading the rules of the road 100 pages into the first Harry Potter book.
 
Blessings,
You started at the beginning of OT. You will need that. But, to start, begin at NT. Some say, the gospel of John. I think Matthew would be good and go on to Revrlation. Rev. Is complicated.Wait for that in a Bible study.
The Bible is an allegory in some areas. Moses wrote the first 5 books called the Pentateuch. God spoke w Abraham and reconnected w Us. There were more than 1 Adam& Eve. Thank God! Can you imagine, if Eve was all there was for awhile. God created them and placed them in a safe place & was caring for them. But, He said”All this is yours x the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL!
If you eat of it, you will be sent away.”
So, Satan, as a snake tempted them w the knowledge of evil. They now know ALL that their Creator knows. No apple. The story tells us that we have a Creator who loves and cares for us. There are rules not to be broken. It’s like, as Moms, we’d like to put our kids in a Bubble. Eden was the BUBBLE. Disobedience broke the covenant. They saw things as Satan would see them. They were naked… So, it began. We have Sharia law in Deuteronomy. It is not practiced now in Judaism. Some parts of writings are interjected from tribal traditions. It was a Patriarcal society. That tone sinks in when you’re reading. Like, if raped in a city or country. Scream or don’t scream.
You can tell Holy Spirit instructed verses. They lift up your soul. Anyway, Jeremiah 29/11. God’s plan for you. John 3: 16. Seek ye first the kingdom of God…
In Christ’s Love
Tweedlealice
 
So I’ll repeat a post from other threads–same message!

The official teaching of the Catholic Church on the Bible is found in both Dei Verbum (a document of Vatican II) and the Catechism, which is really a paraphrase of Dei Verbum. (Both are online.)

from the Catechism, sections 109 & 110:
“In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way. To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words.

In order to discover the sacred authors’ intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking, and narrating then current. ‘For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression.’”

notice: “…what the human authors TRULY WANTED TO AFFIRM and to what GOD WANTED TO REVEAL TO US…” So first, you have to understand the Bible is not a history book, although there may be some history in it–but that’s not what God wanted to reveal. Each story has a point to it. It may be very simple, something like “Obey God” or “There is only one God.” It may be a moral command, like “Be kind to other people.” It may be a symbolic or metaphorical message about salvation: “God saved the Jews in the Red Sea; God will save you, too. But the Egyptians were evil, and God punished them. If you are evil, God will punish you.”

I assume you know the story of the Prodigal Son. What is the point of the story? That a father will forgive almost any sin of his son. So God (your father) will forgive YOU. Now what if, after hearing the story, some of the Apostles went to Jesus and said, “But you didn’t tell us the son’s name. What was his name? What village was he from? When did this happen? Exactly when did the son return to his father–summer? fall? How many cattle did the father own? Did the son get married after that? Etc.” Stupid, right? None of it matters, right? And yet some people concentrate on these trivial details that don’t matter. Don’t do it.

I would also strongly recommend the Jerome Commentary. Available used on Amazon. Originally published in 1968. I’m sure people here will attack it because of its historical-critical approach. But it is officially approved. No other commentary I am aware of has as many good essays.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top