Got my bible, but I have questions

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I just received my compact edition of the RSV-CE bible, and I just have to say, it’s beyond beautiful. It has a gold cross in the front of it, in the centre, and it’s soft cloth, so it’s very nice to hold. And it’s small, so I can take it anywhere I want, which is great. 🙂 I’m really happy that I got it because I can finally understand more of my faith and get a better understanding of God and Jesus. 🙂

But, I have some questions.

How should I read the bible. As a story, guide/instruction? Where could I find a plan for reading the RSV-CE bible in one year? And would you consider this a good translation that I bought?

Sorry for all these questions.

Thank you, and God bless.
 
Instead of reading all the Bible in a year, go through the History of Israel and then go the New Testament (you might want to read the Psalms in between).

The History of Israel will give you a good understanding of what Israel went through, which will help to make the New Testament come alive a little more.

Its consists of:

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus (optional reading)
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1st and 2nd Samuel
1st and 2nd Kings
1st and 2nd Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
1st and 2nd Maccabees

That ought to give you a good base to understand Old Testament History. Another good idea is to get Scott Hahn’s book “A Father Who Keeps His Promises” which will give some good commentary on how all the Old Testament stories in the above books fit into “the big picture”.

Good Luck!

Appended: Oops! I almost forgot! You can get a free Bible Study from AgapeBibleStudy.Com that will also provide good commentary as you read the Historical Books. It’s a little more in-depth than Scott Hahn’s, and it can get a little dry, but its a wonderful information resource!
 
How should I read the bible. As a story, guide/instruction?
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Personally, I would say focus on the guidance/instruction given in the scriptural stories. It helps deepen our understanding of God, and what it means to be a follower of Christ.
Where could I find a plan for reading the RSV-CE bible in one year?
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I’m not entirely sure, so maybe someone else can better answer this for you. Many people I know just pick a book and read a portion of it (or all of it, depending on the length of the book). I know that’s what works best for me.
And would you consider this a good translation that I bought?
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From what I understand, the RSV-CE and DR translations are considered to be the most accurate translations of the Scriptures.
Sorry for all these questions.
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It’s good to ask questions, though! It’s difficult to learn if you don’t ask questions to help better your understanding. 👍
 
Here is a good reading plan, courtesy of the Coming Home Network. I use it to keep up with my reading–it’s outlined to read the Bible in a year, as well as the Catechism if you’d like.

chnetwork.org/readguide04.pdf

-ACEGC
 
A very good companion to your bible is Inside the Bible by Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J. It offers short chapters on each of the 73 books of the bible, listing each book’s place in the bible; the date and author (if known); the theme of the book; a summary; the theology in each book, as well as an outline and a reflection from the text. It is an introductory level book that is easily understandable and will help you make sense out of the sacred text.
 
In terms of reading the Bible, my suggestion would be to familiarize yourself with the specifics of Salvation history, and I’d read it like this, for full effect:

Matthew
Acts
Genesis
Exodus
Numbers
Joshua
Judges
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
Era
Nehemiah
1 Maccabees
1 Maccabees
Luke
Acts
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians and Ephesians
Philippians and Colossians
1 & 2 Thessalonians
1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon
Hebrews
James, 1 & 2 Peter
1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude
Revelation
Psalms

As for Bible edition – I have the same, so . . . 👍 :).
 
I’ve always advised people to start in Matthew, then Luke, both straight forward histories of Jesus’life and ministry. Acts is Luke’s history of first 30 years or so of the church and picks up where his Gospel left off. While your doing this I sould find someone in your church to answer questions and mentor you through the Bible. God will bless your efforts.👍
 
I, too, had a copy of the compact RSV-CE 2, but the print font was too small for me to spend much time in it. If it works for you, that’s good.

Reading, meditating, studying, and re-reading scripture should be a lifelong activity. I know there’s a standard out there, to read the Bible in a year. Don’t get yourself frustrated with that.

It’s just my way of doing things, but I read the Bible slowly. It’s very rich. It’s a gourmet meal, not fast food, to use an analogy.

There’s a committee at the Vatican that advises the Pope and the Church on reading and interpreting the Bible. They issued this 115 page document back in 1993 on the Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. That document is complicated. It took me over ten years to figure it out. But, one thing that is pretty clear, towards the end, is that they advise some to read the Bible alongside a commentary to help understand what is going on in that section of the Bible that you are reading.

No one commentary is enough, though. The Church teaches that the Bible is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. I get more insight from looking at more than one commentary.

May I give you an example? In the New Testament, the letter of James, chapter one, verse one. “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…”

WOW.

Could you write a letter to anybody and start it off by saying that YOU are a servant of God and the LORD Jesus Christ? That’s half a verse and it’s a lot to think about – about whether you are living your life to be a servant of God and the LORD Jesus Christ.

The letter of James is a rather short “book” in the Bible. You might practice reading the Bible in a small book like this.

The one thing I expect from James is to TELL ME about how to be a servant of God and of the LORD Jesus Christ. Maybe this insight will help you to decide what you want out of that book of the Bible.

Later on in his letter, James says that “true religion” is helping widows and orphans. WOW. How many times have you heard that in Catholic school or church? Do you see how much humility that demands, to throw away your Bible-in-a-year reading plan, and to actually HELP somebody who is in need? that THIS is a way to be a servant of God and of the LORD Jesus Christ?

I picked up an old commentary on the New Testament, and it points out that James is the modern english version of the Hebrew name Jacob. James name was really Jacob or more likey something like Yakob. Jacob was an important patriarch in the Old Testament, and he was the progenitor – the father – of the nation of Israel. His name was changed from Jacob to Israel. And, he was the father of the 12 men who were the heads of the tribes of the nation of Israel. So, it’s symbolic that, here, James is writing a letter to the Jewish Christians. He is giving them advice like the patriarch Jacob would have given to his 12 sons.

– which is to say, keep track somehow of the verses that you read that really mean something to you. Take ownership of those verses. Can you now ever stop thinking about how to be a servant of God and the LORD Jesus Christ? This is meaningful, life-changing Bible study. it doesn’t take a year to change your life.

There are 150 psalms in the Old Testament. Psalm 1 is the key to all the rest of the Psalms. It also deals with how to be a servant of God and the LORD Jesus Christ. There’s a lot to meditate on, in Ps 1. (In Psalm 1, the “scoffers” are people who are atheists.)

God bless.
 
There is always the option of starting with the daily Mass lectionary, and moving out from there. That way you can familiarize yourself with the cycle of the Church year.

Most parishes have Bible Studies. You might think about joining one.
 
Kanuckistani said:
I just received my compact edition of the RSV-CE bible, and I just have to say, it’s beyond beautiful. It has a gold cross in the front of it, in the centre, and it’s soft cloth, so it’s very nice to hold. And it’s small, so I can take it anywhere I want, which is great. 🙂 I’m really happy that I got it because I can finally understand more of my faith and get a better understanding of God and Jesus. 🙂

But, I have some questions.

How should I read the bible. As a story, guide/instruction? Where could I find a plan for reading the RSV-CE bible in one year? And would you consider this a good translation that I bought?

Sorry for all these questions.

Thank you, and God bless.
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Thank you for the blessing, kanuckistani! John reveals Jesus says (John 14:26)

“The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name - he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you.”

I got the idea to tell you that you should read the Bible as if its words are already in your memory and you are simply being reminded of these words by the holy Spirit.
A prayer to the holy Spirit is a good way to begin reading it.
 
I read my Bible each day. One chapter,I always start from the beginning (OT,Genesis) and read it to the end of NT and start all over. In the evening I also read one chapter from the NT and start all over there as well when I have got to the end.
I am not saying that this is the best way,I just saw this advice on some web-site a few years ago. But on the other hand,then I thought that thees web-sites and forums are not for me,well,they are. You can also follow the daily mass-reading. I don’t know how you get yours but where I live we can buy a small booklet that show the chapters. Or you can look if your parish-magazine includes them.
Most important is however to read the Bible. And if,and there are always,questions check the CCC or ask here. And the Bible is not the only important book. There are many good prayer books and writings from the Saint’s and other connected with the RCC that give you much. I hope you will enjoy the Bible.
 
Being a Master’s theological student, I suggest that you start with the gospels in Matthew and work your way through it. During it you can always read the psalms as well. After the New Testament is completed, read the Old Testament. Be aware that there are some books of the Old Testament that are difficult to read such as Leviticus, and Job. If you encounter trouble, don’t worry about there are online bible commentaries that can help you. If you are really serious about reading your bible, picking up a good study bible will also help. You can also try lectio divina, it’s a prayerful method to get to know the bible really well.

A hint before reading, pray to God and ask him to reveal himself to you. There are two ways to read the bible: 1) as an academic or an historical document 2) as the sacred word of God.

Good luck SG
 
Later on in his letter, James says that “true religion” is helping widows and orphans. WOW. How many times have you heard that in Catholic school or church? Do you see how much humility that demands, to throw away your Bible-in-a-year reading plan, and to actually HELP somebody who is in need? that THIS is a way to be a servant of God and of the LORD Jesus Christ?
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I don’t think that it’s mutually exclusive to both know the Lord through the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Church and also to serve him in the poor. If we just learn and have an entirely intellectual faith, then, it is as James says, “Faith without works is dead.” But if we only serve with no reference to the one whom we serve, then the Church becomes little more than a social phenomenon, a glorified Red Cross. Why throw away either of those noble activities when we can do both? Sure, there will be some inclined more toward the active life and those more toward the contemplative life, but these lives are not in conflict with one another–they are complimentary.

-ACEGC
 
martininthefiel said:
There is always the option of starting with the daily Mass lectionary, and moving out from there. That way you can familiarize yourself with the cycle of the Church year.

Most parishes have Bible Studies. You might think about joining one.
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👍 This is a good way to start!
 
With different opinions expressed here, you can see that you should find the method that is most comfortable for you.

Another thing you can do:

In a full edition of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church, there is a section in the back that lists the books of the Bible and which verses are tied to various paragraphs in the Catechism. so, this may be helpful to get the Catholic interpretation of the Bible, by keeping an eye on the cathechism for help.

The CCC is not an exhaustive commentary on the Bible, but it can help. There is also a brief section devoted to Sacred Scripture, which gives a summary about how the Church regards the Bible.

One puzzling paragraph there makes a point that Catholics are NOT “people of the book.”
So, what does this mean? Who considers themselves “people of the book?” Well (duh) it’s everybody else, or mostly everybody else. Jews, Protestants, and Muslims consider themselves “people of the book.” What that is supposed to mean is that they try to live their whole lives inside the pages of their “book”

the CCC explains that the Catholic Church considers Divine Revelation to consist of two sources, Sacred Tradition and Scripture. Church doctrine is based on Sacred Revelation and the “magisterium” – the living teaching authority of the Church.

Tradition is a whole separate subject. You should LOVE Tradition. That’s where a lot of truth resides. You should trust Tradition, such as in embracing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which contains a lot of, but not an exhaustive, interpretation of scripture.
 
Crumpy said:
Later on in his letter, James says that “true religion” is helping widows and orphans. WOW. How many times have you heard that in Catholic school or church? Do you see how much humility that demands, to throw away your Bible-in-a-year reading plan, and to actually HELP somebody who is in need? that THIS is a way to be a servant of God and of the LORD Jesus Christ?
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Our priest talks about this phrase a lot. He even quoted it verbatim at our last Pastoral council as he mentioned some of the things we did last year. He talked about how we helped this person, and that person, and raised this much for this fund, and such. Many of us began to think, yeah we are doing good! Look at us! Then he said, it’s not nearly enough. We need to be doing more. Then quoted the verse and looked around and said now, let’s do more this year.
 
If I were you I would start with the gospels, hit the epistles next and then read Revelation. Revelation wont mean much to you because it has over 400 illusions to the Old Testament. Then pick up with Genesis and read through Malachi. Don’t worry about Macabees as those books may be good for learning history, but should not be considered as Biblical books.
 
dfwchristian said:
if i were you i would start with the gospels, hit the epistles next and then read revelation. Revelation wont mean much to you because it has over 400 illusions to the old testament. Then pick up with genesis and read through malachi. Don’t worry about macabees as those books may be good for learning history, but should not be considered as biblical books.
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wrong!!!
 
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