Have you read the Bible?

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Hermione

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I’m in RCIA now and would like to read the whole Bible before my Confirmation. But since I also want to read the Catechism the task seems very daunting.

I’d like to know how many of you have read the Bible and how long it took you to do it.

Also, is it better to read the Bible fast or to get a good study Bible and read it slowly?
 
cool screen name. 🙂 i’ve read the whole Bible through about 8 or 9 times now. i read it every year. i have a ‘one year Bible’, which gives me a reading from the OT, a reading from the NT, and a psalm and prov for each day. it’s great.

you CAN read the whole Bible quickly, but you won’t ‘get’ alot of it that way. a slow digestion is necessary, and constant repetition and meditation a must.

it’s admirable to read the whole Bible before confirmation, but i wouldn’t get stressed if you don’t get it all. you’ve got plenty of time - read it, and allow God to transform you through it.

God bless you, hermione. 🙂
 
I’ve been reading the Bible everyday for about 20 years, both as a devotional and in depth study. There are probably a few obscure passages I missed or skipped over, but not much.

It is better to read the Bible slower with understanding than to bowl through it. If you are interested, here is a resource that will lead you through the Bible AND the Catechism in a year:

chnetwork.org/readguide04.pdf

You may also want to consider the many fine Catholic Bible studies available. Here’s a few:

Emmaus Road books features Bible studies for women’s groups:
emmausroad.org/shopnew/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=7&subcat=43&cat=Bible+Studies

The Ignatius Study Bibles, with questions for study at the back of each book (currently the four Gospels, Acts, Romans and I/II Corinthians:
ignatius.com/ViewProduct.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=824&Category_ID=6&TabID=1

Catholic Exchange has free very in depth studies, currently Romans and Genesis, with Exodus soon. Others available for purchase:
catholicexchange.com/css/biblestudy.asp?study=BS13

Scott Hahn also features Bible studies at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels on his web page:
salvationhistory.com/

Catholic Serendipity Bible: A NAB without the footnotes but with lots and lots of practical Bible studies and study helps:
zondervanbibles.com/031093737X.htm

Steve Ray’s monumental but user-friendly Catholic Bible study of John’s Gospel:
ignatius.com/ViewProduct.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=418&SKU=BSGC:JN-P&ReturnURL=search.aspx%3f%3fSID%3d1%26Keywords%3djohn

Consider watching as a group one of Steve Ray’s Footprints of God videos, currently Jesus, Mary, Peter, Moses and Paul. They are extremely well done and come with great study notes:
catholic-convert.com/DesktopDefault.aspx

Beginning Apologetics with Study Guide/questions available:
catholicapologetics.com/ba1.htm

That should get you started! 🙂
 
I was in RCIA last year and I know what it’s like to be hungry for more. I got my fill listening to every radio program that I could download off the Internet and buying tons of audio CD’s by great Catholic speakers. But, reading the Bible from cover to cover is something I have never been able to accomplish.

You can get an audio bible and listen to it while you drive to work each day. But, you might miss an awful lot of good stuff since you have to pay attention to the road now and then. I have listened to bible commentaries and overviews that are really good, but be careful that they have the Catholic view. Our men’s group recently studied Romans, a book that I read in one evening with ease. But really taking that book apart and trying to understand it took us 15 weeks. Somewhere I received the old Baltimore Catechism on MP3 which I downloaded and listened to while at work, that gave me a pretty good idea of what Catholic life was all about. But, reading the whole Bible all at once, though a great thing to do, doesn’t give you a real good picture without an accurate commentary to go along with it. One of our local monasteries teaches the New Testament in a program that takes two years. I’d say, if your up for it, jump on it, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you begin to get frustrated. There are folks out there who have dedicated their lifetime in trying to fully understand it.
 
i made it a personal goal to do it and it took me about 2 years @ an average of 2 chapters per day. i say average because i skipped a day here and there (school, work, busy,etc) but i never gave up. this is easy to do, especially in the dry parts of the old testament. Now being my first time I learned that there is more to just getting thought it. there is so much to not only remember, but to truly understand, not to scare you but it is a tough read. I had big questions the entire time, and i still do but am getting them answered in places like this. I am on my second run now, thats why ive been posting so much, because i see stuff i didnt see or get the first time around. I started the Catechism last Dec, still a long way to go.

in terms of reading it fast or slow? I thought about that very question when i made it one of my goals. I came to the conclusion that it is best to just get though it once (not speed read, but as if it was a regular book) and then i will know where to focus and what to expect. there will always be time to sit for hours and study/compare.

Now i am one of those “slow” readers who said “no way can it be read”, and if i can get through anybody can. yes there will be some dry times, but just never give up. Reading the entire Bible is one of the best goals and accomplishments i have ever done. also it is the longest book i have ever read. im one of those guys who used to be scared of long books, know i know i can do it.
 
I’m 46 now, I bought myself a Bible at 17 and read it from cover to cover.

I don’t quote chapter and verse, I detest that, but I do have a photographic memory, and it helps me sometimes.

So when someone brings something up on this forum, bells start to ring, and I have flashbacks.🙂
 
At the beginning of Lent I made the promise to myself that I would read 1 chapter a day each of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and a Psalm (later a chapter in Proverbs if I recall correctly) in order to read through the whole Bible {twice before I had attempted to read cover to cover}.

They say that it takes 30 days to create a habit. The first 30 days it was rough on those busy days where I just wanted to go to bed. But I read those 3 chapters no matter how tired I was or how little I wanted to do it.

After 30 days, if I climbed in bed forgetting my promise I’d feel weird. The habit had been formed!

Some days I read those 3 chapters. Other days (especially some of the stories in the OT) I couldn’t get enough and read for quite a bit.

If I recall correctly it took me one year and another Lent so I finished around Easter!
 
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Stephen-Maguire:
I’m 46 now, I bought myself a Bible at 17 and read it from cover to cover.

I don’t quote chapter and verse, I detest that, but I do have a photographic memory, and it helps me sometimes.

So when someone brings something up on this forum, bells start to ring, and I have flashbacks.🙂
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That’s pretty cool…

quick… 1 Corithians 4:4

What is it? :rotfl:

Just kidding…
About seven years ago I read the Bible cover to cover. It was a great experience. What a great tool of God! 🙂
 
I have read it but I was in my thirties before I finished it the first time. Some of the prophets are kind of obscure unless you read them with a study guide. Also some of the descriptions of the temple, temple ritual and the laws,ordinances and stautes are dull. Theres a lot of bloodshed and vengeance too.
There are at least two important things to be gained though by doing this.
  1. You understand the context of Our Lords words and actions much better than you did before.
  2. It gives you a pretty good understanding of modern Middle East politics too.
 
I have read through the entire Bible. Now, when I get done, I start all over again. I still don’t have it memorized, however.
 
I got my first Bible as a Child from my Aunt who ran the Catholic Store in our town. I have read through it many times, worn out a boatload and …HEARD it all of my life at Mass. At Mass, if you go everyday you will have gone through the entire Bible in three years.

That is not…btw…a new thing! It has always been that way. 😉 Catholic’s have always had the Bible and Bible study (It’s called the “Homily/Sermon” at daily and Sunday Mass. 🙂
 
I have a daily reading guide for Old and New Testament. There is always a full chapter from the OT with two partial chapters from the NT, plus two to four psalms.

I think I am getting jaded by the psalms. Seems like A Whine A Day. Everyone has betrayed me. Everyone bears false witness. I know some of the psalms are so beautiful but the proportion of whines to worship is about ten to one so far.

I have a couple of different translations. I start with the Reims Douhy Bible. I also have a Catholic study bible. Sometimes if I am struggling with the Reims version I go to the Catholic Study Bible and there is more of an explanation, or maybe the language is a bit easier.

I could certainly see the value of a well led study group. I try to think of my prior day’s reading the next day and sadly much of it has whooshed its way out of my head. If I REREAD it, then it’s recognizable and comes back. I just have difficulty retaining some of it.

Sorry this is just rattling on and on…just wonder if anyone else is going through this same struggle.

Lisa N

PS I am in RCIA too and trying to supplement CCC and other readings from class
 
as far as the repetition of the psalms goes - ya, i felt that when i was making the mistake (i think it’s a mistake) to try to read the Bible cover to cover. it’s the same themes over and over and over in the psalms.

but when you read a psalm each day, along with an OT reading and a NT reading and a proverb, it’s different. most psalms turn into prayers for me. i literally say the psalm out loud as a prayer. it works beautifully in most cases - except where the psalms talk about dashing babies against the rocks. 😦 i don’t pray that bit.
 
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Marie:
I got my first Bible as a Child from my Aunt who ran the Catholic Store in our town. I have read through it many times, worn out a boatload and …HEARD it all of my life at Mass. At Mass, if you go everyday you will have gone through the entire Bible in three years.

That is not…btw…a new thing! It has always been that way. 😉 Catholic’s have always had the Bible and Bible study (It’s called the “Homily/Sermon” at daily and Sunday Mass. 🙂
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Yup! I’ve never read the Bible cover-to-cover. I tried but usually got stuck halfway through Numbers and ended up skipping ahead to the prophets. For the past few years I’ve been “reading along with the Church”- that is, reading each day’s Mass readings. I’ve missed days here and there but overall I’ve managed to get most of it in. And it’s amazing how it sticks with you. Even though I’m not good at word-for-word memorization, paraphrases of various Bible verses or ideas that I’ve read will pop into my head when I most need them.
 
oh ya - good point. when i read my one year Bible in the morning, there’s almost always a verse that i’ll use later in the day - the exact answer to something someone asks, or that i need for a particular situation - and the one year Bible follows the readings from daily mass pretty well, too.
 
I have read the whole Bible. …several times over and everytime I pick it up to read (daily) I am refreshed over again…
 
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Hermione:
I’m in RCIA now and would like to read the whole Bible before my Confirmation. But since I also want to read the Catechism the task seems very daunting.

I’d like to know how many of you have read the Bible and how long it took you to do it.

Also, is it better to read the Bible fast or to get a good study Bible and read it slowly?
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Good for you for wanting to read the entire Bible before your Confirmation.

Please know, though, that reading the Bible is not like reading a novel. It is reading, listening, meditating, praying on the Word of God in the Holy Scripture (Bible – both Hebrew Scriptures (“Old” Testament) and the Christian Scriptures (“New” Testament).

It’s a lifelong activity because we are all called to read and re-read the Bible during our entire life.
 
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