Reading the bible

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I’ve been wondering for a long time if there is any specific way in which one should read the Bible. I feel like I hop around a lot in between different books, chapters, etc. and am just sort of erratic about reading the Bible in order. Is there a specific order in which one should read the Bible? Do you start all the way from Genesis and read every last passage in order all the way to Revelation? Or is hopping around from passage to passage OK?
 
This is a popular 1-year plan (Coming Home Network). I’m using it to read through in 90 days by going at quadruple speed. The only change I recommend making is waiting 11 days after Jude to start Revelation (and possibly to move the assorted inspirational verses to the new gap). It just feels right to end with Revelation.
 
About two months ago I started reading 1 chapter from the OT and 1 chapter from the NT.

I am also reading passages along with a bible study book.

I feel this gives me a lot of variety instead of just reading page after page. 👍
 
The way you read the Bible should depend on what you’re trying to accomplish.
  • If you’re attempting daily readings because you feel like a good Christian should, you can find books and schedules that can get you through the entire Bible in a period of months. Often these programs will recommend reading a portion of the Old Testament, followed by a much shorter portion of the New Testament, which is a good and balanced approach.
  • Starting from Genesis and reading through to Revelation at your own pace can work, but I usually get bogged down in Leviticuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… Following a reading schedule or program can really help make it through otherwise tedious material.
  • If you’re interested in critical scholarship, or the history of the Bible, there are many different resources you can consult. Chronological Bibles are arranged oldest to newest books (according to our best guesses), so you can trace the development of themes and ideas from beginning to end.
  • It is often a good idea to consult multiple translations. Online websites like biblegateway.com make it very easy to do this.
  • If you are interested in understanding the New Testament (NT) literature, it helps to be familiar with the Old Testament (OT). The NT writers reference the OT all the time, and if you are unfamiliar with their sources, it is very easy to misunderstand the purpose of their quotations and citations. Veteran Christians are often surprised to learn that such-and-such OT passage has more than one meaning, because they know the NT intimately, but not the OT. Familiarizing yourself with the original, “pre-Jesus” meanings of the prophets can greatly enhance your appreciation for what the NT writers intend with a given citation, as when they reveal a meaning in an OT passage that is different than was originally recognized.
  • To get better acquainted with Jesus, I recommend spending a lot of time reading through a single Gospel from beginning to end. For most readers, this can be accomplished in a single afternoon or evening. John is a favorite for beginning and advanced readers alike, and can even be read episodically without complication (I like John 1-12; 13-17; 18-22 as sections). However, I think the synoptics are better read from beginning to end without interruption; Mark especially is an unbroken narrative that is best appreciated as a well-crafted, continuous narrative, rather than a series of isolated episodes inelegantly smushed together. Reading isolated episodes is fine, but it always helps to know the narrative context of a given incident. Do both.
  • If you want to enhance your appreciation of the scriptures being read during Mass, you could always read them in advance, following the lectionary, and then read the associated material.
  • There is always *lectio divina *
 
Read a little bit each starting from Genesis and ending with Revelation. Be sure to read commentary from a trusted source to help you interpret.
 
1newcatholic said:
  • Starting from Genesis and reading through to Revelation at your own pace can work, but I usually get bogged down in Leviticuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… Following a reading schedule or program can really help make it through otherwise tedious material.
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I disagree. Leviticus is fine. If anything, I get bogged down in Chronicles.
  • It is often a good idea to consult multiple translations. Online websites like biblegateway.com make it very easy to do this.
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The Knox Bible. It’s unfortunately not on Bible Gateway (GREAT site though), but you can find it on newadvent.org. It maintains the acrostic nature of Psalm 119 and Lamentations. Most translations don’t do that, so it makes for an interesting and different experience.
 
The Old Testament forshadows the new, and for me that is best discovered by reading the New Testament, but stopping to read every foot note and reference and to go back to the Old Testament when it is referenced and read several paragraphs before and after the foot note so you get the big picture and the interrelationship between the Old and the New. Then after finishing the New Testament, with a preliminary understanding of the Old Testament from the foot notes, then go and read the Old Testament, the same way. Stop and read every foot note, and go and read several paragraphs before and after every foot note.
 
Julian0404 said:
…read every foot note and reference and to go back to the Old Testament when it is referenced and read several paragraphs before and after the foot note so you get the big picture and the interrelationship between the Old and the New…
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Following the footnotes is an excellent idea 👍
 
Razanir said:
I disagree. Leviticus is fine. If anything, I get bogged down in Chronicles.

The Knox Bible. It’s unfortunately not on Bible Gateway (GREAT site though), but you can find it on newadvent.org. It maintains the acrostic nature of Psalm 119 and Lamentations. Most translations don’t do that, so it makes for an interesting and different experience.
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No kidding. The first 8 1/2 chapters of 1 Chronicles is an extremely long geneology table. And Leviticus is fine… though the details on requirements for sacrifices can get pretty tedious.

But, we have to remember - for the Israelite/Jewish people, these things that we as Christians find tedious were considered quite important. The laws regarding sacrifices were akin to our Roman Missal - they were written down so that they wouldn’t “mess up”, so to speak.

And… Chronicles was written after the return from the exile (the geneology tables go through Zerubbabel and beyond - Zerubbabel was the oldest living decendant of the last king of Judah, and was the leader of the first group of Jews to return from exile). Because the Jews were allowed to go home and instructed to rebuild the temple - and because only Jews were allowed to worship in the Temple, it was important for people to prove their “Jewishness”. Levites had to prove their Levitical decent to serve in the Temple, as did priests. In fact, people who thought they were decended from priests but couldn’t prove it were denied their priestly privileges.
 
powerofk said:
No kidding. The first 8 1/2 chapters of 1 Chronicles is an extremely long geneology table. And Leviticus is fine… though the details on requirements for sacrifices can get pretty tedious.

But, we have to remember - for the Israelite/Jewish people, these things that we as Christians find tedious were considered quite important. The laws regarding sacrifices were akin to our Roman Missal - they were written down so that they wouldn’t “mess up”, so to speak.

And… Chronicles was written after the return from the exile (the geneology tables go through Zerubbabel and beyond…
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I would agree that even material that can seem tedious at times may have very real value, which is one reason why a reading plan can help a reader get through material that seems otherwise unattractive 🙂 👍
 
If you haven’t read the whole New Testament yet, then you should begin by reading the whole New Testament. I’ve already read the NT several times, so what I like to do before going to bed is: read a little from the Gospels, then read from the Epistles, then read from the Psalms, then read from where I left off the OT. God bless you.
 
I have been reading the OT since January. I have already read through the NT last year.

I have to say i missed out Chronicles. Now at Ezekiel and it has been hard going! Hard to understand things like Gods wrath etc. Some very long tedious reading too which i have split up as only read a little most nights.

To be honest, i cant wait to read the NT again! I am loathed to start that until i have finished the OT first.
 
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