Reading the entire Bible

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MacMcCarver

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I am posting this thread to encourage anyone interested in the reading the entire bible with me as quickly as possible. I have two months off of school so this is how I am spending it. I am reading the Douay-Rheims, but you may use any translation of the Holy Writ. Ideally, we could have some discussion here as well, as we read through. Thanks and God bless!
 
That is a very ambitious project. The Protestant Bible can be read in one year if you read 3 chapters/day on week days and 5 chapters on Sunday. Including the deuterocanonical books makes it take a little longer.

Reading the Bible cover to cover is good, I have done it myself and I met a man who did it every year for 70+ years. Reading the Bible cover to cover in a hurry strikes me as being not so good, because it does not allow time for understanding what is read.
 
Good luck MacMcCarver!!

I tried doing that. I read Genesis and half of Exodus in a week but then started slacking.

Reading about Moses in the desert got long… 😊

Keep in mind that in reading the Bible, its also good to try and understand what you’re reading, not just rushing through. As I read, I also read the footnotes and chapter intros for a little background (I was reading the NAB).

Since then, I’ve fallen in love with my RSV-2CE so that’s what I’m reading now. Not in order, but random books and chapters.

I’m going to try and read it in order again, however I’m taking summer school right now so my time is limited.
 
It’s probably not best to just start from Genesis and read like a normal book.

I believe there are some good ‘Bible in a Year’ plans out there (which you can modify to cover the deuterocanonicals and that you can adapt to cover it in two months) that pick out readings out of multiple parts of the Bible that relate to each other.
 
MacMcCarver said:
I am posting this thread to encourage anyone interested in the reading the entire bible with me as quickly as possible. I have two months off of school so this is how I am spending it. I am reading the Douay-Rheims, but you may use any translation of the Holy Writ. Ideally, we could have some discussion here as well, as we read through. Thanks and God bless!
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Mac,

I applaud you for your zeal to read the whole Bible in two months. While it certainly can be done, you may find yourself rushing through sections just to get them done. Maybe not? I think it would be far more enjoyable, and easier, to perhaps read the entire New Testament in two months. While that could even by a bit of a rush, the amount of material would be far less. Perhaps you could even sprinkle in 3 Psalms a day as well. Just a thought.
 
mccorm45 said:
Mac,

I applaud you for your zeal to read the whole Bible in two months. While it certainly can be done, you may find yourself rushing through sections just to get them done. Maybe not? I think it would be far more enjoyable, and easier, to perhaps read the entire New Testament in two months. While that could even by a bit of a rush, the amount of material would be far less. Perhaps you could even sprinkle in 3 Psalms a day as well. Just a thought.
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The New Testament could easily be read in a month. I would suggest that you don’t just read Douay Rheims though, because the language is very antiquated and it is hard to comprehend. I would get a version in modern English, (such as NAB) You will find Genesis and Exodus very interesting, and Leviticus and Numbers very boring. Job is a good read, as is Samuel 1 and 2 and Kings. The Apocrypha chapters are very fun to read, especially Tobit. The Bible is awesome - good luck on your venture!
 
Let me say first of all: I am not rushing, but this is pretty much all I have to do. I have gotten to the book of Numbers. Genesis through Leviticus were fun. Also, no need to worry about the translation, I’ve gotten used to the language because it is pretty much the only one I use.
 
This is a great idea. Reading the entire Bible cover to cover gives you a perspective that you’re not going to get otherwise. It helps you to see the associations between various sections. You miss a lot, whether you go quickly, or slowly, but you begin to see things that you otherwise would not see.
 
Marsha_Adams said:
That is a very ambitious project. The Protestant Bible can be read in one year if you read 3 chapters/day on week days and 5 chapters on Sunday. Including the deuterocanonical books makes it take a little longer.

Reading the Bible cover to cover is good, I have done it myself and I met a man who did it every year for 70+ years. Reading the Bible cover to cover in a hurry strikes me as being not so good, because it does not allow time for understanding what is read.
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I’m with you. I am constantly reading through the bible starting at Genesis and reading through to the Apocolypse then starting over again. I have never been able to complete it is much less than a year. A couple of times it has taken two years, but that is with heavy commentary like the Navarre Study Bible and Commentary.
 
Many people who try to read the Bible from cover to cover often fail because it becomes disjointed. If you desire this undertaking you would be far better off to read the Bible (at least the OT) chronologically. It will make much more sense. The OT is not put together in chronological order ~ however reading it that way makes it much more interesting and easier to follow the story lines. I know Jeff Cavins has a list of this type of reading though I am not sure if one can find it on line.
 
MacMcCarver said:
I am posting this thread to encourage anyone interested in the reading the entire bible with me as quickly as possible. I have two months off of school so this is how I am spending it. I am reading the Douay-Rheims, but you may use any translation of the Holy Writ. Ideally, we could have some discussion here as well, as we read through. Thanks and God bless!
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It can’t be done in two months 🙂​

The whole thing has 1334 chapters, & 60 into that = 22 chapters a day, & a fraction over. 22 chapters in a single day ? Is that really feasible ? Every day for 60 days ?

Besides, rushing it leaves no time for it to sink in 😦 If it is important as it’s thought to be, it deserves to be taken much more slowly. No ?

Why not read the NT only ? That is 260 chapters, which is about four & a half each day. Several of the 27 NT writings could be read in one day: several of the Letters have four chapters or fewer.
 
well I think you can do it, if you want to and would enjoy it, there are a lot worse ways
to spend a summer, and after you have done it, you will know for yourself where
you wish to start reading for content. Most bible chapters are less than one page long, you would read 22 pages in any book in a day… I say go for it…
 
MacMcCarver said:
I am posting this thread to encourage anyone interested in the reading the entire bible with me as quickly as possible. I have two months off of school so this is how I am spending it. I am reading the Douay-Rheims, but you may use any translation of the Holy Writ. Ideally, we could have some discussion here as well, as we read through. Thanks and God bless!
Click to expand...
Why not try to attend DAILY MASSES for the whole three years (Catholic Mass has 3-year cycle)? Each day focusing on the topic of the day following the footnotes and other commentaries? This way, you will find the entire story of the Bible during each reading perfectly aligned to the phases of God’s divine Salvific Plan: from Christ’s birth to Pentecost!
 
Thanks for everyone’s suggestions, but I said I wanted to read the entire Bible this summer and that’s what I want to do. I didn’t set out to go to daily Mass for three years, read the Bible chronologically, or just read the New Testament. I am going to read the entire Bible cover-to-cover. My church doesn’t have a Mass for everyday, so I would miss out anyway.
 
jmjconder said:
Many people who try to read the Bible from cover to cover often fail because it becomes disjointed. If you desire this undertaking you would be far better off to read the Bible (at least the OT) chronologically. It will make much more sense. The OT is not put together in chronological order ~ however reading it that way makes it much more interesting and easier to follow the story lines. I know Jeff Cavins has a list of this type of reading though I am not sure if one can find it on line.
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I’m participating in a seminar using Jeff Cavins’ program. For those not familiar with this Bible study program, he tells the story of salvation history focusing on what he calls the "narrative books of the Bible. For example, he skips over Leviticus and Deuteronomy, not because they aren’t important, but because they are books that fit within a given timeframe covered by one of the narrative books.

I’ve tried several times to read the Bible cover to cover, and usually wind up skipping around and never manage to get through everything. Cavins’ program has provided a tremendous amount of context I never had before and has really helped me appreciate how the OT sets the stage for the arrival of our Savior.
 
MacMcCarver said:
Thanks for everyone’s suggestions, but I said I wanted to read the entire Bible this summer and that’s what I want to do. I didn’t set out to go to daily Mass for three years, read the Bible chronologically, or just read the New Testament. I am going to read the entire Bible cover-to-cover. My church doesn’t have a Mass for everyday, so I would miss out anyway.
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Yes but what is your purpose in doing so?

If you want to actually understand (or even remember!) what you read, you’d be far better off NOT ploughing through it at breakneck speed.

That’s how I used to read my school English texts - at least the ones I wasn’t inspired by. How much of that reading do you think I remember? How much do you think I understood?
 
LilyM said:
How much of that reading do you think I remember? How much do you think I understood?
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A good point. So, every day before you read, remember to pray to the Holy Spirit to open your eyes, heart and mind to what the Spirit wants you to learn. Because that’s what you really want anyway, not just what your mind alone can comprehend, but what God wills you to comprehend.👍
 
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