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holy_moly
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Good luck, I’m happy to read 1 chapter per day (w/ notes & commentary), sometimes even 1 or 2 verses! If it gets to be to much, don’t let pride prevent you from slowing down.
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carolin_A
Guest
Has anyone tried studying the Old Testament course, called the Bible Timeline,(24 week) conducted by Jeff Cavins. I am doing the study currently and am finding it so interesting, that I am looking forward too, each week. Jeff does not suggest reading the book cover to cover, as you will loose interest and give up after a while. When you get to Kings, believe me, you want to skip and you can’t actually follow the Kings from north to south. The bible keeps referring the story from north to south. You will give up seriously.
What Jeff says, is to read certain chapters or verses and then he compares them to the other books of the prophets or the New Testament. I am sure, most of us know that the OT is always mentioned in the Gospels and in the letters the apostles wrote. So we really need to refer back and forth, in order to understand the history and meaning and as well as why God reacted in a way he did.
There is plenty of history to understand from the first to the last page of the bible. I suggest reading the bible with someone who runs bible courses.
What Jeff says, is to read certain chapters or verses and then he compares them to the other books of the prophets or the New Testament. I am sure, most of us know that the OT is always mentioned in the Gospels and in the letters the apostles wrote. So we really need to refer back and forth, in order to understand the history and meaning and as well as why God reacted in a way he did.
There is plenty of history to understand from the first to the last page of the bible. I suggest reading the bible with someone who runs bible courses.
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adowcday
Guest
My parish in San Diego sponsored the one-day Great Adventure Bible Timeline Seminar last year, with Tim Gray, Ph.D., as speaker. Over 430 people from all over the diocese attended, about half of them from my parish. We followed up with the 24-week adult Great Adventure Bible Timeline adult bible studies studies, and about 100 people participated in home-based small groups. There was also an 8-week teen bible study. All of the programs were very well received. People learned a great deal about the bible, especially the Old Testament, laying a foundation for reading, studying and meditating on the scriptures. Some groups continued to do additional adult bible studies in the Great Adventure series.
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Cathhsmom
Guest
I have done this. I read the Bible cover to cover. I, too, heard all the negative comments about how you can’t do this, yada, yada, yada. You know what you can and can’t do. I did it because I was tired of feeling less since I hadn’t read it. I just wanted to get through it all once. Then I could go back and really study it with the overview of the rest of the Bible somewhere in my head. I would put a check mark next to the chapter when I finished it. Since I did this before I came into the church, I have since gone back with my Catholic Bible and read the missing books and verses.
Thank you for bringing this up. I am now motivated to open up my bible again and do some more reading. BTW, I really enjoyed the books of Ruth, Judith, Wisdom, and Sirach. 2 Macc is much better than 1 Macc.
Thank you for bringing this up. I am now motivated to open up my bible again and do some more reading. BTW, I really enjoyed the books of Ruth, Judith, Wisdom, and Sirach. 2 Macc is much better than 1 Macc.
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libbybeth
Guest
What a brilliant idea!! go for it, and keep this thread informed on your progress. Should you ever feel like slackening off, you will have an incentive to continue.
I read the whole Bible through fairly quickly using the RSV CE some time ago. I have started to re read it; however, this time, I am reading it together with a commentary, and introduction to the various books. This has slowed me down somewhat.
Currently, I am up to psalms.
One good idea is to look for an audio CD Bible to use in the car on long journeys or on the way to work. However, I have been unable to find a Catholic edition of a CD Bible; all I could find was a NIV version, which I was able to borrow. I find that I move much quicker if I listen to the Bible on audio, and of course, when I catch up in my reading there is much consolidation and food for thought. Of course, have a Catholic bible to read, and still use the RSV CE. I find it easier than Douia Rheims, although I still have an old cloth bound copy of the Douai Bible from my school days at a convent. I do check my RSV Bible against the Douia Bible and a copy of the Jerusalem Bible that I was given. Again, this slows me down. So does checking things against the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Good luck. Remember, however slow or fast you are, that we are told in Timothy that all scripture is God breathed and can be used by us. Enjoy, and
If you wish to read the whole Bible, stick at it; it will give you a good overview, and bring back to mind much of your earlier teaching and instruction. On reflection, even Numbers was interesting. These people felt that genealogy mattered, as it linked them to being part of the people of God.
I read the whole Bible through fairly quickly using the RSV CE some time ago. I have started to re read it; however, this time, I am reading it together with a commentary, and introduction to the various books. This has slowed me down somewhat.
Currently, I am up to psalms.
One good idea is to look for an audio CD Bible to use in the car on long journeys or on the way to work. However, I have been unable to find a Catholic edition of a CD Bible; all I could find was a NIV version, which I was able to borrow. I find that I move much quicker if I listen to the Bible on audio, and of course, when I catch up in my reading there is much consolidation and food for thought. Of course, have a Catholic bible to read, and still use the RSV CE. I find it easier than Douia Rheims, although I still have an old cloth bound copy of the Douai Bible from my school days at a convent. I do check my RSV Bible against the Douia Bible and a copy of the Jerusalem Bible that I was given. Again, this slows me down. So does checking things against the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Good luck. Remember, however slow or fast you are, that we are told in Timothy that all scripture is God breathed and can be used by us. Enjoy, and
If you wish to read the whole Bible, stick at it; it will give you a good overview, and bring back to mind much of your earlier teaching and instruction. On reflection, even Numbers was interesting. These people felt that genealogy mattered, as it linked them to being part of the people of God.
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Cathhsmom
Guest
I have the NAB Bible on audio CDs. It is by Casscom Media ( www.casscommedia.com ). I got mine from my local Catholic bookstore. My 8yo son loves to listen to it. His name is Samuel. So, of course, he HAD to listen to 1st & 2nd Samuel first!
His only problem with it is that he was trying to follow along in his Bible, but his Bible is the RSV version. So, I had to loan him my Bible which is NAB!
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LilyM
Guest
So why on earth did you feel like you had to ‘get through it all at once’ and only then go back and really study it?I have done this. I read the Bible cover to cover. I, too, heard all the negative comments about how you can’t do this, yada, yada, yada. You know what you can and can’t do. I did it because I was tired of feeling less since I hadn’t read it. I just wanted to get through it all once. Then I could go back and really study it with the overview of the rest of the Bible somewhere in my head. I would put a check mark next to the chapter when I finished it. Since I did this before I came into the church, I have since gone back with my Catholic Bible and read the missing books and verses.
Thank you for bringing this up. I am now motivated to open up my bible again and do some more reading. BTW, I really enjoyed the books of Ruth, Judith, Wisdom, and Sirach. 2 Macc is much better than 1 Macc.
What’s wrong with studying it properly first time round?
A decent study guide will already put each book into perspective in terms of the Bible as a whole for you, and probably do so better than you could yourself.
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adowcday
Guest
I think that there is a lot of value in simply reading something through without slowing down to study or meditate on the texts. Especially if you are reading parts of the bible for the first time, you get the sense of the story – the grand sweep of the bible, so to speak. Then you go back and do it more slowly. Forest first, then trees sounds good to me.So why on earth did you feel like you had to ‘get through it all at once’ and only then go back and really study it?
What’s wrong with studying it properly first time round?
A decent study guide will already put each book into perspective in terms of the Bible as a whole for you, and probably do so better than you could yourself.
Currently, I am using bible commentaries to study individual books of the bible (currently, Genesis, using the commentary by Walter Brueggemann in the Interpretation series; in the past few years: Leviticus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial, John, letters of John, Acts, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, James, I and II Peter, Jude, Revelation). Some of my studies have taken 3-4 months each. Taking that approach, I’d finish reading the bible in, say, 15-20 years! However, the summer I spent reading the whole bible was a great experience. I read thoughtfully and prayerfully, but I moved along.
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Cathhsmom
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Okay, first off, this really comes off as judgemental. Just because it is not how you would do it doesn’t mean that there is no merit in it for someone else.So why on earth did you feel like you had to ‘get through it all at once’ and only then go back and really study it?
What’s wrong with studying it properly first time round?
A decent study guide will already put each book into perspective in terms of the Bible as a whole for you, and probably do so better than you could yourself.
I chose to do it the way that I did because I felt the need to actually read the entire Bible. I struck while the iron was hot. I am a reader! I have always felt the need to read. When I read a good book, I will basically skim read it the first time around. I can’t stand going through all the details about the clothes, decorations, scenery, etc. I want to get to the STORY. Then, I will reread the story not skipping a word!
I had been raised bebopping from one church to another growing up. I felt less than the other Christians that I knew because I hadn’t read the Bible. I kept stopping after Genesis. So, one day, I said to myself that I was going to read the whole thing no matter what. I knew that if I tried to take the time to understand it all that I would never get it read. So, I just started reading it and marking it off as I went. Now, I can go back and reread it with a good commentary or study. I have the Navarre and Ignatius ones. This is what worked for ME. It may not work for others. Just PLEASE let people find the path that works for them!
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libbybeth
Guest
Why do you say Cathh(name removed by moderator) is confused? Its quite a good idea to read something right through to get an overview of what you read; this allows you to put things into context. It also means for someone who has never read the whole Bible before, that they can “get the feel” of the different kinds of book or writing, and forms of literature to be found in the Bible. They can also see that some accounts are written twice, from more than one perspective, and they can pick up on repetitive themes throughout the Bible. Having done the groundwork to lay out the whole Bible, they can re-read at leisure, taking time to pick up on points of interest and to use them for study or praying.So why on earth did you feel like you had to ‘get through it all at once’ and only then go back and really study it?
What’s wrong with studying it properly first time round?
A decent study guide will already put each book into perspective in terms of the Bible as a whole for you, and probably do so better than you could yourself.
If you simply study something in depth the first time around, it can become quite daunting and you may back off simply because the study is slowing you down and you feel you may never get through it.
Live and let live - some people will want to tackle the Bible slowly and in depth, whilst others will read through quickly. Others again may never read the Bible if they hear us criticising. The right thing is to read, and to attend to the word of God, whether by doing so slowly, or all at once. Enjoy it and take it in whichever method you use!!
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LilyM
Guest
I don’t mean to be judgemental, I merely mean to express a sense of confusion at the approach people are taking to scripture. Story? Grand sweep? Is this the word of God you’re talking about or a novel you’re writing an essay about for English lit?
The Bible is God’s love letter to each of us - His communication of His very self. An incredibly personal and intimate document - and vastly different to any other reading you ever have done or ever will do. It should be treated as such.
Would any of you EVER consider skimming through a love letter from your soulmate in order to get a ‘general overview’ or a ‘grand sweep’ of the letter - or some such? How would you feel if a loved one simply ‘skimmed through’ a love letter you wrote to them and basically stated that otherwise they’d never read the thing?
I find the very idea completely baffling, not to mention offputting.
I just don’t see how the thought and prayer meshes with the moving along - I don’t see how you can NOT be doing less of the former if you’re doing more of the latter in such a case. There’s only so many hours of a day you can devote to one or the other, after all.
Moreover reading the scripture is meant in ITSELF to be a prayer - the essence of prayer being communication with God, and the scripture being God’s method of communicating with us at the very least. You wouldn’t rush through any other prayer - so why rush through reading Scripture?
Speed-reading scripture to me feels like the equivalent of watching the clock to see how quickly you can possibly get through a Rosary, or a priest seeing how quickly he can get through a Mass and having the attitude that it’s merely the ‘gist’ of the prayers that are important. Too many priests actually do this and ad lib to a woeful extent.
It may be less ‘daunting’ to do such things more quickly, to go with the ‘it’s the gist that matters most’ attitude, but I can’t see how it wouldn’t detract from these things to be speeding through them.
None of my classmates in school English class seemed to think so - and I’m sure they’d have been openly critical of our teachers making us take our reading slowly if they’d felt there was any disadvantage, they weren’t ever backward in coming forward!
And some read it purely as a work of basically fictional literature, others simply as something to cross off their ‘to-do’ list, others merely as an interesting scholarly exercise - and all of these as ANYTHING rather than an act of faith.
But reading scripture IS an act of faith - something that is included in our liturgy precisely because it is a form of communion with God through His word. It is similar to, if not on the same level as, the Eucharist itself in this way.
Most everyone complains when the priest is perceived to be rushing the Mass, because the rushing is usually, if not absolutely always, indicative of a lack of due attention and respect for what is taking place, and does not allow for proper appreciation of what is happening. And I certainly don’t hear anyone saying 'let some priests say Mass in ten minutes if they want, it’s just their way - live and let live".
And if, as I have said, scripture is similar if not on the same level as the Eucharist itself, why would we want to speed through that either?
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adowcday
Guest
You are assuming that I and the original poster are talking about speed-reading. Moreover, you are assuming that our use of the bible begins and ends with reading, or in my case, reading (speedily, like a newspaper) and studying using commentaries. If I were to make unjustified assumptions based only on what you have posted, I’d say that you are proposing that the only way to use the bible in a God-honoring way is meditation on the scriptures or lectio divina. I don’t think that’s what you intended either.
The best way to integrate the scriptures into our spiritual lives is to take a variety of approaches: reading/listening, study, memorization, and meditation/lectio divina, for example. Without practicing each of these approaches, I think our spiritual lives are diminished. Frankly, I don’t think meditation on scripture should be practiced without also regular (preferably, daily) reading and study. Otherwise, we tend to focus only on those parts of the scripture that we are most familiar with and lack an understanding of the literal meaning or sense of the text. I’m also a big fan of memorization, since it extends our ability to reflect on scripture through the day and stores up in our minds and hearts scripture to apply to situations in our lives as they arise.
I agree with you that meditating on the scriptures is a vitally important spiritual practice. For may people, it is the primary way that they practice personal prayer. I recently taught a three-session series in my parish on lectio divina, outlining the history of the development of this spiritual discipline from Old Testament times to the present day, focusing on its practice by the Desert Fathers, Benedictines, Franciscans, Carmelites, and Jesuits. I spent two sessions on practicing biblical medigtation according to the more ancient tradition (particularly as practiced by the Beneditines) and according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I’d be happy to send my lecture notes and powerpoint presentation to anyone who would find it helpful.
The bottom line is that I think the original poster is proposing a wonderful, one-time exercise: reading the entire bible. If he has the whole summer to do it, he will be able to read each word thoughfully and prayerfully, neither speed-reading nor meditating, but reading for understanding. In my view, that lays a good foundation for the rest of his life, which will hopefully include a balance of reading, studying, memorizing and meditation. I think he is doing a great thing. A balanced life in Christ can also include times of intense focus on one spiritual activity, whether prayer (as on a retreat), study (as when you are taking a demanding class), service, etc. During that time of focus, life looks unbalanced. That’s ok.
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cheeto1
Guest
Where are you Mac? You last said you were in Deuteronomy. How was it, are you
done? I remember when I got to Joshua, I said, “God, I thought I knew You!” He was
incredibly violent and cruel. Just imagine what the people were like if God ordered
this kind of bloodshed against them!
done? I remember when I got to Joshua, I said, “God, I thought I knew You!” He was
incredibly violent and cruel. Just imagine what the people were like if God ordered
this kind of bloodshed against them!
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Beachcomber
Guest
Yes, Mac, I second cheeto. Where are you? Give us an update. I’m praying for you!
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libbybeth
Guest
Hi
I agree very much with the response of Avowcday; reading the entire Bible when you have a period of time in which to do so is a grand enterprise, laying the foundations for going back and deepening your understanding of the word of God to us. If at the same time you are practicing your faith, the whole exercise should encourage you to deepen your prayer life, and thus your communion with God.
Nobody is suggesting reading the Bible as quickly as you can - the original question posited a period of time in which the questioner had nothing to do other than to read the Bible. What better way to make use of your time.
Also, in response to the criticsism that no one Lily M knows is put off by tackling a large written piece very slowly, as a lecturer it is my experience that students often benefit from a prior over-reading which stimulates their appetite for further study, and a deep, more productive study of the written piece. Obviously, the Bible is not just a written piece; however, if the aim is to encourage prayerful and productive study, meditation and reading, this is one beneficial method.
Further to the point that some people read the Bible simply as a fictional narrative, this may be true. However, the Spirit moves where he will. We should have faith that those who read the Bible in this way will be touched by God and that what starts out as a fictional exercise will ultimately lead to a fundamental change of life. Great oaks grow from acorns - the memory of something tackled as fiction may take on a life of its own to be imparted to the reader. We need more faith in God to accomplish his purposes. Think of the eunuch who read the scroll of Isaiah; he did not understand what it meant but God sent Philip on this out of the way trip and he was able to explain the scriptures so effectively that the eunuch was immediately baptised. God’s blessing to all those who read his word, whatever their preferred method, and also whatever their motivation!!
I agree very much with the response of Avowcday; reading the entire Bible when you have a period of time in which to do so is a grand enterprise, laying the foundations for going back and deepening your understanding of the word of God to us. If at the same time you are practicing your faith, the whole exercise should encourage you to deepen your prayer life, and thus your communion with God.
Nobody is suggesting reading the Bible as quickly as you can - the original question posited a period of time in which the questioner had nothing to do other than to read the Bible. What better way to make use of your time.
Also, in response to the criticsism that no one Lily M knows is put off by tackling a large written piece very slowly, as a lecturer it is my experience that students often benefit from a prior over-reading which stimulates their appetite for further study, and a deep, more productive study of the written piece. Obviously, the Bible is not just a written piece; however, if the aim is to encourage prayerful and productive study, meditation and reading, this is one beneficial method.
Further to the point that some people read the Bible simply as a fictional narrative, this may be true. However, the Spirit moves where he will. We should have faith that those who read the Bible in this way will be touched by God and that what starts out as a fictional exercise will ultimately lead to a fundamental change of life. Great oaks grow from acorns - the memory of something tackled as fiction may take on a life of its own to be imparted to the reader. We need more faith in God to accomplish his purposes. Think of the eunuch who read the scroll of Isaiah; he did not understand what it meant but God sent Philip on this out of the way trip and he was able to explain the scriptures so effectively that the eunuch was immediately baptised. God’s blessing to all those who read his word, whatever their preferred method, and also whatever their motivation!!
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MacMcCarver
Guest
I’m sorry. Something came up and I didn’t have this week to read. So I am about 20 pages left in Deuteronomy. I still hope to finish this summer, but if I don’t, I will continue to read even when classes start back. I will stay up a little later to finish it and start the Book of Josue tomorrow.
Also, to all who are debating whether reading through the Bible from cover to cover is a valid method, let me say that prayer, at least the Sign of the Cross, accompanies my reading. I am reading at my desk with minimal distractions, and I am reading all the footnotes. So, I am not speedreading; I am going pretty deep into the Holy Writ. The only reason I have hopes of finishing by the end of July/beginning of August is because of the amount of time I have to devote to reading.
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libbybeth
Guest
Go for it Mac!! I assumed you were not speedreading simply to get through the Bible. Don’t give up, despite repetitious or’boring’ passages. You have stirred up a lot of hearts and minds to the questions of prayer, and how to read the Bible correctly. It is likely a number of people will have resumed their own Bible reading as a result of your posting.
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cdanison
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adowcday
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tobinatorstark
Guest
I commend your efforts in reading the Bible. This something that I decided to do 2 years ago. Since then I have read it 3 times plus getting scripture form the Liturgy of the Hours and Daily Mass readings. I too use the Douay-Rheims. It is my favorite. I like that and the Latin Vulgate (Clementine edition)
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