Tools for memorizing the books of the Bible

[jdschaff]

Does anyone have any tools to help in memorizing the books of the Bible?

 

[Forest-Pine]

There’s a song they teach the kids to sing the titles in order.

Well, apparently, the Protestants have a corner on this market. Any Catholic songwriters out there wanting to make an adaptation?

 

[Zooey]

Forest-Pine:

There’s a song they teach the kids to sing the titles in order.
Well, apparently, the Protestants have a corner on this market. Any Catholic songwriters out there wanting to make an adaptation?

I was going to say the same thing–that there is a song. And then I realized that it wouldn’t have all the books of the Catholic Bible in it.
But it would be a start, & I think it would be great if someone could do a rewrite.

I thought of the song, because it is how I learned the books as a child. My pastor did, too, & I can still see the looks on the faces of some of the older members in Bible study, when we were trying to find one of the Minor Prophets (who, I find, migrate throughout their territory when the Bible is closed), & he & I both started humming as we flipped through the pages…
Finally, one lady said, what on earth are you two doing, and we chorused “Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai”, & then "What?! You don’t know the “Books of the Bible” song.

 

[RonRule]

Besides the songs, here’s a quick little help for some NT epistles my dad taught me as a kid:

Repeat after me: “Gas & Electric Power Company, (Telephone poles)”

GEPCTTTT

Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thes., 1&2 Tim.

 

[anawim]

RonRule:

Besides the songs, here’s a quick little help for some NT epistles my dad taught me as a kid:

Repeat after me: “Gas & Electric Power Company, (Telephone poles)”

GEPCTTTT

Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thes., 1&2 Tim.

Another one I heard is “Go Eat Pop Corn”

 

[Mystophilus]

jdschaff:

Does anyone have any tools to help in memorizing the books of the Bible?

Immersion: read them until you can remember them without the aid of a mnemonic. It may be slow, but it works, and you get a lot more out of it…

 

[dancus]

Mystophilus:

Immersion: read them until you can remember them without the aid of a mnemonic. It may be slow, but it works, and you get a lot more out of it…

That’s one way, but why should anyone bother, there are indexs for that. Besides the books aren’t really in any order. If they were Nahum would come just before Jeremiah, where it truly belongs, they were comtempories. Dan

 

[Apryl]

anawim:

Another one I heard is “Go Eat Pop Corn”

They way I got it was “General Electric Power Company”.

But those “Telephone Poles” are kewl. Gotta add tha to my list!

 

[ProudArmyWife]

I taught my 3rd grade Religious Education students body-movements/motions for each book, but I guess that would look a bit odd doing in a public store

 

[Apryl]

ProudArmyWife:

I taught my 3rd grade Religious Education students body-movements/motions for each book, but I guess that would look a bit odd doing in a public store

Ok… but you gotta TELL us about them! Please… or at least tell us where you got it from so we can do the motions, too!

 

[AmISearching]

the OT one won’t work, but the NT one from “We Sing Bible Songs” is still the way I find books of the Bible… (Actually as I’m still a protestant I still use the OT song as well, but it didn’t work quite as well - it got so repetitive pitch wise somewhere in the prophets that I always lose it about there)

I’m definately someone for whom music helps… in middle and highschool at my Christian school I used to set my Bible verses I had to memorize to a hymn tune so that I could learn them easier and faster…

 

[RonRule]

In a similar vein, has anyone here ever done the “Walk Thru the Bible” series? You actually memorize, in suprising detail, the stories and themes of the Bible, using hand motions and catch phrases? My parents took me along to one of these seminars when I was young.

 

[leahbrahms]

Maybe I’ll try getting this thread going again…

I’m a new CCD teacher this year at my parish, 4th and 5th grades, and I’ve decided that this is a great age for memorizing the books of the bible - or maybe just learning how to look up chapter and verse!

I grew up as a Lutheran and have found having the books of the bible memorized is supremely helpful for finding passages quickly, as well as having a good overview of Sacred Scripture - salvation history, really.

I’d love to have a song for the Old Testament - all of it (thankfully NT songs exist from protestant sources). I’ve come up with a song with the OT books loosely to the tune of “Jesus, my lord, my God, my all”, and I think it works pretty well. But I don’t know how well I’d be able to lead a group of seven or eight 9 and 10 year olds unaccompanied to a song I made up myself…

Perhaps if I get more confident, I’ll spend the time writing it down to music. Anyone else got any ideas?

I think I may have attended a “Walk Though the Bible” seminar or something similar when I was in my early teens. All I remember is Joel riding a Grand Am? (Joel, Amos)

I really like Dr. Kevin Vost’s “Memorize the Faith!” - that’s how the books of the bible are in my head as an adult - but I’m skeptical of leading my CCD group through a “method of loci” presentation of the books.

Thoughts?

 

[COPLAND_3]

The way I learned them was to learn them in sections at a time, such as how they are categorized, such as

1. Penteteuch: Genesis- Deutoronomy
2. Historical: Joshua- 2Maccabees
3. Wisdom: Job- Wisdom
4. Major Prophets: Isaiah- Daniel
5. 12 Minor Prophets: Hosea-Malachi
6. Gospels
7. Paul’s Letters: Romans-Hebrews
8. Catholic Epistles: James- Jude
9. Revelation

 

[Mea_Culpa]

Get Dr. Kevin Vost’s “Memorize the Faith!” - you can learn the books of the Bible in a surprisingly short time with his method.

 

[Apryl]

The way I learned them was to learn them in sections at a time, such as how they are categorized, such as

1. Penteteuch: Genesis- Deutoronomy

This method is great… provided you know what those '-'s mean between books.

For the most part, I find that you have to just get to know them. Sort of like remembering those cousins that all have names with no particular rhyme or reason for their order.

I do agree with the premise of your post. I can recall some of the groups. In particular, the Penteteuch, the Gospels… ok, maybe that’s all the groups I can recall.

Then, I just know that the Psalms are in the middle of the Bible. Job is ribht before the Psalms and Proverbs right after.

If you want to learn your way around a Bible, just keep looking for stuff!

 

[graceandglory]

There’s a song they teach the kids to sing the titles in order.

Well, apparently, the Protestants have a corner on this market. Any Catholic songwriters out there wanting to make an adaptation?

I know two different songs for the books of the Bible. Unfortunately they’re both protestant, so my OT is not totally memorized.

Anyone got a quick and easy way to memorize the Catholic books that the protestants ditched?

I know where they go, kinda, , I can list them, but not insert them in the right place in my already memorized songs.

 

[My7Sons]

There is a song to help memorize the books of the Catholic Bible.
It is by Carol Fisher and she has a recording on Youtube.
Kimberley Hahn also has youtube video as well.