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Thom18
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My advice? St. John gives us great advice in the first line of his gospel: in the beginning. What better place to start than there?
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PetraG
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Actually, the Jewish rabbis did not let beginners in the study of Torah begin with Genesis. They felt it is a book that is far more profound than it seems and that it needs a foundation.
Pope Francis has suggested that every Catholic keep a pocket-sized book of the Gospels to read when they have a spare moment. I’d start there.
I agree with those who suggest beginning with the Gospel of Mark. It was meant to be proclaimed and can be read from start to finish. After that, I would do Luke followed by Acts (which is sort of a Luke Part II).
I would not suggest reading the Bible as if it were a novel, however. Learn about lectio divina and read it that way. It is a tested way to read the Bible so it will reach both the head and the heart, to hear it as the word of God, and that is the point.
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EndTimes
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SPONP4US
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Read the NT don’t start with, for example Numbers or any of the O.T because it’s dry and you will probably turn grey and grow a beard reading it 
It’s for hardcore Bible book worms. I am currently reading both (since I started old to new but had very little idea about what was being read out on Church) so I also started the NT and jump back between them.
I wish I’d just started the N.T finished it then just brought myself up to speed slowly with the Old Testament as a background.
That’s my best advice. I’m also reading it for the first time having taken a detour 20+ years from the faith and quite newly returned in 2018.
It’s for hardcore Bible book worms. I am currently reading both (since I started old to new but had very little idea about what was being read out on Church) so I also started the NT and jump back between them.
I wish I’d just started the N.T finished it then just brought myself up to speed slowly with the Old Testament as a background.
That’s my best advice. I’m also reading it for the first time having taken a detour 20+ years from the faith and quite newly returned in 2018.
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englands123
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The NT is about growing to know Jesus.
The OT is about growing to know God better.
The OT doesn’t mention the word Jesus!!!
So it’s wrong for any Christian to avoid the OT and God loved NO one more than King David.
Who did God say he loved in the NT??
The OT is about growing to know God better.
The OT doesn’t mention the word Jesus!!!
So it’s wrong for any Christian to avoid the OT and God loved NO one more than King David.
Who did God say he loved in the NT??
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englands123
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That question goes to all Christians?
Where in the NT except for Jesus did God say I love this person as a individual?
Where in the NT except for Jesus did God say I love this person as a individual?
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TK421
Guest
There’s not an exactly right way to start with the Bible. BUT imo:
When you read the NT, I think it’s good to start with the Gospels and then read the other books, because the other books frequently refer to the Gospel (as well as holy books from what we now call the Old Testament) and it helps to have that background knowledge.
When you read the OT, I think it’s good to start with the Torah and then read the prophetic books because a lot of the later books frequently refer back to teaching or events from the Torah. Also, reading the introduction on the OT books helps you understand what is going on and when, because the books aren’t necessarily arranged chronologically. The earliest period starts with the patriarchs in Genesis and the last books chronologically are Maccabees, but the prophetic books are all over the place. The prophetic books can be tedious to read but for books like 1 and 2 Samuel & 1 and 2 Kings they are actually pretty good page turners.
When you read the NT, I think it’s good to start with the Gospels and then read the other books, because the other books frequently refer to the Gospel (as well as holy books from what we now call the Old Testament) and it helps to have that background knowledge.
When you read the OT, I think it’s good to start with the Torah and then read the prophetic books because a lot of the later books frequently refer back to teaching or events from the Torah. Also, reading the introduction on the OT books helps you understand what is going on and when, because the books aren’t necessarily arranged chronologically. The earliest period starts with the patriarchs in Genesis and the last books chronologically are Maccabees, but the prophetic books are all over the place. The prophetic books can be tedious to read but for books like 1 and 2 Samuel & 1 and 2 Kings they are actually pretty good page turners.
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PetraG
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It also depends on why you want to read the Bible and what sort of background you have.
For instance, some people have a pretty good idea of how salvation history unfolded prior to the coming of the Messiah, whereas others don’t know Isaac from Isaiah.
If you have no idea about salvation history (or feel as if you don’t), I’d actually start with the readings that are in the Lectionary for Easter Vigil. Learn the background to those passages, because those are definitely the high points. If you eventually do a start-to-finish reading, you definitely want to start on the foundation of a big picture idea of how everything fits together before you start that.
Also, realize that in the Sunday readings the first reading is chosen as a prefigurement (or in the case of Acts, a fulfillment) of the Gospel. The Gospel is the center of everything. I was also taught that the Responsorial psalm is chosen sort of as a “wait! wait! oh, boy we see what is coming!” kind of response by the people to the first reading. If you read the response of the Responsorial, then the Gospel, then the first reading, it will give you a great insight into a theme the Church is highlighting.
If you’re trying to learn lectio divina–praying with Holy Scriptures as a starting point–I’d ask around for a good starting book on lectio divina. Very often those have a selection of readings for 30 or 40 or 60 days, as something to use to get started, in addition to instructions concerning how to help yourself get started.
For instance, some people have a pretty good idea of how salvation history unfolded prior to the coming of the Messiah, whereas others don’t know Isaac from Isaiah.
If you have no idea about salvation history (or feel as if you don’t), I’d actually start with the readings that are in the Lectionary for Easter Vigil. Learn the background to those passages, because those are definitely the high points. If you eventually do a start-to-finish reading, you definitely want to start on the foundation of a big picture idea of how everything fits together before you start that.
Also, realize that in the Sunday readings the first reading is chosen as a prefigurement (or in the case of Acts, a fulfillment) of the Gospel. The Gospel is the center of everything. I was also taught that the Responsorial psalm is chosen sort of as a “wait! wait! oh, boy we see what is coming!” kind of response by the people to the first reading. If you read the response of the Responsorial, then the Gospel, then the first reading, it will give you a great insight into a theme the Church is highlighting.
If you’re trying to learn lectio divina–praying with Holy Scriptures as a starting point–I’d ask around for a good starting book on lectio divina. Very often those have a selection of readings for 30 or 40 or 60 days, as something to use to get started, in addition to instructions concerning how to help yourself get started.
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EndTimes
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However… No one here but you is suggesting that Christians avoid the OT
The NT is chock-full of references to the OT
Jesus’ “Scriptures” are the OT…
It is Jesus the Messiah of All - the very WORD of God
who shed light upon OT to the Jews of His time…
and to all else of that time
and to All of any time since…
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DoGodsBidding1
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Lots of good advice posted above. I will add that it helps to make a commitment to read the Bible each and every day. Find a place where you can truly read it, and do it every day. I found that by reading 4 pages a day I could reflect on what I had read, and at that pace read the entire Bible in a year.
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EndTimes
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Pick up the Bible… Crack Open the Cover… Yes even straight to The NT…
And YES! Get to Know Jesus very well - as you shall.
Ask God to be actually present with you as you dive into what becomes a Wonderful Venture…
And YES! Get to Know Jesus very well - as you shall.
Ask God to be actually present with you as you dive into what becomes a Wonderful Venture…
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Lucretius
Guest
Since the Old Testament doesn’t make sense without he New, and the New Testament doesn’t makes sense without the Old, it follows that you should start reading both simultaneously.
Furthermore, in my conception of the Scripture, I tend to divide the Scripture loosely into two parts:
What I’m getting at with all this is that I don’t think we can really understand the words of the Prophets and the Apostles unless we are first familiar with the stories, “the facts,” of God’s interaction with man. The gospels are the facts, the epistles are the reflections and explanations of their meaning. I know that this distinction isn’t so clear cut, but it works in a general way, I think.
So, I recommend reading the Scriptures by starting with the stories of God’s interaction with man, going back and forth between reading the stories of the Old Testament and the stories of the gospels.
…to be continued…
Furthermore, in my conception of the Scripture, I tend to divide the Scripture loosely into two parts:
- the historical “facts” of God’s interaction with man
- reflections on the meaning of these facts
- the intellectual structure upon which we understand both 1 and 2
What I’m getting at with all this is that I don’t think we can really understand the words of the Prophets and the Apostles unless we are first familiar with the stories, “the facts,” of God’s interaction with man. The gospels are the facts, the epistles are the reflections and explanations of their meaning. I know that this distinction isn’t so clear cut, but it works in a general way, I think.
So, I recommend reading the Scriptures by starting with the stories of God’s interaction with man, going back and forth between reading the stories of the Old Testament and the stories of the gospels.
…to be continued…
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Lucretius
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…continued…
Start especially with the stories of Genesis that come before the story of Abraham: both stories of Creation, Original sin, Cain and Abel, Noah, the Tower of Babel, then go into the adventures of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the story of Joseph, eventually leading into the stories of Moses and Israel leaving Egypt and entering Canaan through the Desert (I would just skim through the revelation of the Mosaic law at the beginning). Then, read the story of Jericho, but afterwards I would just skim through the Judges and the like until you get to the stories of Samuel, Saul, David and Solomon. One thing to pay attention to is how the human characters becomes more and more robust, realistic, and detailed, as if God is becoming more and more silent while man gets more and more focus, not because man is silencing God but because God is becoming more and more unified to God, accumulating in Christ himself, who is never described as dialoguing with God at all, but simply speaking for him, as him. Particularly focus on the Ten Commandments, and notice how the laws in general tend to be negative, “thou shall not,” and how Mosaic law doesn’t describe an ideal but rather describes more how not to bad: not how we should be ideally but what we need to avoid in order to not be bad, how to start being good enough for the ideal.
While you are cycling through the Old Testament, go back and forth between those stories with reading the four gospels, starting in the traditional order of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. One thing to pay attention to is how everything Christ does and says refers more and more to and starts moving him closer and closer to his crucifixion: each gospel structures the life of Christ as pointing towards his Passion. Pay attention to how people experience Christ: the words that describes how people respond to Christ are words like “shocked.” Particularly focus on the the teachings of the Sermons of the mount and plain, and how, unlike Mosaic law, these describe the absolute ideal we should be striving to, regardless of circumstances in the world. Then, when you are done with the gospels, start reading Acts.
And, after all this, I would go back and start reading the law in more detail, the Prophets, and the letters of the Apostles, seeing these as articulating the meaning behind of these stories and what they ultimately mean about God.
While you are reading through the stories though, I recommend reading and praying and working to live by the teachings of the wisdom books and the Psalms. The reason why is, we cannot really understand facts or the articulated meanings of the Revelation with cultivating in us the perspective through which to see these. By learning wisdom and living wisely and without sin, God generates in us the far and deep perspective we need in order to understand his Word.
At least, this is the general outline I use to read the Scripture. Do with it what you will.
Start especially with the stories of Genesis that come before the story of Abraham: both stories of Creation, Original sin, Cain and Abel, Noah, the Tower of Babel, then go into the adventures of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the story of Joseph, eventually leading into the stories of Moses and Israel leaving Egypt and entering Canaan through the Desert (I would just skim through the revelation of the Mosaic law at the beginning). Then, read the story of Jericho, but afterwards I would just skim through the Judges and the like until you get to the stories of Samuel, Saul, David and Solomon. One thing to pay attention to is how the human characters becomes more and more robust, realistic, and detailed, as if God is becoming more and more silent while man gets more and more focus, not because man is silencing God but because God is becoming more and more unified to God, accumulating in Christ himself, who is never described as dialoguing with God at all, but simply speaking for him, as him. Particularly focus on the Ten Commandments, and notice how the laws in general tend to be negative, “thou shall not,” and how Mosaic law doesn’t describe an ideal but rather describes more how not to bad: not how we should be ideally but what we need to avoid in order to not be bad, how to start being good enough for the ideal.
While you are cycling through the Old Testament, go back and forth between those stories with reading the four gospels, starting in the traditional order of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. One thing to pay attention to is how everything Christ does and says refers more and more to and starts moving him closer and closer to his crucifixion: each gospel structures the life of Christ as pointing towards his Passion. Pay attention to how people experience Christ: the words that describes how people respond to Christ are words like “shocked.” Particularly focus on the the teachings of the Sermons of the mount and plain, and how, unlike Mosaic law, these describe the absolute ideal we should be striving to, regardless of circumstances in the world. Then, when you are done with the gospels, start reading Acts.
And, after all this, I would go back and start reading the law in more detail, the Prophets, and the letters of the Apostles, seeing these as articulating the meaning behind of these stories and what they ultimately mean about God.
While you are reading through the stories though, I recommend reading and praying and working to live by the teachings of the wisdom books and the Psalms. The reason why is, we cannot really understand facts or the articulated meanings of the Revelation with cultivating in us the perspective through which to see these. By learning wisdom and living wisely and without sin, God generates in us the far and deep perspective we need in order to understand his Word.
At least, this is the general outline I use to read the Scripture. Do with it what you will.
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