Reading the Bible (C 129-41)

Another important thing to remember in reading the Bible is that its various books are not organized according to subject matter or chronology. Therefore, it’s not best to start on page one and try to read straight through. Many people who do this find themselves bogged down in difficult passages and become discouraged. Readers should first become familiar with the “whole picture,” then they can read the Bible with understanding.

Someone who is investigating the Judeo-Christian tradition for the first time and is handed a Bible might be compared to a refugee from a war-torn country who is being adopted into a family. Such a person might be told, “We want you to feel at home, so we are giving you copies of all the documents that relate to our family. Look through them and you’ll discover what we are like.” The documents might include genealogies, blueprints for the family home, stories told by grandparents, letter written by family members to one another, songs used at family gatherings, and so on. The individual might browse through these documents and find some to be very helpful and others of limited usefulness. Family letters might be essential in giving insight about the love and care of family members for one another. Blueprints, on the other hand, might not be all that interesting, unless the individual being adopted happens to be an architect!

Some parts of the Bible are very important to any believer. The psalms are frequently used in private prayer and public worship. Some parts of the Book of Numbers, with long lists of names and places, might be of interest only to specialist. Once we become familiar with the general structure of the Bible and do some “sampling,” we can find those passages which will be most helpful.

A Global View of the Old Testament (C 121-23)

Geographers today bemoan the fact many people have little knowledge of our world. Yet knowledge of the earth and of the interrelationship of its parts is crucial to our survival: the burning of the rain forests in Brazil could bring about the melting of polar icecaps and the flooding of New York. We should gain at least a general awareness of the globe, then become more acquainted with our own country.

Similarly, many Christians have little knowledge of the “geography” of the Bible, which is as essential to our spiritual survival as knowledge of the globe is to our physical survival. We need some understanding of the Bible as a whole — a global view. This global view can come through an awareness of the main categories of books in the Bible, of their content, and of when they were written. Such a “view” is presented in the following pages. The categories follow those given in The New American Bible. The books of the Bible are listed in the order in which they are found in the Scriptures.

The Pentateuch

The Pentateuch (from the Greek words for “five” and “books”) is the collection of the first five books of the Bible. It includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Pentateuch is meant to answer the basic questions in life and to explain the origins of the Jewish people. Like many other parts of the Bible, the Pentateuch was not written at one time by one author. Rather, it includes traditions, stories, and historical data passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation, put into written collections from about 1000 to 550, and then edited into its present form between 500 and 400.

Genesis reflects the Jewish belief that God created the world and that the world is good. Evil is a result of human sinfulness. When people sin, God calls them back through covenants, inviting them to obedient and loving service. Genesis introduces Abraham, the “Father” of all who believe in the true God. Exodus recounts the story of the birth of the Jewish nation as the Hebrews are called out of slavery under the leadership of Moses. Leviticus emphasizes the holy nature of God’s people. Numbers describes the organization of the Jewish nation. Deuteronomy, largely in the form of a sermon attributed to Moses, shows the spirit of love and obedience which should characterize the people of the covenant.