/lit/ - Literature

>>22611474
yes, the rest explains a lot of what is said, the gospel of John explains who Christ is, and the OT all points to Him and shows Christ.
it's the word of God, it's clear everything is important.

>>22611578
>it's the word of God,
don't be silly

>>22611585
Oh boy here we go ….

>>22611474

Even if you hate Christ with all your heart and mind you shouldn't even just be satisfied reading the Bible from front-to-back. Just reading the Gospels for salvation is like only reading Cioran before you blow your brains out.

>>22611474
St. Paul's letters give us the doctrine of why Christ came and what He accomplished.

The Old Testament describes Christ indirectly.

Both are useful for getting to know God. Paul's letters are useful for learning how to preach and evangelize to others

There are plenty of other things worth reading in the Bible alone for sure.

For example, the Psalms are a mini-Bible in of themselves and contain so many good and useful things that I think you are doing yourself a disservice by not utilizing them. Consider their prominent place in the Office of the Hours and the day-to-day life of the Benedicitine Order: a more spiritual age understood their significance, and thought them worthy of being heard and thought upon frequently.

If Catholicism doesn't appeal, then consider the reading schedule of Martin Luther: he read through the entire Bible twice a year, and would read several Psalms a day. He said of them "I would say what I think of the Psalms in a few words thus: I believe, for my part, that there is no book under heaven, either of histories or examples,
to be compared to the Book of Psalms." and held the lives of the saints cheap in comparison.

As food for thought, consider what else he has to say:

"Though I am a great doctor, I still haven't progressed beyond the instruction of children in the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. I still learn and pray these every day with my Hans and my little Lena.God Who understands in all of its ramifications even the opening words, 'Our Father who art in heaven?' For if I understood these words in faith -that the one who holds heaven and earth in his hand is my father- I would conclude therefore I am lord of heaven and earth, therefore Christ is my brother, therefore all things are mine...."

So there you can see that while we should continue to strive to 'shake every branch' of the Bible to learn from it, we should also recognize that we will never be a master even of the most basic principles to be found there. This mix of sublimity and humility is quite characteristic of the Bible overall, and a welcome reminder of both our own inadequacies and the high-standard to which we are called.

Ecclesiastes
Samuel, Kings, Chronicles 1-2 and Ezra–Nehemiah are historic books pretty interesting.

>>22611841
>>22611841
I’m not being dismissive but what’s the point of these books? Isn’t the Bible the only thing you neee to read ? What can you get from these?

>>22611474
Tempted to say read the Pentateuch but idk how much patience you have for "the fabric of the curtain of the opening in the gate of the tent of the meeting shall be 121 cubits long and 66 cubits... " etc. etc. etc. for a million verses.

If you're really just interested in Christ, I'd say the essential book of Torah is Genesis. You get a good dose of Christological prefigurement: transformative waters, beloved sons, their symbolic deaths, their symbolic resurrections, etc. You get a lot of the important characters--Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph--and some big covenant stuff.

But also it's kinda important to get some Moses and some David because the Old Testament is always looking for a new Moses and a new David, and New Testament is constantly affirming that Jesus is that guy, sooo idk maybe toss in the rest of Pentateuch after all plus the Books of Samuel and the Books of Kings

but also the prophets... and read the Psalms and read Ecclesiastes...

read the whole damn thing lol

>>22613859
Some people are afraid of looking stupid if they believe the original so they need other “educated” readers telling them “yeah man believe, the Bible is the best, trust me”

>>22611578
Why can't I just add something to the Bible and say it's the word of God?

>>22611474
Why wouldn’t you read John? It’s the most beautifully written of the gospels and has some of the best stuff, like the Bread of Life discourse? Also, there are plenty of Old Testament books worth reading. You may get all you need to know about Christ from the gospels (I don’t think so, since you wouldn’t understand the context for the messiah, but for the sake of argument, I’ll grant it), but there are books in the OT that are just great on their own. Examples include Job, Ecclesiastes, many of the Psalms, Song of Songs, etc.

>>22611474
Is reading the bible gay? I don't want people to think I'm gay.

It is necessary to read the Pentateuch to understand Christ's role as the fulfillment of what had been foretold previously. Moreover, there are many prophecies that are yet to come to pass that are necessary for understanding God's glory.

Every book is good for instruction. If you understand the teaching of Christ you know it was necessary even for him to be familiar with these books. Basically what this guy >>22613910 said lol.

>>22614127
No, there is nothing gya bout reading the book which in great unnecessary detail describes the cocks of a men being as large as of a donkey, and their cum being as many as from a horse. That is a very moral and straight book

>>22611474
>>22611474
What’s the best way to read the Bible for the first time?

Someone told me for the first time I should get a study bible and then after I’m done to reread a regular bible

Skip new testament. Go straight from Tanakh to Talmud.

>>22615595
the rabbis are unironically really helpful for untangling the tough bits of the Pentateuch

>>22611841
What else should I read before blowing my brains out?

>>22614882

Ask fifty people this question and you'll get fifty different answers.

There's no real right or wrong way as long as you are comfortable with what you are doing and can meaningfully retain their information. The New Testament is by far the most important to your day -to-day life in the modern era, so I would place a premium on studying and understanding what you find there. I've heard negative opinions regarding some of the structured reading plans you can find on the internet, but that doesn't mean they are totally worthless if it gets you to stay on track.

Don't feel rushed: It is a sublime subject, so of course you will feel overwhelmed at first. If you read something you don't comprehend or get upset by, try to treat it like a mystery you need to solve rather than a dead-end.

There are endless options out there in terms of versions/commentaries and so on, but it's difficult to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each without proper research and experience. My advice is to get started reading anything rather than nothing, and remember that everyone who wants to give you an opinion on these matters including myself has their roots in one theological camp or another.

I hope you will enjoy your reading experience, and best wishes on your journey.

>>22614882
Preferably from left to right, increasing the pages on the left as you decrease them on the right.

>>22611841
how the fuck is foucalt's pendulum trad? which retard made this chart?

>>22612387
>If Catholicism doesn't appeal, then consider the reading schedule of Martin Luther: he read through the entire Bible twice a year
obviously didnt help him to understand it

>>22615595
>your brain on rabbinic judaism
this is how they fool people.
>>22615638
samefag

>>22614882
OSB is a nice one.
use Biblehub to compare complicated verses and look at more commentary and the originals.
also recc the One for Israel channel, especially their 'answering rabbinical objections' series; they're jewish Christians who have videos on testimonies of believers and converts, discussions on Scripture, and this series i mention addresses the rabbinical arguments against Christianity. curiously, they're verbatim what you'd hear from a fedora in 4chan.
it'll help clear up a bunch of the first few doubts that pop up.

for an order that may help, i find doing it like so quite good:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, John, Epistles, OT, Revelation.

anything that seems complicated, that makes a doubt pop up in your head, or that you feel you didn't understand, be very industrious in ironing it out.
try a few different sources to not have any false teachers reel you in; you get better at it with time, learning more and more.
check commentary, originals, outright explanations in sites like gotquestions (careful, calvinist slant) and the like.
i find the order i put them in best: commentary and other translations/originals, and if that didn't clear it up, searches. also good to search to make sure you got it right.

>>22615947
Wow