So how do I go about reading this? I assume just reading it straight

> Start reading Bible
> After a couple pages remember, that billions of people take it literally and actually believe this crap to be the absolute truth.
> Billions of people think they know all about natural and supernatural entities.
> Dropped

It's definitely worth reading. It's easy to be put off by a shitty edition. Get the NRSV bible. It's the academic standard.

Each book is prefaced by a historical introduction. They're typically really well done, and the entire thing is assembled by top-shelf scholars. All that aside, the translation is fluid, and it's actually a pleasure to read.

I was raised an atheist, so the first time I ever read any of the bible was through my classical Greek classes in undergrad. It was really fun stuff to read in Greek, so that's when I read it in English. I got started with the King James edition, which besides being full of translation errors is just written in the most laborious prose, before I picked up the NRSV.

If you still find it chewy it might be helpful to get the oxford companion to the bible. Used copies are cheap on amazon. The prefaces and footnotes of the NRSV should be enough to make sense of everything though.

>>8582471
I just looked at my actual edition - it's the New Oxford Annotated Bible (College Edition), which is a more academic (highly footnoted) version of the NRSV translation.

>>8582379
The Jerusalem Bible is the standard annotated for Catholics, which can be found in most languages and Ignatius Press has the English version. About 1/4 of the whole edition are annotations and they provide insight into the historical situation, interpretation and way it was translated. Highly recommended.

>>8582471
>New Oxford Annotated Bible
as we're on /lit/, would you still recommend the NRSV over the King James Bible for an understanding of the Bible's influence on Western literature?

I'm going to start soon, so want to know which version to pick up.

>>8582489
KJ didn't have an influence on world literature, it had influence on English language literature of protestants since it was published. Literature is much larger than that.

>>8582489
Yeah. That other anon recommended the Jerusalem Bible, and that sounds cool too. Get anything but the King James. It's just terrible.

The Bible which influenced the western canon was overwhelmingly St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate, and after the renaissance, the Greek editions of the old and new testaments. The English bible has had comparatively little influence.

Most intellectuals, up into the 20th century, read the bible in Latin or Greek, not English or whatever vernacular. So I say go with a pleasurable English read rather than something archaic just for its own sake.

>>8582511
That makes sense, but surely just knowing the stories and ideas of the Bible, even if you use a "modern" version, would help you understand references in a lot of literature, right?

While there are errors in translation, the story of say, the tower of Babylon has the same meaning no matter which version you read, correct?

>>8582576
Yeah, exactly. The stories are much easier to make sense of if you're reading a more recent translation, like NRSV or Jerusalem Bible. And at the end of the day, it's all about the stories. Most people don't give many shits about philological minutiae.

File: 41-ewbLeUrL._SX359_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg (27KB, 361x499px) Image search: [Google]

27KB, 361x499px

>>8582594
So would this edition (off of Amazon) be a good one to pick up? It's the NRSV edition, with the introduction to each book as you mentioned, as well as footnotes and annotations.

Also, is this what you meant by Oxford companion?

>>8582440
literally Plebbit: the post

>>8582607
not that guy, but that is the best bible in english

>>8582607
Yeah, that's the one.

Oxford companion is this:
https://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Bible-Companions/dp/0195046455

It's basically a biblical dictionary. For example, you're reading Genesis and you're like "who the fuck is Melchizedek?" Can look it up there.

You can read the Bible without commentary and begin to understand Christ and the Lord better, but if you are wishing to be more informed and alerted to 'significant' events or the truth, then yes, a study Bible is good.

Naturally however, these all have a slant of what they espouse to be true. I read from the MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV, and I study from it an hour a day. I can't fault it really, but I wouldn't.

And yes, the Bible is worth reading. It is a beautiful exposition of the languages of Earth if nothing else - exactly as intended, I would add.

File: Christianity.png (3MB, 2560x2739px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 2560x2739px

Side question: does anyone have a MEGA folder with the collected books in this image? Would be appreciated.

>>8583191
Seeing WLC there triggeres me so much

File: lattimore_newtestament.jpg (264KB, 1234x1200px) Image search: [Google]

264KB, 1234x1200px

>reading any other NT translation than pic related

This, plus NSRV for the old testament is good.

KJV is also essential reading.

>>8583209
I missed you Lattimoreposter

>>8583232
I just want people to read it, senpai.

It's actually incredible.

>>8583199
>WLC

What's that?

>>8583381
William Lane Craig. Shit tier apologetics.

>>8582626
>>>/pol/

>>8583454
OK

File: 1399966930175.jpg (37KB, 409x407px) Image search: [Google]

37KB, 409x407px

It's so fucking boring /lit/. I tried to read it. But it's so boring. The study version doesn't help with that. And I ultimately just don't care.

>>8583577
Then you're a reprobate, like many and like I was. I hope you turn to Christ for your own sake.

>>8583577
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

read this instead, feel free to jump around if you start to feel bored

otherwise just read the gospels, jesus they are like a novella and three of them basically just say the same thing, then acts and revelations and you are more or less good to go

>>8583623
What a load of fucking bullshit. Namefags are always the worst sort.

The fact you haven't mentioned Genesis, Job, Isaiah or even the Romans shows you barely bothered reading the Bible in the first place. Stop shitting up the board.

>>8583632
>the Romans

>>8583632
The Old Testament is Jew shit.

>>8583634
I was going to write the book of Exodus but changed my mind after listing off three Old Testament books.

>>8583636
Back to your containment board please. I don't want this board removing because japmoot thinks you're our kind.

>>8583577
OP here. I just started reading the version I posted an image off, and I for one find it interesting as fuck. Especially the interweaving of priestly style texts with earlier oral tradition based texts, and the whole symmetry of it, the legal speak, the intertwined prose and poetry, it's really, really good, and this is all coming from an atheist.

Top tier book so far.

>>8583191
>mfw no "thus spoke zarathustra"

>>8583659
I was reading the KJV so I'm sure that didn't help.

Are you talking about the Old or New testament

>>8583668
Old testament, I'm reading this:
>>8582607

Just got through the ~50 pages of introductory material, and I'm working through the chapters of Genesis now, once just reading it through, and then another time looking at the notes as I go along.

>>8583632
booo, stodgy old testament books can flip the heck off, namebros forever anons never

the gospel era of the levant is like the small islamic detour you later take through the history of western civilization, no need to dally there reading up on mosaic code and tribe history, you could read romans if you wanted but it's not required

>>8583623
Thanks

>>8582639
>>8582726
I've been looking into this edition as well, but I've read there's some minor controversy about changes made from the third to the fourth editions. Should I avoid the fourth edition?

got a kjv when i was in london a few months back

pretty nice aesthetically


>>8583688
>not enjoying biblical history

>>8583191
https://mega.nz/#!QoRGARhZ!sKun_Jw7izZcNYngYvfs_90Wi6obUcialZf80c2DTYg

a few are missing

>>8583688
>flip the heck off

kek

>>8584416
Thank you

>>8582511

>Get anything but the King James. It's just terrible.

delete this

>>8584416
Amazing, thanks. You wouldn't have a MEGA with the greeks and/or romans, would you?

>>8583271
Is it actually an accurate translation though? I've never even heard of it.

>So how do I go about reading this? I assume just reading it straight through with no commentary is a bad idea. Are study bibles a good option?
Some people might disagree, but because the Bible is composed of many books, you can really just read the most significant ones and then continue from there. Reading the entire Old Testament from start to finish is not easy and you'll probably just give up. However, it is essential to understand the things that God said and did in the Old Testament because it is absolutely vital to the entire purpose of the New Testament.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs and Isaiah are probably the most important in the Old Testament.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, Ephesians and Hebrews are important in the New Testament.
Obviously there's a lot of important stuff in the rest of the Bible. In Christianity, the entire Biblical canon is "God-breathed" or "spoken by God".
As for study Bibles, you can do that. You could also do your research on the internet. I guess I'm biased but Protestant/Calvinist/reformed sources are the most reliable. Bruce Gore and James White are excellent scholars and they both have a whole bunch of videos on Youtube.

>Also, is reading this even worth it? I've heard statements like this being the basis for a lot of modern western civilization, and other great works referencing this. Are these things true?
Yes. The Bible is literally the most important book of all time, and I don't think that will ever change.
By the way, the ESV and NRSV are good translations.

Take it all with a grain of salt and then realise that with no other sources people take it as literal fact.

What a nightmare.

>>8582379
Start with the new testament, read the entire thing. Also when reading about Paul's journey, take a map and see where he went. It helps in understanding the spread of Christian influence

>>8582440
>>8585775
>I have a surface level understanding of the Bible and all of my knowledge of it comes directly from atheistic echo chambers

>>8585825

>I believe in God

Isn't it time to tithe your hard-earned money?

>>8585627
Lattimore is known for his accuracy. He translates it without the pretensions of a biblical scholar or the baggage of dogma. He does an excellent job, as he did with Homer.

>>8585671
Fuck Leviticus

>>8584416
>all those PDFs

oh well thanks anyways

>>8582379
am reading this now too. i read 'a very short introduction to the bible' and it had some great stuff about where the biblical canon came from/difference between septuagint, etc. i'd recommend that, and i'm picking up some other reference books - will let you know if they're any good. if you just started and think it's interesting, you may want to temper your expectations: leviticus is boring as fuck

>>8587484
leviticus is horrible. i went to israel last year on birthright and one of the kids on my trip's last name was katz, which apparently they take to mean he is one of the cohim (sp?) of the tribe of levi. so when we visited cemeteries and shit he had to wait on the bus because he needed to remain pure.

>>8587561
Oy vey shut it down

>>8582379
>I assume just reading it straight through with no commentary is a bad idea.

Yeah you're not going to get much out of it by doing that. These books are very difficult to understand even if you are knowledgeable of history and Jewish literary tradition so you'll definitely want to get some study guides, or better yet, join a study group.

File: jewing starts early.png (47KB, 583x279px) Image search: [Google]

47KB, 583x279px

>>8582379
I'm reading the King James version now. I read along with the audio on the web page. I pause and google odd terms and in particular, places as they come up.

I've found among the unknown things there is a great divergence of opinion. So I'd hesitate to recommend an annotated original, lest you accidentally wed yourself to its interpretations.

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/

Frankly shocked at how antisemitic it is. Didn't they write this thing?

I'm only up to Leviticus though.

>>8587484
I sort of agree with you, but if there were a surviving manual of sacrificing bulls to Zeus I would cream over it. So I'm trying to see it more as ancient than autistic.

It depends on what your goals are. If you are someone exploring Christianity (new believer or just curious) I would start with the Gospel of John. If you just want to read the whole thing for some other reason, gl;hf. I'm not going to say don't read it, but going cover to cover probably won't work without some sort of motivation.

Try not to think of the Bible as one book. It's more like a small library, containing different books, of different genres that should be approached differently.

Also like other people have pointed out, reading it on your own will be hard at times (especially some Old Testament stuff) because you probably lack the knowledge about the culture at the time. For example: ancient Israel was quite liberal in terms of their laws on slavery. But some people will say 'ah but they still had slavery, so they and God are bad', but they don't consider that Israel was meant to stand apart from the nations surrounding it, and compared to them, Israel was pretty liberal.

As for version, I would recommend New International Version (NIV) or the English Standard Version (ESV). Some people will say King James Version (KJV), but it can be hard to understand if you're not familiar with the writing style.


Failing that, you could pick up a children's picture Bible and learn the stories that way. I had one as a kid, and while it didn't go through the books as they really are, it illustrated all of the stories. If you just want to read for readings sake and to read the stories themselves, and aren't as interesting about learning about Christianity, that might be your best bet.

>>8587484
why? It was crucial in establishing the Kingdom of Israel.

>>8587888

It is the dullest book in the bible. Fuck the first 5 books as far as I'm concerned.

>>8587891
Access to a 2500+ year old book does nothing for you? It's no Iliad, but still...

>>8587891
>Fuck the first 5 books as far as I'm concerned
Again, they establish Judaism as an entire religion. Yeah Leviticus can be dull, but so is the U.S.C. It's still important.

Of course, it depends on why you are reading the Bible, but to disregard the books that are the foundation for the largest religions in the world...?

>>8587918

I don't like reading them, I'm not telling you to ignore them you retard.

>>8588021
>fuck the first 5 books

You'll have to forgive me, that sounds a lot like you're saying they should be disregarded.

>>8588028

That's because you're probably on the spectrum.

>>8588031
What's wrong anon, you sound upset about something?

>>8588047

It's almost like you're trying to make up for an inability to read the emotions of people in real life by trying to demonstrate the ability to read it in text. Did I touch a nerve with a spectrum comment?

>>8588056
No, I'm just wondering what was done to upset you. Why the insults?

>>8588061

Whenever you fuck up online and start feeling like an ass you just have to accuse the other person of being mad. That's what every idiot does on here.

>>8588068
Right, but wouldn't everyone benefit from striving to a higher standard?

>>8588073

What does that even mean?

open yale courses

jill stein does one of them and i swear to god she drops her pants and spreads her butthole and makes it so i can't stop cumming.

>>8588068
they otta change your name to leftovers cause you're always getting heated up

>>8582379
Read the first five, wisdom books, gospels, paul.

Give it a charitable read like you do any book, no autistic shit. Read it for what it is the bible a holy book inspired by god. You don't pick up Shakespeare to check out his westernly influence or to see what elizabethan times were like or to pick out inconsistencies or treat it like it's just a story etc etc etc etc etc etc

Then there is a whole world of commentaries, books, thinkers, etc

>>8588080
link

File: 6.jpg (12KB, 258x245px) Image search: [Google]

12KB, 258x245px

>>8585931
>Christianity is a scam to take people's money

>>8587484
The first 5 books are too important to skip

>>8582607
I got that one, recommended to me personally by a ton of theologians/priests. It's got maps, good intros.

I'd also try to get a hold of Foundations of Christianity by Karl Kautsky.

>>8582379

OP

I tried to read through this thread, but it just made me angry. So I stopped reading what other people we're telling you to do, because its aggravating.

If you read any translation other than the KJV, your just wasting your time. People that don't get the KJV to make sense, aren't capable of understanding Christian doctrine anyway. If you read a translation other than the KJV you will get the doctrine horribly wrong, and have zero interaction with real Christian doctrine.

If the KJV sounds foreign to your "Christian" tradition, or fundamental understanding of what it means to be "Christian", that's because it is foreign to your mangled traditional 'simplifications'.

Even Christopher Hitchens, who was an atheist said the KJV was beautiful. Not that he paid enough time piecing together the doctrine and its philosophical edifice, which was probably destroyed by his 'traditionally minded' education that robbed Christopher of a proper evaluation of the Scripture.

If you are serious about reading the Bible, you can do one of two things, read it with open eye's, and grappling with what everything might mean, in the broadest sense of the word imparted: tracking the open questions to find finer delineation through further treatments of similar aspects of the philosophy.

Otherwise you might find it useful to get a hold of a very old, and very long bible concordance, preferably written by someone who was alive well before any of the world wars.

If you haven't read the KJV, you haven't read the bible, the religion is obsessed with Epistemology, no one has yet to be prove themselves more qualified at understanding the depth of doctrine than the author of the KJV.

Watch all these youtube videos on the matter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_EXpUDP-i0

>>8588694
same guy here...

I realize that my opinion goes a lot further than the youtube video that I indicated for you to watch. I'm okay with that.

My understanding of doctrine is the Gospel if Christ is far more onerous than the simplified version that the guy makes in ep1. Gospel is not about believing in a story, that 'story', is more like a psychological analogy, which you will understand more directly if you read the books of John in the KJV (and Corinthians and Ephesians).

>>8588712
same guy still...

Yeah, I guess I want to distinguish my personal opinion, which is not that there must be only one perfect translation, but that there is only one translation that currently exists that has a viable doctrine (that isn't an obvious man-made fraud). The KJV preserves the full might of the philosophical strength of the Scriptures, which are impossible to find in other translations (because of the oversimplified language used). Because the KJV gives enough details to seem confusing, when you bring together all the relevant pieces of doctrine, its capable of rendering the full picture. Shortcuts will only result in subtle forms of idol worship, that will be confused with "religious devotion" to particular expressions of 'scriptural' language.

>>8588366
More like christianity is a scam to take people's joy to live.

>>8585825
Most people who follow the faith have a surface level understanding of the Bible
The Bible is meant to be interpreted metaphorically, not literally. The miracles and events that happen are meant to be examined and thought about, but most people just say "I believe this," and don't ever interpret it for themselves.
That's my only problem with it.

It matters mostly what type of books you're reading in the bible. There's history, poetic, prophetic. Choose the category that most interests you then read those books first. Before reading each book do some quick research to see who wrote it and find a little bit of history about the book. For example, if a book is just a journal written by many people that are complaining to God, it's important to understand that before reading it.

>>8582440
You should go back to r/lit immediately

>>8588750
What you call joy is a perversion.

OT: ROBERT ALTER
NT: RICHARD LATTIMORE

>>8588750
Christianity gives you literally the greatest joy imaginable. What could be better than knowing there is an all powerful God who cares about, loves, and is watching out for you?

I know there are verses that say it will be hard to follow Christ, but you can ask any believer, and they will tell you that no mater how hard it gets, no matter how fun the destructive actions of the world seem, they would not give up their relationship with God for anything.

>>8589203

Just seems like cunts can't deal with the threat of mortality.

>>8588751
>The Bible is meant to be interpreted metaphorically, not literally.

Is the resurrection meant to be a metaphor?

>>8589236
Not him but the resurrection of christ i believe in literally. but most of the bible must be interpreted as metaphors.

>>8589236
http://biblehub.com/john/10-37.htm

>>8590232
>most of the bible must be interpreted as metaphors
>must

Your God is too small

>>8590267
Quiet, Abdullah

>>8588694
>real Christian doctrine.

Don't you need to be able to read Koine Greek to really talk about biblical doctrine?

Anything else seems like a waste.

>>8588739
>>8588712
>>8588694
OP here. I appreciate that you took the time to write all that, and I can certainly see why it is important for someone who takes the Bible to be perfect to not have a tampered edition, but I do _not_ believe the Bible is perfect and I do not believe in God. I'm reading the Bible because of its importance as a great work, its influence on literature, art, and music, and culture in general, and the way it's used as a basis of much of modern civilization. Not because I believe.

>>8588990
This is the best post in the thread. Everything else is noise.

>>8588694
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_EXpUDP-i0 [Embed]

Are they serious? What a joke.