Official Bible Discourse Thread

File: 1483827021506.jpg (80KB, 1024x768px) Image search: [Google]

80KB, 1024x768px

You start with the Greeks
You finish with the Bible
Debate me

>>8948168
Which book is the best?

>>8948193
>Read the bible last
>Not reading the the entire western canon after reading the bible so that basically all the idioms and allusions now make sense.

>>8948201
Depends on what you are looking for.

>>8948212
This, desu.

>>8948201
>which book is best
it's not ASOIAF, you can't weigh the books against each other on an even metric like some fantasy series, there are books of song and poetry, history, witness accounts, philosophy, apocrypha, all written over a span of 2500 years by dozens of authors
Ecclesiastes

>>8948328
>Not Romans

nigga...

Reading Genesis right now. Im a little bit disappointed desu. I never read the Bible and was expecting Genesis to be this weird, esoteric creation myth but Adam and Eve only got 2-3 pages of coverage and the rest is simply tracing the lives of Abraham's descendent's. Also why does everyone keep pretending their wife is their sister and getting cucked when no one was actually trying to cuck them in the first place? Its less of a "Genesis" of mankind and more of a "Genesis" of the jewish race. Does the New Testament get better?

Planning on reading:
Exodus
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Daniel
Then the New Testament

Is this a good idea or should I jump straight into the NT? Any OT books Im missing that are essential?

>>8948416
>Its less of a "Genesis" of mankind and more of a "Genesis" of the jewish race.

Really, anon? The Old Testament is strictly about the Jews. You didn't know that?

>>8948422
I knew that but was expecting something different from Genesis, I thought it was entirely about Adam and Eve and would be filled with esoteric symbolism, etc.

>>8948427
Technically speaking, Abraham and all his descendants are Jews, so that means Adam and Eve and Noah were goyim.

>>8948416
Check out the Book of Enoch. Its "non-canon" in the most literal sense, but it has a lot more of the ante-diluvian weirdness you want.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/index.htm

File: 1482490851387.jpg (236KB, 486x648px) Image search: [Google]

236KB, 486x648px

Dunno if this is the thread to ask this or not. But what is the best translation of the good book?

from a literary standpoint what is the best translation? No protty vs Catholic shitposting, I don't care. I just want an accurate and beautiful translation.

>>8948651
>>8948672
>Young's Literal Translation

>>8948201
OT: Ecclesiastes
NT: Romans

>>8948416
>I never read the Bible and was expecting Genesis to be this weird, esoteric creation myth

The Bible consistently treats the Genesis creation narrative as a literal occurrence.

>>8948651
The best translation as literature is the King James Version. The best translation regarding accuracy is a more complex matter. The scholarly "standard" is the NRSV, but this has a liberal bias that purposefully mistranslates the text. Its predecessor the RSV suffers less of this. I would suggest the RSV Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0195283481/

>>8948416
esther is a nice little tale

Ezekiel and Isaiah will have some trippy and interesting stuff in them

>>8948675
Care to expand on that anon? I'm curious as to why. I was looking at getting the English standard version. But I thought I would ask what /lit/ had to say on the matter.

>>8948818
Really? I heard that the King James Version was highly not a good version. Due to King James being a massive douche and killing translators and all that goodness.

>>8948868
>Really? I heard that the King James Version was highly not a good version.

Note that I said best translation as literature. It is the most beautiful, sonorous translation produced in English, and its effect upon the language has been profound. It is a a masterpiece of English literature. That being said, modern scholars would consider it to have an obsolete textual basis and it has several errors of translation (but so do modern translations). I don't think it is accurate to say that it is a bad translation. It just isn't up-to-date with modern research.

>Due to King James being a massive douche and killing translators and all that goodness.

Nothing of that sort occurred. You have been misinformed.

>>8948193
U rite thx

>>8948868
Not that anon, I'm >>8948818 >>8948887

I would not suggest the ESV. It is an accurate, conservative Protestant translation, however it has recently been the subject of controversy. They updated the translation and changed several verses in Genesis to better reflect the translators' view on gender roles. The change was a purposeful warping of the text and drew fire from both conservatives and liberals. More reliable translations along the same line are the NASB (which has a modern textual basis), and the NKJV (which has the older textual basis of the KJV).

>>8948434
>Technically speaking, Abraham and all his descendants are Jews,

erm, no

>>8948887
Well in my defense I am a moron. I guess that all makes sense then from a literature perspective.

File: thebuckster.jpg (5KB, 253x200px) Image search: [Google]

5KB, 253x200px

>tfw Catholic so I never have to read the bible

stay mad protestants

>Tfw too dumb to read the Bible
I think this is why so many people default to nihilism, and atheism.

File: 1435449115169.jpg (285KB, 889x1126px) Image search: [Google]

285KB, 889x1126px

>>8948955
>tfw Catholic and read the Bible everyday

>>8948955
nice bait senpai
although when I was in my /pol/ Catholic phase all I really read was the Gospels, acts, and Romans. After reading Romans I started doubting Catholicism and I couldn't accept protestantism, so I fell away from the faith and started reading /lit/ stuff, became a gommie for a bit, then gave up radical political ideologies and now have nothing to read since the library's hours are fucked on Sunday, saw this thread, and now want to read the bible again without political and religious bias.

>>8948193
old testament
paradise lost
greeks
new testament
paradise regained
augustine

then everything else


prove me wrong

>>8948984
>and now want to read the bible again without political and religious bias.

I tried to do this and lost my faith. The main killer was that the Gospels are irreconcilable with rest of the New Testament (other than perhaps James), and are dependent upon an immediate apocalyptic situation. Consider that the sermon on the mount isn't hyperbolic and you'll see what I mean.

>>8948984
Ok that was bait, but I disagree that Catholicism is /pol/, I think it is a lot more /lit/ than people give it credit for.

File: images.jpg (14KB, 259x194px) Image search: [Google]

14KB, 259x194px

>>8948984
>Reading the Bible to find validation for your political beliefs

>>8948931
>erm, no

Nice retort, you fucking idiot. Read the Bible and then come back here. Until then, fuck off.

>>8949000
Sorry, I didn't mean Catholicism is /pol/ tier, I meant my Catholicism was /pol/ tier. I was an edgy kiddo looking for some radical ideology to attach to avoid grasping the absurdity of life. Catholicism can definitely be /lit/-tier, I mean of course it is /lit/-tier, basically all authors for 1500 years were Catholic. The Church still produces great minds today. I just don't think I am at a point in my life where I can logically make the decision of faith, I still have many doubts, and there are still so many other views/philosophies to be studied before settling down.

>>8949042
No, I totally get you, man. We all have those points in our life.

>>8949042
>logically make the decision of faith
LOL

just take the leap of faith or stay forever pleb

>>8949039
Are Ishmael's descendants all Jews?

File: 1483681204001.gif (3MB, 300x264px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 300x264px

>>8949123
>implying Abraham didn't sever ties with his bastard child

>>8949123
I thought that Muhammad descended from Ishmael.

>>8949164
Islam was conjured by Ishmaelites.

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

264KB, 1234x1200px

>>8948651
objectively pic related

>>8948511
The book of Enoch is heretical, don't fall for it lads.

File: St George Jefferson.png (2MB, 1132x731px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 1132x731px

>>8949190
Tell that to the Ethiopians

>>8949190
Some of the NT authors referenced it iirc.