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Zateel · 10-04-2001, 02:38 PM

Yeah, the Bible can be a tough read, especially if you start with "In the beginning...". I've heard that many Bible scholars believe that Mark was the first of the four canonized gospels to be written. This is a great place to start reading. The first four books in the New Testament have much similar information (John has the most information of the four NOT in the other three), then the story picks up in Acts. After that, quite a bit of the rest is the teachings of Paul. A lot of emphasis is put upon The Revelation by many organizations. I would save this one for last if I were you, or at least the last to explore in depth. Revelation chapters 20 and 21 might help you with your original question, though.
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You had mentioned reading in parallel- I assume you mean translations of the Bible? There are a lot of great internet sites available to help you with this free of charge. My favorite is the NIV, for ease of reading. I've heard that the NEB(New English Bible) is one of the most accurate translations retaining meaning from the original texts, and it's also an easy read. The Watchtower (Jehova Witness) Bible, "The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures" is supposed to be a really good literal translation(I've read). Be careful here though, because modern thought and sentence structure (I mean what you first think when you hear a word/sentence) may be different than what the author intends (but who really knows?) In several places, it also offers an alternative punctuation and phrasing, which are really at the translators discression, which offers a new way to look at the same scripture. I'm no JW, so I hope I haven't misrepresented this translation to much. Whatever you do, don't try to read all of Genesis right at first, or you will quit reading the Bible. This part is among the most ancient (along with Job) and parts of it are full of generational charts and war records(BORING!). That along with Noah getting drunk and naked, and cursing his son for covering him up, and Lot being rewarded by getting drunk and having incestuous relations with his two daughters are a lot to chew on when you're trying to contemplate the nature of Christianity.

10-04-2001, 02:38 PM	#45
Zateel Zhentarim Guard Join Date: March 11, 2001 Location: Long Beach, MS Posts: 354	Yeah, the Bible can be a tough read, especially if you start with "In the beginning...". I've heard that many Bible scholars believe that Mark was the first of the four canonized gospels to be written. This is a great place to start reading. The first four books in the New Testament have much similar information (John has the most information of the four NOT in the other three), then the story picks up in Acts. After that, quite a bit of the rest is the teachings of Paul. A lot of emphasis is put upon The Revelation by many organizations. I would save this one for last if I were you, or at least the last to explore in depth. Revelation chapters 20 and 21 might help you with your original question, though. . You had mentioned reading in parallel- I assume you mean translations of the Bible? There are a lot of great internet sites available to help you with this free of charge. My favorite is the NIV, for ease of reading. I've heard that the NEB(New English Bible) is one of the most accurate translations retaining meaning from the original texts, and it's also an easy read. The Watchtower (Jehova Witness) Bible, "The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures" is supposed to be a really good literal translation(I've read). Be careful here though, because modern thought and sentence structure (I mean what you first think when you hear a word/sentence) may be different than what the author intends (but who really knows?) In several places, it also offers an alternative punctuation and phrasing, which are really at the translators discression, which offers a new way to look at the same scripture. I'm no JW, so I hope I haven't misrepresented this translation to much. Whatever you do, don't try to read all of Genesis right at first, or you will quit reading the Bible. This part is among the most ancient (along with Job) and parts of it are full of generational charts and war records(BORING!). That along with Noah getting drunk and naked, and cursing his son for covering him up, and Lot being rewarded by getting drunk and having incestuous relations with his two daughters are a lot to chew on when you're trying to contemplate the nature of Christianity.