On what seemed at first to be an arbitrary date, October 1st of this year, one week ago, I picked up my Bible and started to read it from the beginning, from Genesis Chapter 1. Okay, I did not exactly "pick up" my Bible; I opened it on my Kindle iPhone app and started to read. After one week I am exactly halfway through Genesis, reading about who begat whom, who slew his brother and those insanely long lives of Adam, Noah and their sons. If you can get through these genealogical lists, there are a lot of pretty remarkable stories.
I elected to not establish a date by which I will finish the read-through. I want this experience to take as long as is necessary for me to become completely immersed in the scriptures. I also chose a new translation (new for me): the Douay–Rheims Catholic Bible. This selection had less to do with my own specific Roman Catholic origins as with my desire to read the most complete version of the Bible on which I could lay my hands (again, digitally speaking). There can be found in the Catholic versions more books than in any other canon, the result of squabbles through the millennia over which writings are considered legitimate (and by whom). Depending on the scriptural, and political, leanings of the respective church authorities, certain books are left out of some Protestant versions (the Maccabean stories, for example) that are part of the Catholic canon.
Okay, enough of the stuffy academics. Back to my point; if I can remember what it was...
Oh! Right! Reading the Bible. I have no expectations or preconceptions as to how long this endeavor will take me. It will take as long as it takes. I do know one thing; had I not started this reading exercise I would not now be sitting here banging out this blog entry. In other words, the first outcome of this endeavor is this blog.
It will be most interesting to see what else unfolds.
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share a Prayer? tab and send it my way. I will respond.
Have a wonderful day!
I elected to not establish a date by which I will finish the read-through. I want this experience to take as long as is necessary for me to become completely immersed in the scriptures. I also chose a new translation (new for me): the Douay–Rheims Catholic Bible. This selection had less to do with my own specific Roman Catholic origins as with my desire to read the most complete version of the Bible on which I could lay my hands (again, digitally speaking). There can be found in the Catholic versions more books than in any other canon, the result of squabbles through the millennia over which writings are considered legitimate (and by whom). Depending on the scriptural, and political, leanings of the respective church authorities, certain books are left out of some Protestant versions (the Maccabean stories, for example) that are part of the Catholic canon.
Okay, enough of the stuffy academics. Back to my point; if I can remember what it was...
Oh! Right! Reading the Bible. I have no expectations or preconceptions as to how long this endeavor will take me. It will take as long as it takes. I do know one thing; had I not started this reading exercise I would not now be sitting here banging out this blog entry. In other words, the first outcome of this endeavor is this blog.
It will be most interesting to see what else unfolds.
Reminder: if you have a prayer need, please click on the Share a Prayer? tab and send it my way. I will respond.
Have a wonderful day!
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