How to Read the Bible

What Hacker News says

1. verbifyMay 2023
   'How To Read The Bible' by James Kugel (of Harvard University) is great for Judaism and Christianity. It goes through the history of how the text was interpreted - both critically/historically and how religious people interpret it.
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2. verbifyNov 2021
   Even if you understand the Hebrew, much of the original meaning has been lost. I'd recommend Kugel 'How to read the Bible' for this.
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3. jcardenJan 2015
   On this topic, you may want to check out How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now by James Kugel. It provides a historical overview of how the implicit and explicit interpretations of the old testament narratives have changed with respect to scholarship. Great read.

   http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-Guide-Scripture/dp/0743...

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4. gverriMar 2024
   You have two options:

   1- You teach people critical thinking and how to read the Bible within the historical context.

   or

   2- You assume a lot of guess work as facts that support your already pre-conceived opinions and hide the fact that you are possibly wrong.

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5. kcartlidgeMar 2022
   There are countless opinions/suggestions on how to read the Bible (and the same applies to the Qu'ran for example).

   If you are totally new to the Bible the important thing is probably to try and get enough from it at the start that you'll be interested enough to continue. I've read it through many times and some/much of it is pretty impenetrable, obscure, and even dull.

   So from this perspective, and note that this isn't a great sequence theologically, I'd go with the book of Acts, the gospel of John, the books of Proverbs and Psalms, and then the letters of John.

   As for which versions of the Bible, avoid older ones like the King James (KJV, NKJV) or Revised Standard (RSV, ASV, NRSV); the archaic language and structure will be off-putting. I'd perhaps go with the Contemporary English Version (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+1&version=...) but the linked page will let you see the various translations of the same text using a drop-down.

   There is no one ideal version of the Bible but personally I'd avoid any translation used by a single denomination or sect such as the NWT - which is produced by the Jehovah's Witnesses, and I'm meaning this not as a judgement regarding the organisation but as an example of a group whose translation has alternative readings at various doctrinal points (eg the trinity) and it is not worth getting sidetracked by theological disagreements at this stage.

   Whatever route you choose be prepared for a hard slog as a casual reader.

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