Reading and Understanding the Bible - An Introduction

The Bible - a collection of writings gathered together from across the centuries containing some history of the world and the Jewish people, some poetry, prophecy (writng directly inspired by G-d through the medium of a person), some of the known teachings of Jesus Christ, and a history of the beginnings of the Christian church.

To millions around the world the Bible is much more than just a collection. The Bible is to them the inspired Word of God - an actual living book whose words hold power and authority at all times and one of the means through which God influences us and his creation.

The Bible consists of two basic sections - the Old Testament and the New Testament. The "Old" are the scriptures of the Jews and the "New" the scritpures of the Christians. The Jewish Bible is strictly the Old Testament while the Christian Bible contains both the "Old" and the "New." The Catholic Bible contains all that is in the Christian (or Protestant) Bible plus some additional books not recognized as "inspired" by the Jews and Protestants.

The Jewish Bible

The Jewish Bible is referred to by the Jewish people by a variety of names - Scriptures, Torah, Tanakh to name several. In the Jewish faith the word Torah usually refers to the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy)which are also known as the Five Books of Moses or in the Greek as the Pentateuch. Torah is also used to refer to the entire Bible and sometimes to the entire compendium of religious works of the Jewish faith.

The religious works of Judaism consist primarily of the Old Testament, which includes the five books of Moses, the books of the Prophets, and the Writings (history, Psalms, Proverbs and some other books). The Old Testament recounts the story of Creation through the time the Jews returned to Israel after their exile by the Babylonians in the 6th century B.C.

Other works include the Midrash, which is a collection of stories and legends about characters and events in the Bible and the Mishnah, which is a collection of "laws" based on the laws and instructions in the Bible. The Talmud is the other major work which is basically a collection of opinions and discussions on the events and laws of the Bible. In the Midrash and the Talmud are parts of what the Jewish people refer to as the "Oral Law." It is believed that Moses, when writing the first five books of the Bible also transmitted much of the revelation he received in an oral form which has been handed down through the generations. Much of this oral tradition has been lost, but much remains in the aforementioned forms.

The basic difference between Jews and Christians is the Christian belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of G-d and the promised Messiah to Israel. Because of this, the Jews do not subscribe to the New Testament.

Christian Bible

The Christian Bible is made up of the Old Testament and the New testament. The New Testament consists of the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each of which contain accounts of the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth and his ascension into Heaven. The balance of books in the New Testament offer history of the beginning of the faith and the inspired writings of the Apostle Paul, who received special revelation from the ascended Jesus and was the principal missionary who spread the Gospel to the world. The Gospel is the message of Jesus or in Paul's words the good news about:

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." (Acts 10:38)"

Since Jesus was a Jew and a follower of the Torah, the Old Testament is indispensable to the Christian faith and is held in the same regard as the New Testament as the revealed word of G-d.

The Catholic Bible differs slightly only in that it includes more writings which are not held by the Jews or Protestants to be "revealed" or "inspired." Interestingly, the story of the Jewish holiday of Hannukah can be found in the Catholic Bible in the book of Maccabees, which is not included in the Jewish canon of sacred writings.

It is important to approach the Bible correctly. There is much debate as to whether every word is meant to be taken literally, or whether it is a giant fable with "life truths", or merely myth. Some say it is written directly by G-d through various authors and others say it is written by various authors period.

There can be much scholarly debate as to whether books were written then lost, then found and re written and whether later authors added to early authors and if one book was fragmentary so a later author picked up the story and on and on. All of that is very good for scholars and anyone interested. The story of how the Bible was written, compiled and survived across the millenia is a fascinating and a powerful testament to the faith of believers and the faith of G-d.

But, for those discovering the Old Testament for the first time there is a much simpler way to approach the book. Just pick it up and read it like you would any other book - with an open mind and with the realization that some of the stories are meant to be taken literally while others are meant to be a metaphor or allegory.

The Old testament has history in narrative form; there is poetry. What is important is to understand that different literary styles are used because the Old testamnet spans centuries and has many different writers. The "Chronicler" wrote about the history of Kind David and Solomon, while the Prophets try to present their visions of undescribable spiritual attainments in a form that makes sense to the human mind, and the psalmist describes G-d flying on the wings of the wind - not his preferred method of transportation, but a way to describe G-d's grandeur. For those passages that do not make sense, try to understand that there is a reason they exist and that you must then go learn and try to discover why.

The Bible invites discovery and as you explore and learn you find that there is an answer for most things that appear strange or unreliable or that just don't make sense. This is where patience plays a role. The Bible treats time in a manner that is different from modern ways of thinking, for example. Events are discussed and then are discussed again at a later time, often making literal time lines difficult. This all stylistic.

Overall, throughout the Scriptures there is a point of view and that is that G-d is beyond the description of any word a human can write and beyond anyone's comprehension, yet he wishes for us to discover who He is and for us to live our lives in a way that allows us to exercise our free will and come close to Him.

Learning the truths of the Scriptures and living by them allow you to reach G-d and for Him to reach you.

The Old Testament has a certian point of view, especially the first five Books of Moses. The story of the Bible does tell the stroy of Creation and the establishment of nations but it's singular focus is the establishment of the nation of Israel - the story of the Jews as the Chosen people. There is certainly nothing special about the Jews compared to any other group of people, as they are not a race, but a religion, and a religion of many races as converts are always welcome. However, the five books, the Torah, are really only concerned with one family from which the nation of Israel and the Jews are founded and that is because the Torah (let's say the Law and Word of G-d) it is said in a Midrash (see above) was offered to all the nations but that the Jews were the only ones to willingly accept it and then live by it.

Because of the Torah's point of view, events of huge magnitude go by in a sentence or two. This is where the Bible invites you to learn more - to go learn history or science and fill in the blanks.

The Old Testament ends its basic story around 600 BC after the Persian Empire conquered the Babylonians and allowed the Jews in captivity there to return to Israel. The New testament begins during the ascension of the Roman Empire.

The first four books are known as the Gospels and tell the story of Jesus and his ministry - a small period of time when Jesus of Nazareth was about 32 - 33 years in age and then a little about his birth.

The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each tell the same story and include some of the teachings of Jesus, but each has it's own point of view. Luke tells the story with much historical detail while John tells us more of the deep spritual side of Jesus and his personage as the Son of G-d. The four Gospels harmonize by giving a complete view on the person of Jesus.

Much of the teachings of Jesus are strange and hard to understansd as they are told in Parables. Once again the Bible dares you to learn more.

Most of the New Testament concerns itself with the writings of Paul. Paul was a member of the Jewish religious authority known as the Pharisees and a persecutor of the new Christian faith that began after the death and resurrection of Jesus. While traveling to Damascus he was struck with blinding revelation from Jesus from Heaven. Paul then dedicated his life to spreading the word that Jesus was the Messiah promised to the Jewish people and the means for salvation for the entire world. Paul writes in varuious letters to churches he founded explaining the meanings behind much of the prophecy of the Old Testament and how it all foretold of the coming of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. He also expounds on the teachings and personage of Jesus as the Son of G-d.

Though there is much to discuss about the New Testament, the personage of Jesus, his resurrection from death and the like this lens is primarily about a basic approach to reading and understanding the Bible, not an in depth discusssion on theology. Though many people want to suggest that Jesus was simply a teacher who was condemned to death by the Roman authorities for claiming to be the King of the Jews and their Messiah and that his followers stole and hid his body or that the resurrection never really happened, most historians do agree that on the day of the alleged resurrection - the tomb was empty.

The Message of the New Testament is simply understanding that accepting Jesus Christ (the Anointed One and His Anointing, the Messiah) as your saviour allows your sins to be forgiven and puts you in a right relationship with G-d. This is a free gift offered to you by G-d. Jesus is the doorway to a life in the Kingdom of Heaven - a kingdom that exists spiritually here on earth.

Some rules from the Sages of Israel on how to gain meaning from the text:

The TORAH is said to be clothed in garments. One must approach it as a person dressed in clothes. A person is not just the clothes they weark, though. Remove the clothing and you see a person in their skin. Peel away the skin and you find muscles and tissue. Go deeper and you find the organs, etc.

The Bible is like this in that there are many layers of meaning. In Judaism, the Torah is often referred to as the Pardes - an acronym:

Peshat = Literal meaning;
Remez = Allegorical meaning
Derash = Moral or homiletic meaning
Sod = Mystical or anagogic meaning

And in this context here are some general rules to remember when reading and understanding the text:

Through a conclusion inferred from a lenient law to a more severe one.

Through similar words in a different context are meant to clarify one another

Through a general principle derived from one verse, and a general principle derived from two verses

Through a general statement limited by a specification

Through a specification broadened by a general statement

Through a general statement followed by a specification followed, in turn by another general statement - you can only infer whatever is similar to the specification.

When a general statement requires a specification or a specification requires a general statement to clarify its meaning

Anything that was included in a general statement, but was then singled out from the general statement in order to teach something, was not not singled out to teach only about itself, but to apply its teaching to the entire generality.

Anything that was included in a general statement, but was then singled out from the general statement to discuss a provision similar to the general category, has been singled out to be more lenient rather than more severe.

Anything that was included in a general statement, but was then singled out to discuss a provision not similar to the general category, has been singled out both to be more lenient, and not more severe.

Anything that was included in a general statement, but was then singled out to be treated as a new case, cannot be returned to its general statement unless Scripture returns it explicitly to its general statement.

A matter elicidated from its context or from the following passage.

Two passages that contradict each other -- until a third passage comes to reconcile them.

A pious Jew once told an intellectual: I envy you. While you think all day about G-D I think about myself. The intellectual went away satisfied with
the compliment bestowed upon him by so learned a man, until it dawned upon him the true meaning in the Jew's words: The Jew is absolutely convinced
that G-D exists, therefor he spends his day thinking about himself: Do I exist? Why do I exist? The intellectual, on the other hand, is convinced that he exists; he questions whether G-D exists!

Lubavitcher Rebbe, Shlita
Published by Vaad Hanochos Hatmimim

One thing to remember, though it might not make much sense in the beginning is that the Bible is considered to be a living entity. It's the active WORD of God at work in the universe. When you first start your study that is something you may not believe - but check the Library of Congress and see what I mean.

So which Bible do you pick to read? The one that is comfortable for you. The best translation for most speaking English is the King James Version and its derivatives. After that, you will find that you may want to read different meaningful versions, but to begin, pick a translation close to that. There is a list to buy from in the next module or you may use an online version in the module after that.

There is much debate about translations - and most is quite useless. All you need to know is that the OT was written in Hebrew - kept on scrolls and passed down from generation to generation until it was put into Greek. Then it was turned back into Hebrew. The Greek version is called the Septuagint and the Hebrew version the Masoretic. (We'll leave out here the Aramaic stuff and keep it all simple.)

In the 1600's the English took mainly the Greek and put the OT into English. They then translated from the original Greek into English the NT or New Testament.

So, when you read the Bible you can now understand that many painstaking years of faith and research went into these translations and becuase they involve different languages it's important to understand that different versions or translations are OKAY! It's okay to read different translations to get the full nuance and depth of the WORD. Just realize that when you take Old English and put it into today's English you lose a little. Therefore, it is important to pick a Bible that has been translated well.

For myself, I prefer in my everyday use the Revised Standard version of the early 1900's, the Amplified Bible (gives you extra meanings and nuances of words) and some of the modern Hebrew - English versions by the Jewish Publication Society.

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