| Author | Message | ||
| Bskillet Registered user Username: Bskillet Post Number: 76 Registered: 8-2008 |
The Books of the Bible is a Bible without chapter and verse notations, and with the books put in the chronological order in which they were written. I just ordered it for myself (Merry Christmas to me!). The original manuscripts of the Bible never had topic headings, chapters, or verses. This made it easier to read as a single document, rather than as a collection of "famous quotes," as is common with SDAs and other proof-texting Christians. I find that chapter and verse numbers really distract me from understanding, and I also find that in some Bible versions, the topic headings put in by modern editors sometimes contradict what the passage is actually saying. I would imagine this would force the reader to analyze statements in context, rather than pulling things out and placing whatever context you desire on it (for instance, assuming Paul was writing within the context of EGW's theology). Secondly, the original books of the Bible were not written in the order we have them. I have been reading a book called The Untold Story of the New Testament Church by Frank Viola. In it, he takes the books of the New Testament and weaves them into the narrative of the New Testament by carefully analyzing the book of Acts and the Pauline Epistles. This allows the reader to see when a book was written, why it was written, and how it fits within the greater NT corpus. Being able to read the Pauline Epistles in their chronological order really helped me understand what Paul was really getting at. Hopefully this Bible version can do that too. I'll update when I get mine. | ||
| Daisie_girl Registered user Username: Daisie_girl Post Number: 65 Registered: 9-2008 |
Thank you so much for sharing the link!! I just bought 5 myself!! I can't wait to read it and give some to a few of my SDA friends!! | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 9134 Registered: 12-2003  |
Great recommendation, Bskillet. I know that during the first several years of this decade, our women's ministry weekly Bible studies went through the NT books chronologically, beginning with James, ending with the prison epistles, and finally doing Revelation. It really was interesting--and studying Acts and understanding from Acts how Paul's journeys tied in with the epistles is so enlightening. There's so much about Bible study that we just didn't know in our past...! Colleen | ||
| Bskillet Registered user Username: Bskillet Post Number: 77 Registered: 8-2008 |
There is some debate among scholars on which of the epistles was written first, Galatians, 1 Thess. or James. But Gal. and James were almost certainly written at almost the same time. James was written to combat a misunderstanding of the Gospel that, because we aren't under the law anymore, we're free to steal and cheat and mistreat others. Galatians was written for the opposite heresy, that we are still under the law. When I learned that they were written at about the same time, I suddenly realized that James and Galatians are not contradictory, or in some tension in any sense, as SDA's claim, but rather in agreement. I found that this whole idea that James had to be written to correct Paul's extremism, and vice versa, totally without merit. But SDAs will teach that sort of thing, as will other Old Covenant Christians. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 9139 Registered: 12-2003 |
True, Bskillet--also, James was written to converted and scattered Jews; Galatians was written to Gentiles recently converted from paganism. Imagine what it would have been like for those early Jews--even those 3,000 converted at Pentecost. They came to Jerusalem as observant Jews; they went back home as Christians--and they had no local churches to fellowship with. They went back to their orthodox Jewish enclaves--and they were different from when they had left. James wrote his epistle to those Jewish Christians who knew the OT deeply and well. When he admonishes them to "speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom" in 2:12 and the surrounding context, he is teaching them new covenant principles. His epistle was for a completely different audience from Paul's epistle to the Galatians. James was writing to Jews who had the Torah and the prophets and who needed to learn to live as Christians instead of as orthodox Jews--in their Jewish communities. Paul's epistles were for Gentiles who did not intimately know or have the law_and they, too needed to know how to live as Christians without becoming Jews and adopting Jewish law. When I understood the audience (scattered Jewish believers) and the purpose of James's epistle, as well as the early date that was not long after Jesus' ascension (very possibly before AD 50), it suddenly looked completely different to me than it had as an SDA. Colleen | ||
| Pnoga Registered user Username: Pnoga Post Number: 197 Registered: 1-2007  |
Thanks for the link Bskillet, I just ordered two, for my wife and myself. Paul | ||
| Benevento Registered user Username: Benevento Post Number: 256 Registered: 4-2005 |
I've thought that we formers are not a lot different from the observant Jews who were converted to Christianity. How strong their belief system was! Only thing (probably not the ONLY thing,) I was going to say they weren't deceived, but the Priests were pretty corrupt so there were more similarities to us. And not a big support system either. But they did receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Interesting to think about. Peggy |
