I have to admit, I used to be an illiterate Catholic. By that I mean, I didn’t know what really being Catholic meant, I couldn’t tell you with certainty whether I would be going to heaven, I couldn’t tell you who God really was, what His plan for the world was (much less me!) and I couldn’t tell you anything about reading the Bible. The only Bible I had in my house was the one that looked like a piece of furniture from the Gutenberg era that had a bunch of names of my great-great-whomevers written in the front pages and what seemed to pass for bad Shakespeare on all the others.

The Bible Is Not a Book

The first misnomer is that the Bible is a single book. More accurately, it is a compendium or a volume composed of sixty-six smaller works. Some are historical works, like Genesis, Exodus, Judges, and Acts. Some are letters, such as the letters from Paul to the Ephesians, Galatians, and Romans. Some are Poetry, like Psalms and the Song of Solomon. Some are known as Wisdom literature, which include Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Then the prophetical or apocalyptic books, including Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Revelation. Finally, the Gospels, which include the biographical accounts of the life of Christ and this three year ministry on Earth.

The Bible has two main volumes: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is sometimes known as “The Jewish Bible” because it contains all the books that Moses and the Prophets and their kings wrote. The New Testament contains the books written after the life of Christ which documents his life and the life and communications of the apostles and the new churches.

Together, the 66 books of the Bible are what’s known as the ‘canon’ of scripture. Each book can certainly be read independently, but as you learn to read the Bible, the beauty inherent in Scripture is that it tells one single story: How a loving God provided a way to redeem a rebellious and fallen people to himself. From the Creation account to the Gospels to Revelation we see a gracious and kind God providing a way for His people to be with Him for eternity.

We also believe that the Bible is the actual word of God: That through the writings of men, inspired by the Holy Spirit, God gave us history – His story - and it has been preserved throughout the ages no matter what people have tried to do to supress it.

Finding Things in the Bible

As the Bible was written and copied throughout the ages it was one continuous letter or book. Today we see the Bible as individual books, but within those books we have chapters and verses. It is believed that this system was first initiated in 1240 by Cardinal Hugo of St. Cher and his team of scholars as a reference aid when writing one of the first concordances. The exact numbering system of chapters and verses have gone through some variance over the next few hundred years until it reached the system we recognize today.

A Bible reference takes the following form: Book Chapter:Verse(s). For example:

Ephesians 2:8-9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (9) not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

This reference is in the book of Ephesians, chapter 2, and encompasses two verses: 8 and 9. When referencing more than one verse, hyphens are used between the verse numbers (8-9 in this example) and when showing the test after the reference as above, it is sometimes common to include the verse number within the text as seen where verse 9 starts.

Knowing Your Bible

First, as a child of God you are to study His Word. You can’t know what God wants for your life unless you talk with Him, and he talks through His Word.

Second, The Bible is handed to us as a physical book. Though the Bible is the perfect Word of God there is nothing sacred or Holy about the physical book itself: It’s okay if you spill coffee on it, if the pages get wrinkled, if the cover gets worn or pages begin to fall out because the spine is losing its glue.

The Bible is meant to be read; and a well-worn Bible is a sign of a strong faith and well-spent spiritual walk.

My challenge to you: Read your Bible, cover-to-cover if you never had. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything at first, because you won’t. But it’s important to get a quick cursory understanding of the full story. Once you have a 10,000-foot view, then you can fly into one of the runways and study a particular book. You can study Romans to get a detailed view of Theology. You can read Genesis to account for God’s creation and redemptive plan through the ages (we win, by the way!!!).

It will take about 70 hours to read the Bible straight through. One hour per day, five days per week, that’s 14 weeks. I’ve read books by Stephen King larger than that in less time. That’s my challenge.

Then we’ll really get to talk some about Christianity and Catholicism.

He told me we need to do that.

In His Service,

-Anthony