For a lot of people, starting to read the Bible feels like discovering a new universe where a totally different language is spoken. It's all hallelujah, amen, gospel — and every now and then you run into stories about talking animals and angels…
When you try to read the Book of Books, the "ugly ditch of history" opens up in front of you. Whether you're holding a Bible for the first time or you're a regular reader, it helps to know a few basic tips for handling these mysterious texts.
The Holy Scriptures aren't just for saints!
1. The Star Wars Principle
Opening the Bible on page one and reading straight through to the end is a superhuman task! The Bible contains a lot of different genres and passages that are tough to interpret (we've already mentioned unfamiliar words), which complicates such a bold reading plan. As a rule, it's better to start with more accessible texts, like the Gospels in the New Testament. Sure, they contain the biggest spoilers, but reading the rest afterward will be that much easier.
I call it the Star Wars principle. Just like with the Star Wars saga, it pays off to start the Bible in the middle.
TIP ⚠️ First read all four Gospels (you can start with Mark — it's the shortest — or Luke, which was written for "the nations"), then move on to Acts of the Apostles; 1 John will introduce you to living out the Christian life. After that you can read the 1st book of Moses (Genesis) and the 2nd book of Moses (Exodus) up to chapter 20, then the books of Joshua through Esther. That'll give you a solid basic overview of the Bible's stories.
2. Which translation should you pick?
The encounter with the spiritual depth the Bible offers happens through its language. We have the oldest manuscripts available in Hebrew, Greek, and a bit of Aramaic. But those languages are usually inaccessible to your average mortal, so it makes sense to pick one of the many (good) translations available. Among the many options you can go with the widely accepted Czech Ecumenical Translation (ČEP), or the somewhat more accessible Bible 21 (B21).
➡️ Not sure which translation to pick? Read more here!
3. The Bible isn't a history textbook
Once we start reading the Book of Books, we soon realize that the vast majority of it is made up of ancient stories. But reading the Bible only as a record of human history drastically reduces its power to speak to people across time. What made the Bible the Book of Books, what has spoken to billions of people from antiquity to today, isn't the reliability of its historical facts (even though that's very in right now), but the spiritual depth these texts hold.
"In order to believe, we — like children driven out of the paradise of naivety — must understand; but the task of understanding is to make it possible for us to believe again." Paul Ricoeur
When we read the Bible only as a history textbook, its main message stays silent. It starts to resonate once we step out of the "paradise of naivety" and start reading the Bible as a tool that can deepen our spiritual life and point us toward what's beyond us.
4. Meeting
The Bible's message can resonate within us through personal encounter. The Bible is full of stories about people meeting God. Every one of those encounters reveals something about how heaven reaches into our lives too. Reading that draws us into its story leads us to actually try to listen. If it's not merely a record of history, not historical information, it's first and foremost trans-formation — something that happens in the encounter. Let's try reading the Bible as an open story that still has room for us today.
5. Looking for a new world
As you read the Bible, an attentive reader might notice that some statements (like the famous "love your enemies") and the overall direction of Jesus' message — and not only his — somehow defy our "spirit of the times." Listening carefully to this heavenly polyphony reveals a new arrangement of the world, a new perspective on offer to us. The Bible offers an old-yet-new, alternative view of the world. Walter Brueggemann speaks of the "counter-world of the prophetic imagination," which stands against the polished powers-that-be of this age, like consumerism, the pressure to perform, and other such evils.
As we read, the Bible invites us to see the reality of the world in a new way. Through new eyes. The world, as the Bible presents it, isn't a random, meaningless jumble — out of the nothingness of chaos rises a meaning that grants immense worth, not only to the Bible's reader. Making this biblical view your own can open the door in your life to real joy and to a hope that reaches beyond the horizon of our existence.
These five general tips can serve as a starting point for reading the Bible and still getting something out of it. That said, when you're reading trickier passages, you need to dig further. Every genre has its own rules of interpretation, the ancient languages differ significantly, and our own cultural context is very different too. But reading the Bible is a challenge that bears sweet fruit!
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