Holy must reads

[Exiledoomsayer]

Hey there,

I have been thinking it would be interesting to read the books of christianity.
But I do not actually know what these would be so i was hoping i could be pointed in the right direction with exact titles.
I intend to go for audiobooks so if there is any particular place good for that id appriate the heads up.

I know the bible is "the good book" but i dont actually know if its the only one or if its split into multiple parts. as far as i know it starts with Genesis but i am not sure where it ends.

Also, how much time would you estimate it would take to read through it all? (asking mostly in relation to the things i did find seemed to be too short, hench this post)

I hope this was the correct forum. "Exploring christianity" seemed like it was right on the money but then i might have missed something more appropriate.

 

[ephraimanesti]

Hey there,

I have been thinking it would be interesting to read the books of christianity.
But I do not actually know what these would be so i was hoping i could be pointed in the right direction with exact titles.
I intend to go for audiobooks so if there is any particular place good for that id appriate the heads up.

I know the bible is "the good book" but i dont actually know if its the only one or if its split into multiple parts. as far as i know it starts with Genesis but i am not sure where it ends.

Also, how much time would you estimate it would take to read through it all? (asking mostly in relation to the things i did find seemed to be too short, hench this post)

I hope this was the correct forum. "Exploring christianity" seemed like it was right on the money but then i might have missed something more appropriate.

MY BROTHER,

Excuse me, but your "Cross/Forgiven" Avatar coupled with an "Atheist" Icon coupled with a "Lurking" Mood have me a little confused. What exactly is up with you?

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[Glorthac]

Here is the list of all the books in the King James Bible, the most common Bible in English:
Books of the Bible - King James Version

I suggest you start with the New Testament, in Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew gives an account of the life of Jesus Christ, the most important person in Christianity.

Here is an audio version of the Gospel of Matthew.
Word For Life - Free MP3 Sermon Downloads - Free CDs - Free Christian MP3-

As for the time it would take for you to read the entire Bible, it takes me several months of daily reading. The Bible is a very large book. So I suggest you read the Gospel of Matthew first, and then the Book of Acts. After that, just read from Genesis (the first book) to Revelation (the last book).

 

[ebia]

Hey there,

I have been thinking it would be interesting to read the books of christianity.
But I do not actually know what these would be so i was hoping i could be pointed in the right direction with exact titles.
I intend to go for audiobooks so if there is any particular place good for that id appriate the heads up.

I know the bible is "the good book" but i dont actually know if its the only one or if its split into multiple parts. as far as i know it starts with Genesis but i am not sure where it ends.

Also, how much time would you estimate it would take to read through it all? (asking mostly in relation to the things i did find seemed to be too short, hench this post)

I hope this was the correct forum. "Exploring christianity" seemed like it was right on the money but then i might have missed something more appropriate.

The bible was compiled as a collection of books to answer almost exactly this question - what are the central set of defining books for Christianity?
So that's your answer.

But yes, it will take quite a while to read it all, and while some of it is an obviously good read, other bits are easy to get bogged down in.

One of the gospels is a reasonably good place to start, but unlike a previous poster I wouldn't recommend Matthew because that more than any of the others assumes a familiarity with the overall story. Luke is much more readable if you don't have a background in that stuff (or even if you do, Luke is a more flowing storyteller) - and more naturally leads into Acts of the Apostles (which is also written by the same person). If you can, grab a copy of Luke for Everyone (N.T. Wright) which will give you the text of Luke, broken up by very accessable commentary helping you get an ear for what you are reading.

Then I would recommend going back and reading:
Genesis
The first half of Exodus
The first couple of chapters of Joshua
1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings
Ezra & Nehemiah

That will get you through the basic storyline. Then read another gospel (perhaps Matthew now, or John).
Then Philippians and Ephesians.
Isaiah
Then fill in the rest, or read it cover to cover.

BTW, yes, this was exactly the right place to ask.

 

[JasperJackson]

Hey there,

I have been thinking it would be interesting to read the books of christianity.
But I do not actually know what these would be so i was hoping i could be pointed in the right direction with exact titles.
I intend to go for audiobooks so if there is any particular place good for that id appriate the heads up.

I know the bible is "the good book" but i dont actually know if its the only one or if its split into multiple parts. as far as i know it starts with Genesis but i am not sure where it ends.

Also, how much time would you estimate it would take to read through it all? (asking mostly in relation to the things i did find seemed to be too short, hench this post)

I hope this was the correct forum. "Exploring christianity" seemed like it was right on the money but then i might have missed something more appropriate.

Here is an online Bible in mp3 format: Audio Bible

It also shows the different books of the Bible so you can see the structure.

As for recommendations, definitely the four gospels as others have said. I'd also recommend most of the letters written by Paul (Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Timothy, Titus).

Let us know how you go.

 

[Exiledoomsayer]

MY BROTHER,

Excuse me, but your "Cross/Forgiven" Avatar coupled with an "Atheist" Icon coupled with a "Lurking" Mood have me a little confused. What exactly is up with you?

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

Ah i suppose it might seem to be suspicious. I dont know if alot of trolls wander in here.

In short, I like the way the avatar looks. Thats all there is to it.
Im a Atheist and mostly just watch and read the threads hench the lurk mood most of the time.
As for what exactly is up. Ive become interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the christian faith. If it turns out as interesting as i hope i might repeat it with a few of the other major religions but thats jumping ahead of things.
Among other reasons I have a childhood friend who is christian and although it never came up before we had a interesting discussion after watching a film called the book of Elai and i would like to know more

 

[Exiledoomsayer]

Here is the list of all the books in the King James Bible, the most common Bible in English:
Books of the Bible - King James Version

I suggest you start with the New Testament, in Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew gives an account of the life of Jesus Christ, the most important person in Christianity.

Here is an audio version of the Gospel of Matthew.
Word For Life - Free MP3 Sermon Downloads - Free CDs - Free Christian MP3-

As for the time it would take for you to read the entire Bible, it takes me several months of daily reading. The Bible is a very large book. So I suggest you read the Gospel of Matthew first, and then the Book of Acts. After that, just read from Genesis (the first book) to Revelation (the last book).

Thank you,
I had heard a bit about the old and new testament aswell as the king james version but not nearly enough to work out which to read first.
But I was unaware that the gospels where considered such important texts I might have skipped them entirely by mistake.

Got to admit i wasnt sure id be taken seriously for mentioning audiobooks and nearly left it out. Im certainly glad i didnt or id never have known about that site.

 

[Exiledoomsayer]

The bible was compiled as a collection of books to answer almost exactly this question - what are the central set of defining books for Christianity?
So that's your answer.

But yes, it will take quite a while to read it all, and while some of it is an obviously good read, other bits are easy to get bogged down in.

One of the gospels is a reasonably good place to start, but unlike a previous poster I wouldn't recommend Matthew because that more than any of the others assumes a familiarity with the overall story. Luke is much more readable if you don't have a background in that stuff (or even if you do, Luke is a more flowing storyteller) - and more naturally leads into Acts of the Apostles (which is also written by the same person). If you can, grab a copy of Luke for Everyone (N.T. Wright) which will give you the text of Luke, broken up by very accessable commentary helping you get an ear for what you are reading.

Then I would recommend going back and reading:
Genesis
The first half of Exodus
The first couple of chapters of Joshua
1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings
Ezra & Nehemiah

That will get you through the basic storyline. Then read another gospel (perhaps Matthew now, or John).
Then Philippians and Ephesians.
Isaiah
Then fill in the rest, or read it cover to cover.

BTW, yes, this was exactly the right place to ask.

Thanks for the response.

If i understand you correctly your saying that the bible itself consists of multiple books rather then being a single book itself among the others? Please correct me if i missunderstood.

Its true i do not have much of a background in the story beyond the very slim basics of eden, the flood, the birth and the resurrection so i will take your advice and start of with luke unless someone wishes to point out something even more beginner friendly though by the sound of it it would appear that luke is a good entry point. If it where up to me i might have simply started off at genesis and gotten lost so thank you for the directions of which chapters to go through first.

 

[Exiledoomsayer]

Here is an online Bible in mp3 format: Audio Bible

It also shows the different books of the Bible so you can see the structure.

As for recommendations, definitely the four gospels as others have said. I'd also recommend most of the letters written by Paul (Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Timothy, Titus).

Let us know how you go.

Thank you.
its nice to know there is also a streaming audio version i will definatly put this to good use.
I assume that letters would be best read after reading the entire main story line as sugjested by ebai?
I will check back here and provide a update after a while^^

 

[canukian]

Hey there,

I have been thinking it would be interesting to read the books of christianity.
But I do not actually know what these would be so i was hoping i could be pointed in the right direction with exact titles.
I intend to go for audiobooks so if there is any particular place good for that id appriate the heads up.

I know the bible is "the good book" but i dont actually know if its the only one or if its split into multiple parts. as far as i know it starts with Genesis but i am not sure where it ends.

Also, how much time would you estimate it would take to read through it all? (asking mostly in relation to the things i did find seemed to be too short, hench this post)

I hope this was the correct forum. "Exploring christianity" seemed like it was right on the money but then i might have missed something more appropriate.

if you really want to know the suppressed truth of what is happening and oh so relevent to TODAY then read this:

Larry Meguiar's The Warning of The End Times Prophecy Table of Contents

 

[JasperJackson]

Thank you.
its nice to know there is also a streaming audio version i will definatly put this to good use.
I assume that letters would be best read after reading the entire main story line as sugjested by ebai?
I will check back here and provide a update after a while^^

Sorry if I'm telling you what you already know but I just I should make sure you know the difference between the old and new testaments. The old testament begins with creation and later focusses on the Israelites (who were God's chosen people). For a few thousand years God sends prophets to Israel promising that Jesus will eventually come (including some quite specific prophecies). Some old testament books are narrative, some are poetic and some a prophetic. Then God goes quiet for 400 years. Then the New testament begins with Jesus birth. The four gospels detail Jesus ministry, his death and resurrection. The book of acts picks up where the gospels finish and tell the story of how the early church grew throughout the Middle East, Turkey and South-East Europe. In parallel to the church growing many letters are written. They are either written to churches that have been planted in the area of specific people in an effort to encourage them. But they all contain pieces of theology, which is why they are in the Bible. Finally the Bible ends with the book of Revelation, which is prophecy about Jesus second coming and God's judgement.

OK that ended up being longer than I intended. To your question, I agree with ebia that you should start with Luke and then read Acts. But I wouldn't go back to the old testament as he's recommending. I suggest going for the letters after that. All the Bible is important but the new testament is particularly important, especially in trying to understand Jesus, what he did and what that means.

As for the Book of Eli, what did you think? Is it a good movie? I haven't seen it yet. What did your Christian friend think?

I've only been a Christian for 2 years myself so I still remember when all of this was still new to me. But this took me back to those days: "your saying that the bible itself consists of multiple books rather then being a single book". Ah memories.

Anymore questions, I'm happy to help if I can.

 

[ebia]

Thanks for the response.

If i understand you correctly your saying that the bible itself consists of multiple books rather then being a single book itself among the others? Please correct me if i missunderstood.

Absolutely. It's a collection of 66 documents. Some are quite short, some are extended documents. And there's a wide range of genres, from myths, histories (in the ancient senses), biographies, stories, psalms (sung prayers), erotic poetry, proverbs and wisdom literature, prophets, gospels (announcements about Jesus), the story of the early church, and collections of letters written to the early chuches....

But all with an overarching meta-narrative - a big picture story of what God is doing to put right his world.

 

[Jpark]

Never mind.

 

[Exiledoomsayer]

if you really want to know the suppressed truth of what is happening and oh so relevent to TODAY then read this:

Larry Meguiar's The Warning of The End Times Prophecy Table of Contents

Thank you for the thought.
But i am interested in christianity in general not its fringe "end of days repent and sell your belongings the rapture/doomsday is coming in 2012" type of things.

course if im mistaken and its not a fringe group but actually part of the general religion then i would appriciate a heads up.

 

[Exiledoomsayer]

Sorry if I'm telling you what you already know but I just I should make sure you know the difference between the old and new testaments. The old testament begins with creation and later focusses on the Israelites (who were God's chosen people). For a few thousand years God sends prophets to Israel promising that Jesus will eventually come (including some quite specific prophecies). Some old testament books are narrative, some are poetic and some a prophetic. Then God goes quiet for 400 years. Then the New testament begins with Jesus birth. The four gospels detail Jesus ministry, his death and resurrection. The book of acts picks up where the gospels finish and tell the story of how the early church grew throughout the Middle East, Turkey and South-East Europe. In parallel to the church growing many letters are written. They are either written to churches that have been planted in the area of specific people in an effort to encourage them. But they all contain pieces of theology, which is why they are in the Bible. Finally the Bible ends with the book of Revelation, which is prophecy about Jesus second coming and God's judgement.

OK that ended up being longer than I intended. To your question, I agree with ebia that you should start with Luke and then read Acts. But I wouldn't go back to the old testament as he's recommending. I suggest going for the letters after that. All the Bible is important but the new testament is particularly important, especially in trying to understand Jesus, what he did and what that means.

As for the Book of Eli, what did you think? Is it a good movie? I haven't seen it yet. What did your Christian friend think?

I've only been a Christian for 2 years myself so I still remember when all of this was still new to me. But this took me back to those days: "your saying that the bible itself consists of multiple books rather then being a single book". Ah memories.

Anymore questions, I'm happy to help if I can.

By all means just consider me completely ignorate. Even the things that i think i know i am half expecting to need to correct once i figure out how it really works^^

thanks for the second opinion regarding the order of the chapters to read and the explaination of the history.

As far as the Book of Eli we rather enjoyed it though i am not sure what i can say without spoiling it for you.

 

[Exiledoomsayer]

Absolutely. It's a collection of 66 documents. Some are quite short, some are extended documents. And there's a wide range of genres, from myths, histories (in the ancient senses), biographies, stories, psalms (sung prayers), erotic poetry, proverbs and wisdom literature, prophets, gospels (announcements about Jesus), the story of the early church, and collections of letters written to the early chuches....

But all with an overarching meta-narrative - a big picture story of what God is doing to put right his world.

Interesting. I had no idea. It does help make sense of alot of things^^

 

[Exiledoomsayer]

Start with the New Testament, starting with the Gospel of John, then the Gospels and Acts. Then read Job, Ecclesiastes, and Exodus.

Memorize anything that intrigues you (i.e. Exodus 3:14).

Then you can read whatever you would like.

Read Revelation after you have finished all the books of the Bible. It is the least important.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[ebia]

Interesting. I had no idea. It does help make sense of alot of things^^

Some editions of the bible have very helpful little introductions to each book that help give a sense of what it is and where it fits in the overall picture - those by Eugene Peterson in The Message (his own paraphrase of the bible) are particularly good and accessable.

 

[ephraimanesti]

Ah i suppose it might seem to be suspicious. I dont know if alot of trolls wander in here.

In short, I like the way the avatar looks. Thats all there is to it.
Im a Atheist and mostly just watch and read the threads hench the lurk mood most of the time.
As for what exactly is up. Ive become interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the christian faith. If it turns out as interesting as i hope i might repeat it with a few of the other major religions but thats jumping ahead of things.
Among other reasons I have a childhood friend who is christian and although it never came up before we had a interesting discussion after watching a film called the book of Elai and i would like to know more

MY BROTHER,

Thank you for the clarification. May you find what you are looking for. i see that you are already getting some very good answers to your questions.

BE BLESSED!

ephraim

 

[Glorthac]

Thank you for the thought.
But i am interested in christianity in general not its fringe "end of days repent and sell your belongings the rapture/doomsday is coming in 2012" type of things.

course if im mistaken and its not a fringe group but actually part of the general religion then i would appriciate a heads up.

End-times stuff is somewhat fringe. If you want to know what we believe about the end-times, read the Book of Revelation (that's in the Bible), not internet articles.