I've never read the Bible from cover to cover, nor had any inclination to do so. If asked to choose a book to be stranded on a desert island with --- dear God, no. And it's certainly not among my favorite bound volumes (but then I'm not a politician).
An interesting mix of tribal mythology, derivative and in many cases destructive morality codes and quirky history it may be, but little in it seems especially relevant --- except perhaps heavily edited accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus.
Other than brief mention in the works of Romano-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, after all, there's really nothing else out there other than the New Testament to suggest this guy even existed.
So for the time being, I'll settle for the Sunday readings prescribed in the Revised Common Lectionary.
But just in case I'm ever overcome by the urge to at least read more in the New Testament --- and able to overcome a lifetime of aversion therapy administered by so-called Christians --- I'll keep Peter Enns' "The 10 Commandments of Bible Reading" handy. Thanks to my friend Linda, who posed these to Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment