Guide
Where to start reading the Bible
Why page one is the wrong place to begin, and four better ones.
The Bible is a library rather than a book: sixty-six documents, written across roughly a millennium and a half, in poetry, law, letters, history, prophecy and song. Reading it front to back is like reading a library shelf by shelf. It can be done, and it is not how most people should start.
Start with a Gospel
Everything in Christianity is a claim about Jesus, so it makes sense to meet him first. Mark is the shortest and moves quickly. John is the most reflective and states its purpose openly. Either is a good first read.
John 1:1–5KJV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
John begins before the beginning, deliberately echoing Genesis.
Four places to begin
- The Gospel of John, for who Jesus is and what he claimed.
- The Psalms, for language to pray with when you have none of your own.
- Genesis 1 to 12, for the questions the rest of the Bible is answering.
- Philippians, for a short letter written from prison that is unreasonably cheerful.
How to read it
- A chapter is plenty. Finishing is not the goal.
- Read the paragraphs around a verse before deciding what it means.
- Ask what it meant to the people it was first written to. That question solves more problems than any other.
- Keep a note of what confuses you rather than resolving it immediately. Some of it clears up later on its own.
When it is heavy going
Leviticus and the genealogies defeat almost everyone on a first pass. Skipping ahead is allowed. You are not being examined.
Psalm 119:105KJV
NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
A lamp for the feet is enough light for one step, not for the whole road.