They're so difficult to understand and sorry to say, but really boring, but I want to have a well-rounded knowledge of the bible.
2006-09-19 19:15:02 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
here and now,
There are some good commentarys out there that can help you. I don't know what kind of Christian you are, so it's hard to say to you what to pick. But a commentary will help you understand what you are reading, and in many cases, why things are said.
You are reading a translation that was derived from and ancient culture, foriegn to your soil, in an ancient time. You need a commentary.
Many like J. Vernon McGee. And he is pretty good.
Find a great Bible teacher and see if there aren't any listening tapes for you to buy. That will help you get into it. But like everything else in Christianity, you have to die to yourself, make sacrifices, in order to get in line with what you are supposed to be doing, learning about God, and following after Christ.
2006-09-19 19:26:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First, Jewish "prophetic" literature is NOT prophetic in the English sense of the word...it did NOT make a prophesy !!
The prophets always wrote after the event...never before !!
There are several literary conventions in the OT...the Jewish readers understood what was being said because of the stories...not in and of the stories themselves...
so...if you are reading Isaiah or Amos or Jeremiah....you have to go back to what the author was trying to say to his readers...NOT what we ascribe by today's interpretations
basically, the prophetic literature was an exhortation by a "prophet" or a warning to get the Jews back on the straight and narrow in the practice of their faith...
as in...see what g-d did to those Jews who were not being good Jews...who weren't following the Torah...who weren't following the rituals and rites...who were allowing themselves to be tempted by the nets of Belial.....
Read about "Form Criticism"...
Read the works of Bultmann
Read the Gemera, the Talmud...
2006-09-19 20:00:14 · answer #2 · answered by Gemelli2 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Approach them in prayer. Before you read the Bible, pray that the Holy Spirit will help you to understand the meaning. Also try to read some good commentaries that will help explain them, and tie different books together. Without a good understanding of the Old Testament, it's hard to understand the New. Pray to God to give you understanding.
2006-09-19 19:18:31 · answer #3 · answered by ted.nardo 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Errr....read them?
Sorry, but the OT authors weren't the best writers in the world. They are very boring books, but if you really care about knowing the whole thing, you just have to trudge through it.
It's not like I enjoyed reading "Being and Nothingness" or "A Critique of Pure Reason", but eh....what are you gonna do?
2006-09-19 19:21:42 · answer #4 · answered by wideawake42 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You can get some really good bible commentaries online that will basically explain each chapter.
Very helpful to assist in understanding
www.webbible.net has some good ones
2006-09-19 19:32:56 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Read them. If one goes by others 'commentaries' one may 'get' the person's opinion as the 'the way it is' rather than what the Bible is saying. (It is good to get 'others' opinions, just accept them as opinion; not fact).
2006-09-22 09:10:53 · answer #6 · answered by jefferyspringer57@sbcglobal.net 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
,Get a "DAKES Annotated Bible,
or
Scofield KJV Bible.
Check out a Christian Book Store in your town.
2006-09-19 19:16:58 · answer #7 · answered by whynotaskdon 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
read a summary of them and some background information before you just dive in. it will help you understand the context and the words better, and you will find it much more interesting.
2006-09-19 19:17:14 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Go with Jewish Girl, she has a good point. And good advice.
2006-09-19 19:23:22 · answer #9 · answered by creeklops 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Take them for what they are: old jewish fairy tales. Don't try to read anything into them that isn't there.
2006-09-19 19:21:21 · answer #10 · answered by cyphercube 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋