This chapter discusses seven reasons why the Bible is problematic—in other words, more complicated than it appears at first glance. One is that the Bible is not a single book. As such, one cannot expect to read through the Bible, cover to cover, and encounter a neat dramatic structure defining a single story. Another reason is that there is more than one Bible, since what constitutes the whole of the Bible depends on the process of canonization. From there, the chapter argues that the Bible is problematic because the texts themselves were composed, and collected, over a long period of time. The Bible has a lot of different authors and editors, most of whom are anonymous. Even the latest texts come from a very long time ago. The Bible was written in languages that are utterly unfamiliar to most readers today. Finally, the chapter raises its final point: that most of the Bible's readers today “believe in” it.
The Bible, we are constantly reminded, is the bestselling book of all time. It is read with intense devotion by hundreds of millions of people, stands as authoritative text for Judaism and Christianity, and informs and affects the politics and lives of the religious and nonreligious around the world. But how well do we really know it? The Bible is so familiar, so ubiquitous that we take our knowledge of it for granted. Yet in some cases, the Bible we think we know is a pale imitation of the real thing. This book addresses the dirty little secret of biblical studies—that the Bible is a weird book, by modern standards. A collection of ancient stories, poetry, and more written by multiple authors, held together by the tenuous string of tradition, the Bible often undermines our modern assumptions. It is full of surprises and contradictions, unexplained impossibilities, terrifying supernatural creatures, and heroes doing horrible deeds. In total, it offers neither a systematic theology nor a singular worldview. Still, there is a tendency to reduce the complexities of the Bible to aphorisms, bumper stickers, and slogans. But what exactly does it mean to be “unclean”? Who really killed Goliath? Does Jesus condemn nonbelievers to Hell? What does it mean “to believe,” in the first place? Rather than dismiss the Bible as an outlandish or irrelevant relic of antiquity, this book leans into the messiness full throttle, guiding readers through a Bible that will to many feel brand new.
This chapter provides some advice for how to approach the Bible. It first discusses some general dos and don'ts of biblical literacy before providing ten commandments on how to read or use the Bible. First, is to recognize that the Bible does not equate to God and to beware of making the Bible itself an object of worship. The chapter urges readers to be mindful of the Bible's translations and its logical gaps and not to dismiss the wisdom and knowledge of previous Bible scholars. It argues that the Bible should not be used to harm others or to presume to issue divine judgment on others. And it warns against carelessly and simplistically interpreting the Bible, or taking biblical texts out of context. The final commandment is to take the Bible seriously without being blind to its more uncomfortable and unsavory aspects.
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