Chapter and Verse.
When the bible was written in Greek, it wasn’t divided up by all these scary-looking numbers.
The first person to divide the Bible into chapters in a systematic way was Cardinal Hugo de Sancto Caro in 1244 AD. The chapter divisions that are commonly used today were developed by Archbishop Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. Since the Wycliffe Bible, nearly all Bible translations have followed Langton's chapter divisions.
Some of the verses and chapters seem a bit arbitrary, whilst some of them help us by ordering the thoughts of the writers in a logical sense. It’s just there to make it easier for us to find a passage rather than saying “Oh, it’s that bit of John where…”
Biblical Greek was written ALLINCAPITALLETTERSWITHOUTPUNCTUATIONORSPACES. You must be really careful then how you interpret the holy scriptures and how you let others interpret the Bible for you. It is easy for someone to push their own point of view by blindly putting more emphasis on the full stops and commas that aren’t there. Instead, listen to God through the Holy Spirit speaking within them, and worry less about the exact words, for God uses the bible to speak to YOU. Listen to him. Don’t take my word for it, take God’s.
St Paul wrote to his friend, Bishop Timothy, “All Scripture is the breath of God” (2 Timothy 3:16) – inspired by the Spirit, but ultimately written down by people who had the handle on what God wanted. God didn’t stop working in the world, revealing himself when the last book was completed[1], but continues to work through holy men and women – his saints, his Church and through YOU. Let God’s holy word come alive in you.
Authority and inspiration
The books of the Bible were written by human beings. They wrote about their experiences of life (with all its frustrations, joys and fears) and God (with all the frustrations, joys and fears of that). They wrote it for their own time and culture, so we have to take this into account when we read something in the Bible. Slavery was common in that age, whereas today it has (almost) disappeared; likewise the Bible has little to say about test-tube babies, how far to go on a third date or which football team to support. If you look for direct answers to today’s questions you will either be hugely disappointed or wildly misled.
This does not mean that the Bible is useless, but rather that we have to draw intelligently from it, and bring our hearts and minds to determine how God wants us to deal with us – and the Bible is the best place to start that exploration of life with him, because it principally shows us the impact on the world of Jesus – the very Son of God come down to earth to help us sort it out with God.
God, his inspiration, his love, his passion for us, runs through the Bible like a mighty river, and if we allow God to speak to us through it, then he can show us that love, passion and inspiration.
Lots of people have used the Bible to denounce others, to criticise them because “the Bible says…” Jesus taught us to love, not denounce, to embrace rather than reject, to seek to reconcile rather than seek to divide. There are a lot of words in the Bible, but one message of God’s love for his world and for you; do not be distracted by narrow interpretations of what God wants for those he loves (that means YOU).
Reading the Bible
The Bible is not like a novel – you can’t start at Genesis and finish at Revelation – you will get a completely messed up view of God (and will probably give up towards the middle of the third book!!)
Start with the Gospels – Mark is the shortest, most dynamic telling of the life of Jesus, then Matthew, followed by Luke. You will notice that different writers had different interests and emphasis. This is good as it helps us get a much more rounded picture of Jesus, and shows that the story wasn’t ‘fixed’.
You might then want to read the Acts of the Apostles (which is really Luke Volume II – the Sequel) and then the beautiful, philosophical story of Jesus in the Gospel of John.
Then try some of the letters from Paul. Soon you will want to get the background and start looking at the Old Testament, but don’t rush it – don’t say “right, tonight I’ll read all of 1 Thessalonians!!!” Try just a little bit at a time – a chapter or two. Pause, think. Read around the references and allusions.
Another good way of getting to grips with the Bible is to follow the readings in Church set for the Mass each day in “the Lectionary”. This gives you a short reading from the Old Testament and a bit of the Gospel each day. A good set of Bible notes such as “Bible Alive” also provides commentary and teaching on the lectionary readings for Mass each day. Doing this means that you aren’t doing alone as you are reading the same things as millions of other Christians all over the world.
Lectio Divina
Got the story? Want to go deeper? The ancient practice of Lectio Divina provides a way of spending some serious quiet time with God in meditation through the inspired words of the Bible.
You’ll need to set aside 10-15 minutes to do this in a place where you can be quiet and not disturbed or distracted.
Take the reading from the lectionary for the day. Begin by asking God to open your heart to the Scriptures, and then read the text. Slowly. Read it again. Does a line or a phrase or even a word spring out at you? Read that little bit again. Again. Slowly. Take your time to dwell on the words. What do they say to you? Why were you drawn to them? What is God trying to say to you? Pray for those you feel called to pray for, for the guidance that you seek from God.
Read them again. Let the words trickle over you. Allow God to speak to you. This is Divine Reading (Lectio Divina) and for centuries, God has used it to speak to people like YOU. The message God shares may be comforting, may be challenging, may be instruction, guidance, advice or even more questions. God is the God of surprises – so just let him in through a few minutes of prayer and reflection of his Holy Word.