This summer I plan to read through the epistles of the New Testament. I have read them before - at least I think I have read them all before - but thought it would be a good exercise in Biblical literacy, and a good reminder.
My daughter (who is also often my reference for good books to read) has shown me a book by Marcus J. Borg, titled Evolution of the Word, which I am going to use as a reference so I can read the books in the order they were written - at least that's the plan today. Borg states that there are 7 letters prior to the gospels and about 9 documents following Revelation - so chronological order is quite different than canonical order. It should be interesting. His theory is that, reading the New Testament this way shows more clearly the evolution of the themes and development of the church and its understandings of what it means to be a Christ follower.
Some interesting points Borg makes are that placing the documents (he says they are mostly relatively short letters written to people the author knew, not public tomes written for strangers and so should not be called books) in chronological order brings some new insights. The fact that Paul wrote 7 letters before the Gospels were even written shows us that that there were vibrant Christian communities around the Roman Empire even without them. We see that the gospels were a response to a need in the church of that time, not the start of a movement. It is also apparent that that each gospel is different, as was its time. He also states we can see, for better or worse, some of the developments of early Christianity through the 1st and 2nd century as we read the documents in the order they were written. In theory, this also allows the reader to get a better feel for the historical context of each document and, in Borg's opinion, a glimpse into how it may have been read in the time it was written. I am hoping this works for me. Enough scholarly introduction, though.
I am quite excited for this project and hope it will go well. This week I am planning on reading the introductory material from Evolution of the Word and I Thessalonians. If I have enough time I will move on to Galatians but I'm thinking that may be a bit much for one week. I hope and pray that this challenge will help me become, in some way, a better me. I also hope and pray that my musings will act as a catalyst for your thoughts and for God to speak to you through your Bible reading.
On a somewhat unrelated note: I read a quote in another book I was reading and I really wanted to share it and leave it with you as a kind of blessing. It is from Father Solomon as quoted by Michael Yankoski in The Sacred Year. When questioned whether practicing spiritual disciplines was actually like trying to work our way to God, trying to make God love, or at least like, us, Father Solomon replied:
"You needn't put that much faith in your own strength, for your strength is a mere atom beside an ocean of God's unending love. God is the Source. The Origin. The Ground of All Being. The One from whom and through whom and to whom are all things. You can't 'make God love you,' anymore than you make a star or a planet or even a human being....No, you can't make God love you. You can't make God like you. But nor do you need to; he already does. Never forget that that is why he made you -- because he wants you to exist. And not just exist. He wants you to live life in all its fullness."
I am hoping the discipline of reading through Scripture will open us to this possibility. Something to think about as we head into this summer's Bible reading challenge.
May God be with us and speak to us throughout this endeavor.
No comments:
Post a Comment