For National Bible Week, I will be proposing a question each day for you to consider. Let's take this week to consider the great gift that is the Holy Scriptures.
Today's Question:
What is your favorite book of the Bible? Why?
13 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Toss up between Gospel of John and book of James. John is so sacramental and James has so much practical advice and pastoral teaching.
Always a difficult question this, but if pushed to name just one book I would say Colossians .Paul s brief and concise exposition of the supremacy of Christ and how we are to live our new life in Him is absolutely sublime. E.C.
That's a tough question. For me, it would have to be the Gospel of Luke or John. The prologue of John's gospel is still a powerful thing to meditate on/contemplate. The infancy narrative in Luke's gospel...a great weapon against the commercialization of Christmas! There's more to it than that, but it'll do until I'm more awake. :)
The Gospel of John; The Prologue The Wedding at Cana The Woman at the Well The Raising of Lazarus Mary Magdalene meets Jesus at the Tomb... And many more!
For me it is the fifth gospel: the Holy Land. I just returned from a trip to Isreal. It was more than a profound experience. It made all the books of the bible real not just a story. I experienced all of the above in person and I renewed my baptismal vowes in the Jordan river, experienced a storm while on a boat on the Sea of Galilee, renewed my wedding vows at Cana, beeen in the tomb where Jesus rose from the dead. How much more I cherish each word in the bible now. Like many Jewish in know I now consider Israel my home and the bible my family history. susan
Hmm....I have to agree with nearly everyone else here on the choice of the Gospel of John. That book is so deep and rich with symbolism, every time I read it I discover something new.
Hmm I get really into whatever book I'm currently reading, so my answer probably changes throughout the year. But, for NT I'd have to say Luke, because of the infancy narrative and prodigal son story, followed by Matthew and 1 Corinthians. Wondering into mass one Sunday after not going to church for years and hearing the prodigal son story is what brought me back into the church.
For the OT, right now my answer would be Samuel (1 and 2). I love the story of David. He's such a human character.
When I first read the bible straight through the most revelatory book for me was Job. It changed my understanding of the the Bible is. Prior to reading Job, I saw the bible as one big book that was the literal word of God, with one monolithic viewpoint. But in Job we see one book of the bible explicitly questioning and critiquing other books, specifically the idea that human suffering is God's punishment upon us, or upon or children. The bible disagrees with itself. The truth is somehow in the whole then, or we see how Israel's understanding of God and his will evolved, or... something. But it's challenging to read books like Job or Ecclesiastes because of the way they question things. I like that.
So hard to pick just one. I mean, if you split up the Bible into a number of logical divisions, 5 or 6 perhaps, then I could easily pick one per division. But just one: Mark. It's the gospel stripped down to the basics.
13 comments:
Toss up between Gospel of John and book of James. John is so sacramental and James has so much practical advice and pastoral teaching.
I'm with Jason. The Gospel of John is far and away my favorite book of the bible. It's here we learn about the Eucharist, salvation and so much more.
My favorite OT book is Psalms. I love the poetry of King David.
The gospel of John without a doubt. I am moved everytime I read it.
Always a difficult question this, but if pushed to name just one book I would say Colossians
.Paul s brief and concise exposition of the supremacy of Christ and how we are to live our new life in Him is absolutely sublime.
E.C.
That's a tough question. For me, it would have to be the Gospel of Luke or John. The prologue of John's gospel is still a powerful thing to meditate on/contemplate. The infancy narrative in Luke's gospel...a great weapon against the commercialization of Christmas! There's more to it than that, but it'll do until I'm more awake. :)
The Gospel of John;
The Prologue
The Wedding at Cana
The Woman at the Well
The Raising of Lazarus
Mary Magdalene meets Jesus at the Tomb...
And many more!
For me it is the fifth gospel: the Holy Land. I just returned from a trip to Isreal. It was more than a profound experience. It made all the books of the bible real not just a story. I experienced all of the above in person and I renewed my baptismal vowes in the Jordan river, experienced a storm while on a boat on the Sea of Galilee, renewed my wedding vows at Cana, beeen in the tomb where Jesus rose from the dead. How much more I cherish each word in the bible now. Like many Jewish in know I now consider Israel my home and the bible my family history. susan
Susan, I went to the Holy Land in 2008 and I agree with what you said above. A wonderful experience!
I love all the wisdom books, in particular, Proverbs, Wisdom and Sirach. Also love the deep, richness of the Gospel of John.
Hmm....I have to agree with nearly everyone else here on the choice of the Gospel of John. That book is so deep and rich with symbolism, every time I read it I discover something new.
Matthew's Gospel all the way. The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 25, etc, etc, etc.
Pasolini's Gospel According to Matthew is by far my favorite Biblical movie too. Check it out on youtube
Hmm I get really into whatever book I'm currently reading, so my answer probably changes throughout the year. But, for NT I'd have to say Luke, because of the infancy narrative and prodigal son story, followed by Matthew and 1 Corinthians. Wondering into mass one Sunday after not going to church for years and hearing the prodigal son story is what brought me back into the church.
For the OT, right now my answer would be Samuel (1 and 2). I love the story of David. He's such a human character.
When I first read the bible straight through the most revelatory book for me was Job. It changed my understanding of the the Bible is. Prior to reading Job, I saw the bible as one big book that was the literal word of God, with one monolithic viewpoint. But in Job we see one book of the bible explicitly questioning and critiquing other books, specifically the idea that human suffering is God's punishment upon us, or upon or children. The bible disagrees with itself. The truth is somehow in the whole then, or we see how Israel's understanding of God and his will evolved, or... something. But it's challenging to read books like Job or Ecclesiastes because of the way they question things. I like that.
So hard to pick just one. I mean, if you split up the Bible into a number of logical divisions, 5 or 6 perhaps, then I could easily pick one per division. But just one: Mark. It's the gospel stripped down to the basics.
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