Being someone with an academic theological background, having studied the Bible in its original languages, and teaching it for many years, I thought it made sense to write this article. I’m not claiming to be the authority on the Holy Scriptures, but I have probably done more study and research in this area than most.
But despite all this, I still felt conflicted about writing this article. Many people have strong feelings about the Bible and their particular interpretation of it. The Christian religion takes the Bible to be the foundation of their faith. People often get into heated arguments about the Bible and its meaning, and at times such disagreements have resulted in burning someone at the stake or war.
For my part, though many years a Christian pastor, these days I do not identify as a “Christian”. That doesn’t mean I don’t hold Jesus in high regard for my own reasons or that I have written off Christianity as the bane of all existence. With respect to this article, it means that I am not approaching the Bible with any particular axe to grind or position to defend.
I approach the Bible through the lens of the ** philosophy of religion**, which is the examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions. Philosophy of religion explores varying beliefs about God, the varieties of religious experience, the interplay between science and religion, and the difference in understanding sacred texts. The philosophy of religion has been distinguished from
My aim in this article, whether you are a Christian or Atheist, is to answer the question: “Which Bible should you read?” The question is perhaps more relevant to the Christian, but in my view it’s just as important for the Atheist.
Let me explain.
The question - “Which Bible should You Read?” - may seem strange. Someone might say:
“
WhichBible??? It’s not like there are ten different Bibles. There’s only one Bible! You know like, the Bible the priest and pastor are teaching from, the same Bible in the hotel nightstand, the same Bible used at the swearing-in ceremony of the president-elect, the same Bible in a library or bookstore. It’s the same Bible!”
Right? There’s only one Bible.
Well, not exactly.
There are actually countless versions of the Bible. Factors that make them different, include:
The term “biblical canon” refers to a set of texts (also called “books”) which are regarded as part of the Bible. However, not everyone agrees on what those books are. For example, the Protestant Bible has 66 books, while the Catholic Bible has 73 books. Both Bibles have four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), however some scholars believe there is a fifth gospel that was not included, the ** Gospel of Thomas**. The
Tyndale's Bible is credited with being the first Bible translation in the English language to work directly from Hebrew and Greek texts. Since Tyndale’s English translation in 1526, translators and publishers have created approximately 900 different English Bibles, making it hard to know which to choose. A few of the most-used translations include: King James Version, KJV; New American Standard Bible, NASB; and New International Version, NIV. Most people think that these slightly different translations don’t impact the message of the Bible. This is not true. There are Christian doctrines of great importance that turn on a specific translation of one word. For example, the word “repent” in the New Testament does not mean what you often hear in church, and yet the doctrine of salvation hinges on this faulty translation.
For example, take the Bible verse James 1:26- 27. In the NASB Bible translation it reads:
“If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his
ownheart, this person’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
In the paraphrase of The Message the same passage is worded:
“Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.”
See the difference?
Another matter that results in different Bibles is the question of how to read it. You’d think that would be fairly simple - you open it up and start reading it like every other book that ever existed. I wish it were that simple.
When it comes to the Bible, there is widespread disagreement about which parts should be taken literally and which parts figuratively or allegorically. And who exactly decides this? There are difference of opinion on how various biblical events, figures and stories should be understood. For example, should Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis be taken as two actual human beings who lived in a literal Garden of Eden, or are they to be understood allegorically. Should the story of Noah’s Ark be taken literally? There is an entire field of study identified as ** “biblical hermeneutics”** that addresses matters of Biblical interpretation.
The Bible includes a great number of types of literature such as historical narrative, poetry, parables, and apocalyptic writing. But questions remain. For example:
Should the historical narratives be taken to be accurate, or are they more like historical fiction?
Were the miracles attributed to Jesus in the gospels historical occurrences of miraculous or supernatural healings, or were they part of a folklore legend that grew about Jesus?
Did God actually part the Red Sea to save the Israelites, was Jesus actually born of a virgin, and will there actually be a rapture in which Christians are taken up to God and non-Christians are left behind?
Let me demonstrate the magnitude of these interpretation differences further. There is a passage in the Old Testament in which God commands the killing of infants and children. There is another passage in the New Testament that says, “God is love.” How do you reconcile these two? Would a loving God command the murder of innocent infants and children? And if God did, what else might God do??? Could one love a God who kills babies? Wouldn’t a person who demanded and orchestrated genocide be considered pathological?
There are a few ways one tries to resolve this, such as:
Don’t question God - God knows best and whatever God does (including the killing of infants) is a God-thing we can’t understand as mere mortals.
The tough-love God - God is love, but sometimes this involves confronting and punishing wickedness, which could include genocide and the death of infants and children.
They heard wrong - those who understood God to be commanding them to perform genocide, were rationalizing their own agenda by claiming God told them to do so.
The two-God theory - the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath, and the God of the New Testament is a God of love.
All four of those explanations have their own problems. But I think you can see that which one you choose has significant ramifications. Right? If I believe that God commands violence to achieve a sacred mission, you have a rationalization for events such as the crusades, blowing up abortion clinics, or storming the Capitol.
Let’s also take the Christian doctrine of hell. It’s near impossible to take from the verses in the Bible the idea that there is a place in the afterlife where God banishes unbelievers to eternal conscious torment. The only way you could believe this is if you mistranslated a few words in the New Testament. Despite the lack of biblical evidence for the notion of hell, this teaching has traumatized countless numbers of people. A useful and easy-to-read book on this topic is, by Julie Ferwerda
There are also many influences that impact how a person understands the Bible. In other words, any given person brings to the Bible their own set of assumptions, preconceptions, and biases.
People will often say, “My authority is the Bible.” It would be more accurate for them to say, “My authority is what they told me at church the Bible means.” I don’t mean to be snarky, but that’s the reality.
People’s understanding of the Bible is often shaped and formed by the religious sub-culture or tradition they are part of. Throughout history there have been varying Christian views on even the most fundamental doctrines, such as the divinity of Christ, salvation, and the end times. The idea that there is an enduring and unanimous agreement on the meaning of the Bible and the proper doctrines of the Christian faith, is not true.
What is “Biblical Christianity” to one person is not to another. There are 42,000 different Christian denominations around the world, most of which don’t agree on the meanings of the Bible. I myself have theological degrees, studied the Bible in its original languages, and was the Senior Pastor of a church and taught the Bible for many years. However, my views and interpretations are not infallible and have evolved over time.
When I was in seminary we did what we referred to as “exegesis”, which is intently studying the Bible in order to pull out the meaning. I hate to say, that this was largely wishful thinking. What we were actually doing is “eisegesis”, which is imposing an interpretation into the text based upon an already established belief-system. In this sense, theology isn’t the free search for truth, as much as a defense of an already held position. A lot of theological reasoning is circular, inevitably “proving” the truth of its own enshrined presupposition.
People start with their own subjective presuppositions and expectations about what the Bible is, such as:
The Bible is meant to present a coherent picture of God and spell out all the essential doctrines of the Christian faith
The Bible is the inerrant, infallible and God-given absolute truth to which all humankind is subject to believe and follow.
The Bible is the foundation for ethics and morality, and the blueprint for daily living.
Based on all the above variables, does it surprise anyone that there are many different ways the Bible is interpreted? This is especially problematic because many people view the Bible as something to be “right” about.
Our best interpretations of the Bible are subjective. That’s not a criticism. We just have to know this is the case.
I cannot in this article cover everything there is to say about the Bible. But let me cover a few basic things.
The Bible holds the esteemed title of the best-selling book in history, with over 5 billion copies sold. It comprises 66 books in the Protestant Bible and 73 books in the Catholic Bible. These books are divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament, which were originally written in Hebrew (some Aramaic) and Greek. The complete Bible has been translated into 700 languages. The Bible also ironically holds the distinction of being the most stolen book. Pretty much anything after that you’ve ever heard about the Bible is up for debate.
The traditional Christian view of the Bible is that it was written over a period of 2,000 years by 40 different authors from three continents, who wrote in three different languages. However, some of these ideas are refuted.
A few of the items that are debated with respect to the Bible include:
If the original Bible still exists.
When the books of the Bible were written.
Where the books of the Bible were written.
Who exactly wrote these books.
How was God involved, if at all.
How politics influenced the compilation of the Bible.
How did the Bible writers intend their writings to be taken.
The rank and file Christian may be alarmed with discovering that the Bible may not have been a divine download, which was channeled through the chosen biblical writers. Back in the 80’s, a group of biblical criticism scholars started the ** “Jesus Seminar”**, founded by
In my view, even if one comes to believe that the formation of the Bible wasn’t as tidy and holy as they thought, it doesn’t mean they cannot find profound spiritual meaning and significance in the Bible. It is also true that we do not have a single copy of an original manuscript of the Bible. One shouldn’t take too much from this; neither do we have an original copy of Homer's Iliad, or writings by Plato.
Over the years, people have done some interesting (occasionally bizarre) things with the Bible. For example there is the ** Sportsman’s Bible**, which includes notes throughout that describe useful hunting tips. There’s also
And of course more recently there is the ** God Bless America Bible, **which includes the handwritten chorus to “God Bless The USA” by Lee Greenwood, The US Constitution, The Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence and The Pledge of Allegiance. And that’s all I have to say about that in this article.
A few books you might read to explore the history of the Bible if you’re interested are:
The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introductionby Bart D. EhrmanThe Five Gospels: What Did Jesus Really Say?by Robert W. FunkMisquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Whyby Bart D. EhrmanConstantine's Bible: Politics and the Making of the New Testamentby David L. Dungan
Some interesting docuseries and videos about the Bible include:
To the question - “Does the Bible do more harm than good?” - it’s a difficult issue to answer conclusively. Right? The Bible has inspired great acts of love and sparked great movements of social justice - for example, the way Martin Luther King, Jr. cunningly used the Bible to catalyze the civil rights movement in the South.
On the other hand the Bible has also been used to rationalize acts of violence and war, let’s say the ** crusades**. Sadly, throughout history the Bible has been used to rationalize:
the persecution of heretics
the subordination of women
the practice of religious intolerance
the divine right of kings against democratic freedoms
the institution of slavery
cruelty to animals
the suppression of civil rights
white supremacy
racism
religious exclusivism
opposition to scientific progress
the burning of witches
violence and war
and the state’s enforcement of the Christian religion on the whole of society
In my work with people who leave religion or traumatized by religion, they often do not have any interest in reading the Bible and may never be able to read it again. I get it. For many of these people, they were significantly damaged through toxic religious indoctrination through the misuse of the Bible.
For example, in many religious circles the Bible is used to directly or indirectly convey these messages:
I am inherently bad.
I can't trust myself.
My heart is wicked.
I deserve punishment.
I don't measure up.
I am powerless.
Self-denial is holiness.
I need forgiveness for who I am.
I need saved from myself.
I am worthless on my own.
Being devoted to God means staying in an abusive relationship.
Therapy or medication is a lack of faith.
Self-care is selfish.
The world is evil.
If I mess up I will lose my salvation and go to hell.
People I deeply love are in hell or will go there.
Ev…
