Monday, July 11, 2011

Gratitude Monday -- Of Biblical Proportions

I am grateful that I have read The Bible cover to cover.
It raises a great many questions for me to think about like who were "the giants in the earth in those days?" (Gen. 6:4 KJV) and wherever did anyone get the idea that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute? Doesn't say a word about in the New Testament.
Biblical references show up in books, movies, and television all the time. I had an Aha! moment when I got around to the bit about the witch of Endor. (1 Samuel 28:7)
It must have been in the inspiration for the character name Endora, Samantha's mother on Bewitched. Now that I get the reference I can truly appreciate the name.
(In a moderately interesting aside I found in the Wikipedia entry  I learned that in the Yalkut Shimoni  she is anonymous but referred to as the mother of Abner. Mr. Kravitz, anyone?)
Bits of it are really tough sledding. Other parts of The Bible are so filthy I should have read them with my eyes closed. But it is interesting and it helps me understand the world around me especially those parts that are filtered through Christianity.
I get why fish is a Christian symbol and why the Pope wears the fisherman's ring.
Understanding is good.


Casting about at Premier Lake. Photo by Mike Mayrl

11 comments:

the Bag Lady said...

I have not managed to read the entire bible cover to cover. That said, I do have parts of it memorized (but not chapter and verse). One of my goals is definitely to read the entire thing, even the parts where I have to close my eyes.....

Leah J. Utas said...

Memorized?! Good on you! I spent an hour a day (minimum)every day for 6 1/2 weeks getting through it. Six weeks for the OT. Ripped through the NT in a weekend.
Have fun with it, and I strongly recommend you take notes if you wish to back up any discussions later.

Crabby McSlacker said...

OK, I'll make you a deal: you never, ever have to train to do push ups and sit ups, if I never, ever have to read the Bible cover to cover.

Impressive feat!

solarity said...

I'll take that deal, Crabby! I'm only missing a few of the minor prophets, but I appear to be missing major functionality in my shoulder....

Reading the Bible makes all of literature from the Reformation onward richer and easier to understand, because the writers expected everyone who could read to be familiar with it. (Yes, I got Endora's name when the show was on when I was in (?) elementary school.)

Mary Anne in Kentucky

Leah J. Utas said...

Crabby, thou art on!

Leah J. Utas said...

Mary Anne, that's very true. It adds a level or so.
Good on you for getting Endora when the show was on. I had no clue, However, I was tickled silly to get "Pandora Spocks" as Serena was listed in the credits.

Nancy said...

You know much more about the Bible than I do. Why is the fish the symbol for Jesus? Or is it?

Leah J. Utas said...

Nancy, fish is a Christian symbol for a few reasons. One, Jesus showed up at the start of the Ages of Pisces (Precession of the Equinoxes)and two, some of the Apostles were fishermen. He saw them casting their nets in the Sea of Galilee (I think) and said something like "Come, we will be fishers of men."
I'm working from memory and too lazy to check it, but it was something like this.

We enter the Age of Aquarius on the morning of the vernal equinox 2012. I say invest in potable water.

Reb said...

Good for you Leah. I have tried and like Sis, do have portions of it memorized (or at least I did at one time ;))

messymimi said...

Yes, i've read the Bible cover to cover. It does explain a lot about human nature in many ways. Shakespeare, too. Reading both makes other literature make sense.

Leah J. Utas said...

Reb, good for you. What was the prompt for the memorizing?

Messymimi, good for you. I've often thought that anyone in a Christian dominant society ought to read it for themselves.
I haven't read much Shakespeare. One more thing I ought to do.