How many people have actually read the Bible?

Question

After a handful of attempts over the years and varying degrees of progress, I have finally read the Bible in its entirety. I started mid-March and finished yesterday evening, reading about five or six chapters a day on average (two each in the morning, afternoon, and evening), sometimes more, sometimes less. I plan to make it a regular part of my routine.

If I'm to be completely honest, I can't think of a time that I've been less convinced that many people who claim to have read the entire Bible from start to finish actually have, let alone truly know and understand it.

So how many people have actually read the Bible from "In the beginning..." through to "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all"?

Saint Jerome, who spent 20 years translating the Bible into Latin, at the instruction of Pope (Saint) Damasus

strateguy632 · Accepted Answer

First, i respect that. it is a huge accomplishment especially in your catholic bible with more books than protestant, and i like how luther dared to exclude 2 categories of books.

Really it (bible) is huge, either way, therefore i disagree about the goal...

The goal should not be read from "beginning to end" unless a monk who will study all day... i mean study ! not read many chapters together quickly like reading a novel. We must distinguish the important parts.

SSo no i didn't read it cover to cover, i read some summaries of some books... but the important parts are the parts selected and taught in church so i got the important parts.

jehova witness used to have chapter summaries, selected key ideas from chapters, that is easier to read but they took it down.

a good outline of some books, at link, is simpler than reading hundreds of words and lists of names (that are boring to read) like chapters: Matthew 1, luke 3 , genesis 5 and 10+11 and more, is just the outline, you can choose how much detail just "outer layer" for an overview or more details in subsections at link:

https://bible.org/seriespage/1-matthew-introduction-argument-and-outline

There.

SixFootSexy · Accepted Answer

I've read it entirely in 3 different translations. My grandfather was a bible translator and polyglot genius, including Greek and Hebrew. Personal favorites are AMP & NLT.

The way faith works personally now, is that the Bible is kind of a broad overview map. The daily walk of a Christian should be the "streetview GPS" led by the Holy Spirit to love & good works, in pursuit of the Truth. It takes a childhood humility to give up your own ideas of what you think is Good & Evil and learn and practice what God says is Good & Evil. The Prodigal Son story is the perfect example. That's what many Christians lack.

It's one thing to know something, another to do it. Like knowing everything there is to fly a plane, maybe even play 1000 hours of the latest Flight Simulator, but until you have DONE it, you are not a pilot.

But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth]. - James 1:22

DishLady · Accepted Answer

I have a few times since I was a kid, then took a course in college, reading it "as a work of literature" rather than as a narrative of the faith, then had my kids read one verse every night till we got through the whole thing bc I didn't want them to be gap-mouthed dummies in church on Sundays.

As a result, once my daughter yelled out, "OH MAMA WE KNOW THAT ONE!" (Sigh... the enthusiasm meant hear heart was in the right place, though I was embarrassed af to go up for communion after... but it was easier than the time she saw a very old priest for the first time and yelled "SANTA!!!" Ooof.)

purplepoppy · Accepted Answer

I was told that apart from priests the only people who've read it cover to cover are prisoners with nothing else to do.

I've looked things up in online bibles but I've only ever read passages not the whole thing.

Hellraiser1984 · Answer

I have. It's a very heavily altered and edited version of the mythology of much older cultures. At least the old testament is. The myth of Noah and the flood was first found in the Sumerian myths. Originally the story went there were multiple gods and they fought amongst each other. Then time passed and the original Jewish people came along and created their god Yahweh who was a storm god and they wrote that he was the supreme being. Millenia passed and the roman empire came into existence and then yeshua bin Joseph was born he tried to teach about love and peace and was executed for it and he didn't really die because medical science was really primitive and he regained conscious and either ran away to france or the India. A lot of previously known myths about a being who was the child of a god being born through the god impregnating a woman magically and being sacrificed and rising from the dead were applied to him. The Romans one day decided it was too expensive to have many festivals for the many roman gods every month. So they decided to pick a religion that could save them money and make them money at the same time so they chose the worship of yeshua bin Joseph. They wanted to dominate the world and manipulated his teachings and the truth about him to do so. So they created their version of events and tried to wipe out any other yeshua worshiping groups. The Cathars, gnostics, etc. The Romans spread their lies throughout the world. Through torture cruelty violence, misogyny, and rape. They bullied people into believing their lies. They started wars that have never really ended. Leading us to the hell we live in today. Thank the Romans kids for all the hatred pain and suffering you see today. Christinanity is a lie and so is Islam and Judaism. Yahweh is no better than the ancient gods of old like Ra, Zeus or Marduk. He demands a stop to child sacrifice then goes out and kills children himself. He's an evil god that I will never worship. If anyone belongs in hell it's him.

AMS700CX4u2 · Answer

Read it through twice. Once with a companion study guide, after an amputation and once again after my triple bypass It was then that I realized it was not a chronological story. The books of the prophets started when David took the throne. The thrust of the Old Testament is shape up or ship out. Israel was scattered, Although Judah went into exile, it was allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Messianic messages are all through the text. The New Testament is Jesus' story as seen through different Apostles eyes , followed by letters of encouragement to the young churches. Revelations is a Codex written by four different authors under the pseudonym John. Nero had declared himself God and the text uses wild imagery that the churches would understand and would be confusing to Roman soldiers. Its message is embedded in the text at least four times. "It is going to get worst before it gets better but hang on Christians, hold tight to your faith. Don't fall for Nero's claim of deity or Rome's promises of wealth. God's promises are real. The thrust of Revelations to this day is simply that self serving Governments and people always destroy themselves because they are self consuming. Read the text, God does not allow Armageddon to occur.

Anonymous · Answer

There's a podcast on YouTube called, "The Bible in a year" with father Mike Schmitz. I highly recommend it. It's not that I have anything against reading the Bible alone. But if a person is a beginner I think there are a lot of lessons that are lost if you don't fully understand what you are reading. What I like about this podcast is you listen to it while driving, doing chores, or just relaxing. And it's called Bible in a year because it breaks the Bible down into 365 easy to understand segments narrated by father Schmitz. And after he finishes each segment he goes over sort of an explanation of what he just read and gives you the highpoints.

I haven't read the bible cover to cover, no. And I'm currently listening to and absorbing "the Bible in a year".

worldscolide · Answer

Yes, and in multiple languages (English, Latin, and Greek, including one bible that predates the king James.

Simslover92 · Answer

I've read parts of the Bible but not the whole thing.

Chazmatazz269 · Answer

I’ve read multiple versions of the Christian bible, as well as one Quran and the Torah.
Reading multiple versions is important, i think, for recognizing how prominent interpretations are in “the word of God”. Until you can admit that you are reading man’s interpretation of God, you don’t understand any of it; in my not so humble opinion.
I thought you said you went to catechism skool. You can do that without having to read the actual bible?

boundless · Answer

technically you can read the Bible cover to cover in about 60 hours at average reading speed, but you're not going to absorb much like that. You really have to study the Bible topically and analyze what you are reading and rereading while comparing what you read to the context of other areas of the Bible that cover a topic.

WonderingManII · Answer

Using the audio Bible called the Bible Experience (NIV), I listened to the whole thing about 5 times or more. I'm currently listening to a new audio bible which reads from the NLT. I don't understand all of it. But I think and wonder about it all the time.

HighValue · Answer

I read it through once when I was a kid and of course didn't understand plenty of it back then. I am almost finished reading the original King James version (not the modern edited fake one) as an adult now. I am on page eight hundred something. I have around 60 to 70 pages left to go. And yes, many people misquote things from the Bible that are NOT in there because many of them have barely read any of it themselves and just go by what they HEAR about it.

Anonymous · Answer

There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.

~ Ezekiel 23:20

Its the first mention of BBC in the bible and today porn companies continue this Jewish fascination and fetishising of Black MEN and their penises.

sportsbraslikes · Answer

It’s been a while. I have been trying to get back to reading it or at least using an audio file for it but it’s so hard to do so with all these days distractions. I do need prayer for guidance and understanding of the scriptures including finding time the correct time to read

CalmUntilAbused · Answer

Make it the New Testament, and I think I did (though not in order). To read the whole Bible, though, is an admirable achievement. Congratulations!

FunkyMonkee · Answer

No thanks. I don't have time for fairy stories. I still need to finish, "Alice Through the Looking Glass". I've just had so much shit going on in my life since I started it, I just haven't had the time to finish it!

genericname85 · Answer

i have. and i gotta say: it's probably the one thing that made the most people atheists. cause if you read that and you still think what it says is actually true, you must be mad.

Joshydavid25 · Answer

I've never read it cover to cover although I have tried when I was a kid.. It was a lot to take in as a kid..

AviatorTom · Answer

I've read sections of the bible but not the entire book, maybe 50% of it

Levin · Answer

Come on fellow. The thing is huge and in small text, too. Some people gotta work.

NathanDavis · Answer

I did read a whole of it but not all of it, no... I was just six years old though

beenherebefore · Answer

I never read the Bible in its entirety but I’ve read pars and verses of it.

Snowman84 · Answer

I have and it’s not relevant at all. It’s filled with nasty stuff, not a manual for living a good life.

douride2 · Answer

Years ago before left religion I had read a large potion of it. Don't ask me about it though because I don't recall much of it.

Dargil · Answer

Over time, 100% of the New Testament less of the Old.

LiamJHayden · Answer

I have, several times actually, yet still fail on the daily to truly follow what I KNOW to be the truth.

Massageman · Answer

Twice. Once in 2020 and once again in 2021-2.

Agape93 · Answer

I have, cover to cover.

mysteriousNicholas · Answer

I've read most of it

Kelly6 · Answer

@BCRanger10 i have

Anonymous · Answer

I have, and I'm not even religious.

Jmmmfi4 · Answer

I have long time ago

Raydergman26 · Answer

I always read the Bible all the time

Miristheiss · Answer

I have.

Osborne775 · Answer

I read some of it

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