Bible parts I like

by Cygnus 8 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Cygnus

  It took me a reading of Thomas Paine's "Age of Reason" to see what the craziness in the OT had. That and many other more contemporary works showed me how Jesus was a complete fraud. But there are stories in the Bible that are unmistakably brilliant in their pace, action, and adventure. The stories of Samson, Jonah, Joseph, and the great warrior Joshua. However David is really the main character in the OT and he is presented as such a beautiful man, a poet and singer, a great fighter for righteousness, fair in his dealings with others, and a tragic figure who doesn't allow tragedy to overcome and ruin him (i.e. whe his son died and David said 'the boy is dead, why should I continue to mourn?"

  Yet my favorite part of the OT is the back and forth between David and Absalom, and Joab and Abner. That is GREAT reading, even if it's all fiction. And it has a beautiful, sad ending... after all the battling back and forth when David hears of his son's death he cries and goes "Absalom, my son, Absalom!" Definitely my favorite part of the Bible. The whole book of Galatians is my second, followed by a reading of Revelation while on pot laced with PCP (JUST KIDDING, DON"T WORRY DAD).
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  tall penguin

  I think David is still one of my favourite Bible characters, although the whole concubines thing makes me a little miffed. David had the full range of human experiences. I can relate to that.
  tall penguin
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  Leolaia

  I'm glad that others feel that the Bible can be appreciated as fine literature.

  The literary high mark for me is the Joseph novella in Genesis. I like the nature poetry in Job, the various parables and aphorisms in the gospels, the approach to recent Hellenistic history in Daniel, the Jewish-Christian point-of-view in parts of Matthew, James, the Didache, and the Pseudo-Clementine writings, the sheer beauty of the Odes of Solomon, the message and language of John, the implied universalism of Jonah, the incipient monotheism of Deutero-Isaiah, the literary artistry of the Eden story in Genesis 2-3, and the primitive Canaanite echoes in the Psalms and other writings (such as Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28).
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  Narkissos

  In addition to Leolaia's list which I find excellent:

  The J Tower of Babel story (Genesis 11), many patriarchal narratives, Abraham's or Moses' negotiations with Yhwh, the Horeb revelations (Exodus 3, 33, I Kings 19); the Elijah/Elisha cycles; many passages from the prophets, especially Jeremiah's confessions or the desperate hope in Trito-Isaiah; Hosea, Amos, Habaqquq; many Psalms; Job's dialogue; the rewriting of Egyptian or Babylonian wisdom in Proverbs; Ruth, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes); the Wisdom of Solomon; Mark's Gospel plot (even his rough style gets attractive in time); the conceptual audacity of Paul (even where it borders on sophistry); even Revelation is fascinating from a literary standpoint.
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  inquirer

  leolaia,
  
  Some of those things you talked about are not even the Bible! Odes of Solomon was written by a Pharisee! Did you know that? Do you like the Bible more or do you like these apocryphal writings?
  
  The didache is ok, but apart from Greek Scripture Apocrypha, there is not much else. Hebrew Scripture Apocrypha is so much better -- But then again, it's not the Bible. Someone just made it all up!
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  Dune

  I've always liked job. I think that he had the most meaningful conversation with god compared to anyone else in the bible.
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  Seeker4

  With no question, my favorite part is Ecclesiastes. How this gem of Oriental philosophy made it into the Bible is beyond me! I once had a conversation with Al Schroeder about the book. He told me I should talk to his wife, as it was by far her favorite as well!

  S4
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  Robdar

  Yeah, I liked David too. Old boy liked to party, no doubt.
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  Eyebrow2

  Thomas Paine's "Age of Reason"

  Very good book!