When it comes to the Bible I am a self taught person and I was never drawn to reading it.
To be honest most of my biblical knowledge is via Charlton Heston films and to a lesser extent Victor Mature ones.
However I know a lot of people I rate as 'Sensible' who believe in god , for my part whatever gives some one comfort works for me.
But I would be interested to see how many people on here rate the bible as a decent read ?
Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ 27th February 2019, 2:57 PMhow many people on here rate the bible as a decent read ?
The King James version of the Bible is one of the most beautifully-written books in the English language.
The reason for that is quite simple. King James didn't have it written by religious people or by academics: he had it written by the finest writers in the English language, one of whom was almost certainly Shakespeare.
I'm not a huge fan of the Bible as a historical document, particularly because there isn't a single shred of historical evidence that the Jews were ever enslaved by the Egyptians. Having said that, however, a great many of the stories are inspirational and the teachings of Jesus (whether or not he was in any way related to God and whether or not he took his teachings from older religions) are just marvellous.
Rood they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but what you wrote there would make great synopsis on a bible with a a dust jacket. I think the collected parables are a way of helping on the same lines as Sesame Street but I don't really know much about it. Is the King James the same stories better laid out or totally different ones?
I echo Rood Eye's comments. I would also recommend the pidgin version of the Bible, as it is often much simpler than wading through that beautifully written archaic text.
Leviticus, Chapter 18, Verse 14, in the Pidgin Bible:
Peopo Dat Fool Aroun Wit Somebody Dey Not Suppose To:
14. "No go nea yoa fadda's brudda's wife fo make sex wit her. No make shame fo yoa fadda brudda lidat. She yoa auntie.
http://www.pidginbible.org/Concindex.html
Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ 27th February 2019, 4:03 PMIs the King James the same stories better laid out or totally different ones?
The content (meaning-wise) is the same in all traditional Bibles: the King James version is just written very much more fluently and very much more beautifully.
There were some great writers knocking about during King James's reign: you can bet your life that those that were approached to write a new version of the Bible were all keen to do their very best work for His Majesty.
Thanks Rood, on reflection he sounds like a doyen of the arts so it's starting to sound like chopping his head off might have been a bit of a rick.
Quote: Rood Eye @ 27th February 2019, 3:45 PMThe reason for that is quite simple. King James didn't have it written by religious people or by academics: he had it written by the finest writers in the English language, one of whom was almost certainly Shakespeare.
The members of the translation committees were mostly clergymen.
Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ 27th February 2019, 5:47 PMThanks Rood, on reflection he sounds like a doyen of the arts so it's starting to sound like chopping his head off might have been a bit of a rick.
You're thinking of his successor, Charles I.
James I died peacefully, although he was at one time nearly blown to bits by Guy Fawkes and Co. 
Quote: Rood Eye @ 27th February 2019, 4:54 PMapproached to write a new version of the Bible
Translators. Not writing a brand new version. A new translation.
Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ 27th February 2019, 5:47 PMchopping his head off might have been a bit of a rick.
Not James I. His son, Charles I.
Quote: Rood Eye @ 27th February 2019, 6:24 PMJames I died peacefully
He wasn't murdered but I doubt he went peacefully. He was described as being violently ill.
I'm a born again!
And I have 3 bibles
To be honest though I find reading it hard going
I prefer to just dip in and read the odd passage
Lots of it's just seems pretty irrelevant to life in 21st century England
See what happens when you fast forward Cromwell videos?, I should have watched it warts and all as I could have swore Alec Guinness's name was Jimmy in that .
Under James's direction, a team of 47 scholars undertook the mammoth task of translating ancient biblical texts upon which the Bible was based more accurately than they had been translated in previous editions of the Bible.
When all was ready, James said "Okay, I can't dispute the accuracy of your work because my Hebrew and Greek are a wee bit rusty - so I'll take your word that this new Bible is as close to the original texts as it's possible to be. Thank you very much for your tireless labours. Here's a few quid."
When the scholars had left, Queen Anne (a.k.a. Mrs James I) asked him what he thought of the new translation.
James replied, "I'm assured it's wonderfully accurate but I'll tell you this for nothing: it's as dull as f**k!"
Anne feared the public's reaction to the turgid tome and, after a moment's thought, came up with a cunning plan.
"Do you think Shakespeare and his friends could zsuzsh it up a bit?" she asked.
"Anne of Denmark," shouted James. "You've saved my bacon!"
The rest, as they say, is history.
Rood you need putting in a headlock by Ben Hur for that one. I'm not sure he was in the bible but he should be as that Jonah story is and that's as dull as f**k!
Bits of it are interesting stories but other bits are just lists of stuff.
Most of the good stuff was removed in 367 AD