Bible Study

I have resolved tomorrow to gout and purchase a Bible and read it from cover to cover. Hopefully within the time period Evelyn Waugh set Randolph Churchill during World War II. Waugh, in an atempt to shut Randolph up bet him he couldn't finishing reading the Bible in 2 weeks. He had not counted upon the younger Churchill's fascination with a religious text which he had hiretho never encountered before punctuating the reading with comments (and I quote) "Isn't this a shit!"

The exact meanings of such comments are, I presume lost to time. However, in my bid to understand the religious perspective, I have decided to undergo this endavour. Starting with the Bible of course, the most familiar text to me along with the majority of the Western population to some extent or another. Who could forget Noah's Ark?

I have attempted to source the most accurate Bible available, I.E one which is closest in all meanings intent and message, to the original in Hebrew. While I'm at it, I might as well search for the crew of the Mary Celeste since that'll be an easier job. For a text which has been translated from Americ, to Hebrew to Greek, Latin, Olde English, Olde German, French, etc.... there can be no doubt that certain translators endavoured to make what thy felt was the "intent" behind the Bible's Holy Writing rather than what was down there right on the paper. Words may have not changed but a single word where none was before can radically alter the message. This would be totally harmful to my purpose for reading it cover to cover.

I have decided to read up on the Bible without outside interference. The Bible is said to be God's True Holy Word. No errors, no mistakes, and definitely no metaphors. Approaching it rationally, as a believer, every single word written in the Bible is true, no mixing of analogies and actual real life events. None of that "I'll interpret it for you" sort of thing. Just reading what is fully written down and listing out all the important events (some might argue the whole thing is important in which case, you can bloody read it yourself cause I'm not copying it out verbatim) as well as listing all the precepts God has set own in this book containing his Holy Word. And when I mean ALL PRECEPTS. I mean ALL PRECEPTS. Not just the 10 Commandments. EVERYTHING. And none of the "reinterpreting it for modern times" Oh no. Cause thats just well, hogwash. If it is the Holy Word of God than it must be read as appropriate to the time period. In regards to the Bible, that is going on the basis that all the people referred to in the Commandments "Thou shalt love thy neighbour" are Jewish and that the message was intended to be diseminated to a Jewish audience. Well, the Old Testament that is. May be a bit trickier in that regard for the New Testament.

And in reply to the "Reinterpretation for modern times" the Old Testament God definitely didn't have the Hitties or Cannites filed under "Love thy neighbour part" Not unless loving Thy Neighbour includes Genocide. Then again, you see some of the wars countries have launched accross the borders and maybe tough loving is the order of the day. Irregardless, that is an opinion formed before having read the Bible. I will be trying to find the oldest (accurate) Bible available. Not the Olde English or German ones as there are reports that some of the subtleties are lost. If that proves fruitless I'll take the King's James version as thta is the most widely circulated.

Any suggestions on how to go about it in a better way would be welcomed. But no, no outside interpretation until it (The Bible) is read in its entirety.