Did you guys read the Bible? If so, how did you approach it...

Yes. Cover to cover.

My first time through I read all of the minor prophets before anything else. I wouldn't necessarily recommend that, but it goes to show that your options aren't only NT first or straight through from Genesis. "Chronologically" isn't accurate. The books of the OT aren't strictly chronological, and they're ordered differently between Orthodox, Latin, and Protestant Bibles.

>I don't like the New Testament much because of all the hippy "Jesus loves everyone" crap.

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.

17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

I'll try to find that pic that had it broken up real well to a weekly or daily reading schedule

well I can't find it so take this instead as a consolation

Judges through Kings is ebin, just read those fuck the rest

So I went to Confession yesterday and confessed that I'd been masturbating. The priest said, "Excuse me but you didn't say how many times you did that?" And I said, without even realising what I was saying, "Oh, just a handful." I nearly started laughing. I'm not sure he noticed. It was quite a wild adventure.

>jesus loves everyone

you want to know how I know you never read it?

You'll probably find parts of the Old Testament very challenging at first. Prepare yourself for endless extrapolations upon the law and painfully detailed descriptions on how to build a tabernacle.

It will become more enjoyable after you read the New Testament and see how Our Lord fulfilled the prophesies in it.

I recommend supplementing your reading with an audio version, this will help you get through the boring parts on your first reading. The Word of Promise Audio Bible is a nice dramatization of the KJV. Jim Caviezel of The Passion of the Christ voices Jesus.

This chart is a mess. I would recommend avoiding works by heretics and schismatics if you're just beginning your Christian life.

Yeah my dude just look up a seminary course or something at harvard lol there's a lot of theories on how to approach. I for one just went by what interested me (poetry, pentatuch, gospels, late prophets, Pauline texts, late letters) and skipped the laws and early prophecies bc theyre boring af (and generally considered useless unless you're a scholar)

One thing I would tell people before reading is to remember the context of the times theses books were written in. Like when it talks about the sea it can also mean something like the abyss or chaos, It usually compares angels to animals like swarms of fish or birds. Just remember, the people of those times perceived this world in a very different way. And one more thing I would say is never just interpret the bible literally. It tells you many times through out it that what god has to say cannot be explained easily, it builds complicated metaphors out of things like noahs ark, the crucifixation, passover etc. and you will see these metaphors or motifs resonate through all the individual works. You don't have to be religious to recognize the depth and complexity to them, but It definitely got me thinking about things I've never really considered.

Are you going to start in Hebrew, Greek, or Latin?

>I like going to hell

>audio version
Alexander Scourby KJV
youtu.be/FZ8tkCqfwIk354
>This chart is a mess. I would recommend avoiding works by heretics and schismatics
I made a version that addresses this a while back.

My first read took me about a year because I was reading multiple different commentaries. The trick to sticking with a long work is to make a habit out of it so and for that reason I wouldn't recommend taking breaks between books. I made reading it for at least 30 minutes a part of my morning routine and I never got bored with it. I would occasionally read other books throughout the day to help supplement my study as well.

If you're looking for recommendations Scott Hahn is my go to guy for everything biblical. He did the commentary on the Ignatius study bible and now he's currently releasing individual Old Testament books in the same style. They're well worth the money and he has a bunch of other books and essays and dictionaries that are worth checking out. I remember Hard sayings by Trent Horn being very useful to me because he grows though a lot of the common objections or criticism that are brought up against the bible. Peter Kreeft also gets a thumbs up.

yes, i just open it up randomly and start reading like a Puritan picking out a name for one of their brood mares

kek

find that chart my man

Chronogical is neat, but it makes the parables lose a bit of their luster by feeling more like an old Jewish annal than a religious text

This is shit where's that tasty Spanish Mystical Poetry?

>reading some anthropology/comparative mythology before you go for it.
Like what?

Which one did you prefer and why?

Just read it cover to cover the first time, reading it in any other order won't make it more approachable; it's like a giant book of hyperlinks going in all directions, there is no way to really get a handle on it on a single reading. Isiah is painful for the uninitiated, second time through it shouldn't be as tough. I would just read it once through and then spontaneously read the odd book when the mood hits you. I've only read the entire thing twice but I read Jonas and Genesis monthly just because I enjoy them.

For me the Pentateuch is very enjoyable, every verse is just so densely packed that the genealogy/laws seem cathartic in comparison, and I'm just reading it as lit; not scripture.

how do italians react to people told they killed jesus christ?

>Just read it cover to cover the first time
Don't do this, it's ridiculous